Talk it Out

The more I experience life, the more I realise how important it is for someone to have someone else to talk to. This may seem like a very simplistic observation, but it is one that is not always acted upon.

A conversation can be a powerful tool that can inspire, ignite change, challenge an idea, educate and give clarity to something or someone. Or, on a simpler but more impactful level, a conversation can help a person feel a little bit better about themselves, or perhaps a difficult situation they are going through.

We are individuals who have very different ways of dealing with challenging transitions and times in our lives. Some of us may isolate ourselves and shut people out, while others may try and block something out only for it to find a way to express itself in another, sometimes uglier, form. We may have different ways of dealing with a troubling matter on the outside, but one thing we all share is the relief we get when we are able to open up and talk to someone we trust.

I’m sure many of us have thanked someone for listening to us and have almost felt the weight literally lifted off our shoulders when we finally get things off our chest. In our day-to-day lives we are masters of small talk. From the great British topic of the weather, to asking how someone is but not really expecting anything but ‘I’m fine’ in response. But how often do we really get to talk beneath the surface?

I’m fortunate to have some wonderful ears around me. Without these people and these conversations, I would have suffered in silence for much longer than necessary. In a world full of new technology that makes it easy for us to communicate, we can often miss the very visceral experience of a face to face conversation. And it is this human interaction that is important to maintain. It’s too easy to send a quick reply without really discussing anything.

What is often common when having a face to face conversation, is that you may open up about something that is troubling you and another person will be able to relate, maybe they have gone through something similar or just have something they want to share. Often they give you a new perspective on a situation you have been lost in for too long. Without the presence of phones, you allow a person to naturally express themselves, without the fear of something being misinterpreted or worrying that you are burdening them or distracting them from something else.

I’m sure we can all think of a time when a conversation with someone we trust about something that is perhaps delicate to us has made us feel so much better. So don’t be afraid to say what’s on your mind, we as humans, are very complex creatures, but what we all have in common is the ability to talk and listen. A genuine conversation with a trusted loved one is like therapy without the expense.