Being Human is OK...Honestly

Being human is not about having it all together. It’s about having the capacity to feel, to struggle, to connect, often all at the same time.

To be human is to experience a full emotional range: joy, grief, anger, shame, hope, love, and uncertainty. Counselling recognises that none of these emotions are “wrong” or signs of failure. They are signals, ways the nervous system can communicate basic needs.

This week, I felt the need to write something about being human. With the way the world is right now, I think we could all use a gentle reminder (myself included) that being human naturally comes with its struggles.

Admitting when we’re finding things hard can be an incredibly brave thing to do. Pushing past those internal thoughts of “what will others think?” or “I’ll look like a failure” isn’t always easy, but it can be surprisingly freeing.

Sometimes, simply saying things out loud helps to lift the weight we’ve been carrying, unburdening us from negativity and leading to moments of clarity and realisation.

Being human also means being shaped by relationships. Our earliest connections influence how we see ourselves, others, and the world. In the counselling room, we often see how deeply people long to be understood, accepted, and safe, sometimes for the first time. Healing happens not because someone is “fixed,” but because they are met with empathy, understanding and respect.

Importantly, being human means being imperfect and unfinished. Growth is rarely linear. People regress, repeat patterns, and feel stuck, yet they are also able to show remarkable resilience. Counselling does not aim to eliminate vulnerability but to help people relate to it differently: with greater self-awareness, self-kindness, and understanding, that being human comes with its struggles.