Did you know that whenever we're rejected, excluded or ostracised, our brains register it in the same area as physical pain?
We all want to belong and be a part of a bigger tribe, whether it’s your friends, coworkers or family members. It makes us feel secure and happy, strengthening our overall well-being [1].
While feeling out of place occasionally is common, struggling with it long-term means that there's an underlying issue, best addressed in CBT Therapy with an experienced professional. If left unchecked, it might lead to problems like anxiety, heightened stress, or self-sabotage.
In this article, we answer the question: "Why do I feel like an outsider?", explain the causes of feeling different, and share practical tips and techniques on how to identify, process and overcome that issue.
- 14 Jul / 2023
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Featured Articles
Overcoming Feeling Out of Place: Practical Tips
Did you know that whenever we’re rejected, excluded or ostracised, our brains register it in the same area as physical pain?
We all want to belong
Overcoming Trust Issues: How to Rebuild Your Relationship
Trust is like the glue that holds any healthy relationship together, creating a sense of intimacy, security and understanding between two people. Although building trust in relationships can take years, it
Overcoming Lack of Motivation: 6 Common Causes and Ways to Get Motivated
“Nothing gets me going.”, “I don’t care about anything.”, “I just don’t care about getting out of bed.”, you may have experienced these and other thoughts related to low motivation. Today
Doubting Your Relationship? Here’s What You Need to Know
You’ve been with your significant other for some time now, perhaps you’ve met their friends and family, have moved in together, and would consider your relationship rather serious. Even though you
Mental Health and Overwhelm: Recognising When It’s More Than Just Stress
Feeling overwhelmed is an experience that happens to everyone from time to time, for different reasons. Whether it’s your job, your studies, your family, or your romantic relationships, life can become
How To Cope When You Can’t Stop Thinking About Someone
Do you find yourself constantly checking your phone for social media updates or messages from your ex? Are you easily distracted at work or school, daydreaming about your crush? Does it
Transforming Your Mindset to Stop Feeling Not Good Enough
Do you tend to ask the question: “Why am I not good enough“? Perhaps you sometimes engage in negative self-talk and beat yourself up about minor mistakes or failures. Maybe you
How To Be Less Insecure in a Relationship: A Guide to Building Confidence and Trust
Do you often get jealous in your relationship? Are you constantly seeking the validation of your partner? Maybe you tend to put their needs above your own to please them. Many
Can Men Get Postnatal Depression?
Are you struggling to connect to your baby? Do you find yourself feeling low, helpless or confused about your future? Perhaps you keep thinking that you’re failing in your new role
How to Help Someone with PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health issue that can be incredibly difficult and painful to face. If your friend, partner or family member struggles with PTSD, it’s probably a
What to do when having a panic attack
If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you’ll know that it can be incredibly scary and immobilising. However, it’s important to remember that anxiety is a natural human response
How to Get Out of a Depressive Episode
In life, we all go through low periods. While for most of us, sadness and stress eventually pass, for some, it’s more severe and prolonged. If the increasing feeling
How To Stop Ruminating
Do you tend to revisit difficult events from your past, like a breakup or a failed job interview? Maybe you overanalyse things you said during a fight with a
How To Deal with Anger
Anger is one of the many basic emotions that we all need to express. Feelings of anger can arise for a number of different reasons, be it disappointment, hurt
What to say to someone who is grieving
Sending your condolences or well wishes to someone who has lost a loved one can be tricky. You may wonder if there are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ things to say,
How To Set Healthy Boundaries
Do you sometimes feel like your limits are being crossed by other people? Is it difficult for you to say “no” to your friends or refuse countless requests from
Why It’s Important to Allow Yourself to Rest
Do you tend to get overwhelmed with your daily responsibilities? Perhaps you often feel like you’re falling behind. Maybe you struggle with stress, anxiety
How to Live with Anxiety
At some point in our lives, we have all experienced feelings of anxiety, fear and stress. Anxiety is completely normal whether you’re preparing for a job interview or taking
Defining and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Do you think that other people see you in a more positive light than they should? Do you believe that you’re just “faking it”, and that you’re not what
How To Stop Negative Thoughts From Entering Your Mind
We all struggle with negative thoughts from time to time. While that’s absolutely normal, it can become an alarming issue when we cannot get rid of such thoughts, when
How To Improve My Sleeping Habits
It’s safe to say that we’ve all experienced a sleepless night due to difficulty falling and staying asleep or simply because of our poor
Ten Tips on How to Work from Home with Kids
Mental health problems can affect anyone and have detrimental effects on the lives of individuals, their friends, families and broader communities. Nonetheless, Inequality factors do play a role in the likelihood
Is it Weird to be Interested in Serial Killers?
The hubbub around the recent documentary on Jeffrey Dahmer reminded us of a very peculiar phenomenon: serial killers becoming (in)famous. Why are so many people interested in the lives of individuals
Inequality and Mental Health: What’s the connection?
Mental health problems can affect anyone and have detrimental effects on the lives of individuals, their friends, families and broader communities. Nonetheless, Inequality factors do play a role in the likelihood
How To Cope With A Parent With Mental Health Issues
Maintaining a healthy and loving relationship with our parents is one of the biggest challenges we face in our lives. The complexity and difficulty of such a relationship rises
What to Say to Someone Who is Suicidal
Watching a loved one experience thoughts of suicide can be incredibly anxiety-provoking and overwhelming. Although suicide may seem to come out of nowhere, there is often a history of
Is Sanna Marin allowed to have a good time?
We’ve all heard about the party Sanna Marin, the Finnish prime minister, attended. This “scandal” comes at an exciting time when Sanna tries to maintain support among Finns while also managing
What Is JOMO: The Joy Of Missing Out
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world as we knew it changed forever. What used to be shocking and unimaginable, such as the first
What Is JOMO: The Joy Of Missing Out
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world as we knew it changed forever. What used to be shocking and unimaginable, such as the first
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