People’s sense of social belonging, or their sense that they have good relationships with others, is a fundamental human need. Having solid social connections can be as important to human health and happiness as having food, water, and shelter. Indeed, there is research to support this idea, including the finding that having social relationships can increase your odds of survival by 50%. To put this in perspective, that is comparable to the effects of smoking and excessive drinking on mortality, suggesting that having quality social ties is vital to our lives.

This episode features our very own Gergana Markov, therapist at The Montfort Group. 

A few weeks ago a client came into my office, collapsed onto the couch, and deeply sighed:
“I am so tired of feeling like a foreigner!”. Her words touched a nerve. Her pain and sadness sounded so familiar. I could relate to her hunger to be seen, appreciated, loved, and included. They were looking for a sense of belonging. After all, who doesn’t want to be accepted and be part of something larger than ourselves?! But I also know from experience that
constantly scanning the environment for reassurance that you fit in is truly exhausting and can take us away from what really matters.