It is okay to admit that you need people.

Needing people makes you vulnerable, but not needing people makes you…a hermit.

We’re wired to need people. It’s part of our makeup.

And for years, I struggled with this. The feeling of wanting a companion. Someone to walk through life with. Someone to fall back on, when the world gets to be too much.

I’ve always hated the fact that some part of me seems to be dependent on having someone else in my life, but until today I couldn’t pinpoint a justifiable, logical reason behind it that seemed worth sharing.

Then I read this:

Accept that you are a mammal and that love is an ancient, wired-in survival code.

You are happier, healthier, stronger, deal with stress better, and live longer

when you foster your bonds with your loved ones.

It is okay to need them; they are your greatest resource.

We are not designed for self-sufficiency.

The strongest among us accept this need for connection and risk reaching for others.

Happier. Healthier. Stronger. Deal with stress better.

I suppose that acceptance is the first step.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

Editor: Emma Ruffin

Photo: Bekassine/Flickr