Our Need for Connection

A common symptom of mental unwellness is the desire to isolate ourselves from others. Yet far from marking us out as abnormal or repellant, our suffering is an opportunity to connect with the countless others who feel just as lost as we do.

FURTHER READING

“One of the cruellest aspects of mental illness is that it strips us of any ability to believe that other people might be suffering in the way we are. We aren’t being wilfully egocentric or arrogant; we are condemned by our illness to a feeling that we are uniquely pitiful, uniquely unacceptable, uniquely awful. The central legacy of mental illness, and a major contributor to our suicidal impulses, is a feeling of exceptionalism.”

MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE

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CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Alexandra Sasha Balan

Title animation produced in collaboration with

Vale Productions

[buberibaberi]

I feel uniquely unified with fellow suffering souls through this youtube channel. Thank you for your meaningful work and for this platform.

[TheSonOfPlato]

The paradoxical tragedy of life is that we are alone...yet we are all alone together.

[johnny_roots]

Right now, there are people all over the world who are just like you. They're either lonely, they're missing somebody, they're depressed, they're hurt, they're scarred from the past, they're having personal issues no one knows about, they have secrets you wouldn't believe. They wish, they dream and they hope. And right now, they are sitting there reading these words, and I'm writing this for you so you don't feel alone anymore. Always remember, don't be depressed about the past, don't worry about the future, and just focus on today. If today's not so great don't worry! Tomorrow's a new chance. If you are reading this, be sure to share this around to make others feel better. Have a nice day :)

[RashidMBey]

This is why it's so vital that we destigmatize mental illness and raise awareness. Isolation and loneliness exacerbate our stressors and symptoms and worsen, and may even spiral, our suffering.

[TheDhammaHub]

Positive social interaction was such a vital part of our ancestors life and the need for it is deeply encoded in our DNA

[louera]

To be deeply listened to, understood, and truly accepted by a group of people is such a wonderful comfort. Most people these days only want to talk about themselves and not care to ask how you're feeling in return. It's rare to find people who truly care, but I'm glad I've found a friend on the internet, a fellow hsp, who reached out and wanted to deepen the friendship which first started out as replying to each other on youtube comments. We should really cherish and strengthen the spark of connection we have with anyone, because that's so rare. Highly-sensitive people and empaths need a way to find each other and get to know one another personally. Channels like the school of life, and their initiatives help with that.

[ruizisaac]

I’d like to suggest a different solution to the loneliness bounded by depression, anxiety, or other illnesses. Instead of connecting with someone who is suffering like you, find somebody who has gone through a similar experience but won the battle. If you are always with another depressed, you will continue to live in that emotional state, but if you are with someone who fought his way out of that emotion into a more empowering one, you’ll learn how he escaped that depression.

[Leo-mrqz]

" I am a highly sensitive individual. I don't just listen to your words. I listen to the use of your words, your tone, your body movements, your eyes, your subtle facial expressions. I can interpet your silences, I can hear everything you don't say in your words." This is how I feel at times; hyper vigilant. It's hard to get I to sync with someone else who understands this.

[nicojoshuas]

"We are deeply flawed, but so fortunately is everyone else. Our errors and ugly sides don't cast us out from humanity, they are what join us to it and renders us all the more hungry for and deserving of love"
- The School of Life

[TonyMarinou]

COVID Lockdown helped me to understand that I wasn't alone in my suffering. I'm not sure how this helped but it was instrumental; I'm coming out of lockdown with a much better outlook.

[sinconstanza]

I cannot believe the timing of this video. I got the notification as I was texting someone about how they've been failing to communicate their struggles, how it's killing our relationship (and ourselves), how social media makes me feel more isolated from them than ever.

My own personal struggles are not to share here, but thank you for the reminder that listening and being listened to the most gratifying way out. I hope that my friend comes around. I hope that all of them do. I hope you do, too.

[NE]

This basically why people pay therapists. i realized that, while in therapy, a lot of what is helpful is that fact that someone is there willing to listen. of course theres expertise as well but that alone is helpful.

[longstockings]

When I was depressed, it was not helpful to hear that I was not alone. Great, I thought, thousands of other souls stand before me in line: equally miserabel, equally lonely. All I needed was someone who would listen to me instead of trying to comfort me by saying my situation was far from unique.
I would stop communicating at that
point and engage in more suicidal thoughts. So be careful to push somebody too soon in an imaginairy group of equally depressed people.

[lemonadeslices]

the hardest thing about loneliness is that it's social failure (or feels very much like it) - and it's hard to reach out, since feeling lonely is a strangely shameful thing to admit.

[nicoleonfeels]

We as humans need a sense of belonging to thrive. But it has to be with the right people.

[tameyourmonkeymind]

When I was depressed i thought that I have no friends even tho I had alot of them. The problem was me I didnt open up, and I pushed away people form me. And NOW I bearly have any friends 😂, and its hard to make new ones.

[_joars]

If you are watching this, whatever you are going through, always remember you are not alone, better days will come.

[kerynl.sanchez]

I don’t have problems connecting with others because I see everyone as an extension of myself. We are not different, just conditioned to believe so, listen to others and you will always learn something new.

[LivingALifeOfAbundance]

A wise man once said to me “love is grand but divorce is 100 grand”

[yunting]

Be kind anyway.
Kind hearts do have power.
Extremely strong to pick up some broken heart pieces.