After counselling hundreds of people you would think that I would no longer be affected by sad and lonely people. It still affects me though…people walk through my doors – wealthy, good looking people. People who seem to have it all yet they are empty inside.
I blame the structure of society – we are all meant to carry on no matter what. To put our ‘everything is fine’ face on and act happy and in control. We are taught to constantly want more and to keep striving. For what exactly? The end result is the same for all of us – I use this to help me maintain perspective.
This leads people away from their ‘essential selves’. Instead of following what they really want to do, what makes them happy. People listen to what others expect far too much – parent’s and significant others all influence our decisions and sometimes we get lost along the way.
Engage with your inner self, the one who knew what they loved to do..perhaps as long back as when they were a child.
Do you still laugh a lot? Do you have a sense of humour and see life without the serious spectacles on?
I believe true happiness comes from feeling connected with others, from feeling valued and understood. Reach out to others – we are all the same underneath. We want to love and be loved.
Don’t get caught up in the rat race, the capitalistic mess that society brainwashes us with.
Less is more – keep those that important close to you and nurture your relationships. Focus on gratitude and you will immediately see an improvement in your mood.
We are never as lonely as we think we are -there are so many others going through similar experiences. We just need to reach out to find them and we will feel connected to the world.
There are some wonderful, kind people out there….I promise!
Mandy X
All names have been changed to protect the identity of clients. Personal client stories shared in this blog have been published with prior permission from the relevant clients.
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
