Louisa Lopez
Have you ever wondered if a woman you know isn’t very happy on the inside? Perhaps she comes across differently when she is alone with you than when she is with others.
There are many different signs that a woman is feeling empty and unsatisfied in life. Read on to find out about some of these signs.
1) People-pleasing
You know that woman who is always trying to make sure everyone else is happy all the time? Yeah, she’s putting everyone else ahead of her, so the likelihood is, she’s not very happy inside.
When someone is always trying to please others, it’s their way of getting validation and an attempt to feel good for a minute.
But we all know how this ends up. These people end up being taken advantage of by the people around them and feel worse in the long run.
2) Overindulgence
Another sign that a woman might be feeling deeply empty is if she overindulges (often with food or alcohol).
I had a really good friend who used to use food to make herself “feel better”. Whenever she was feeling down she’d reach for the ice cream or the chocolate or head off and get herself some fast food.
Unfortunately, food like this can make us feel worse and often feeds negative feelings. We often call this ‘binge eating’. And just as binge drinking can give us a hangover, binge eating also makes us feel a bit rough the next day.
If someone is stuck in this cycle, they will likely be embarrassed about it, and feel worse about themselves than they did before.
3) Jealousy issues
Have you ever noticed those people who get jealous about different things? It might not just be in a relationship, it might be in friendships, in family situations, or even about things at work.
When someone has an issue like this, it is probably because they have low self-worth and think that people are doing things on purpose to leave them out.
My friend’s Mom used to be like this. My friend and her sister got along well and in their early twenties, they would hang out a lot together.
Their Mom started to get jealous of their friendship. Normally as a Mom, you’d be happy that your daughters were getting on well and wanted to spend time with each other. Unfortunately in this situation, she was feeling empty inside and began to feel left out.
If a woman is not confident in who they are they will feel jealous in all kinds of situations because they see the worst of themselves and think that other people are better than them.
4) Moodiness
Another sign to look out for is moodiness.
Yes, I know all women get moody every now and then, I blame the hormones. But if it is consistent moodiness then you might want to have a look behind the veil. It could be hiding something more.
If you’re feeling empty you’re probably not going to be going around every day with a big smile on your face singing happy songs. Sometimes what’s going on on the inside seeps out to the outside without us realizing it.
Even the best maskers can’t pretend all day that they are happy when they aren’t.
So next time instead of just saying, “Oh she’s just a moody so-and-so” maybe have a bit of empathy and think about what the reason for this woman’s moodiness might be. And perhaps cut her some slack.
5) Chronic dissatisfaction
I had a friend who always thought the grass was greener on the other side. Everywhere else was going to be better than the previous place, but when she went there, surprise, it wasn’t.
We both moved to Malaysia at the same time and she wasn’t happy with where we were living. She was always planning holidays and trips and thinking about the next place she could move to.
I went along for the ride because it was fun to plan trips, but her being unhappy made me question whether I was happy where I was. Eventually, I realized that she was never going to be happy anywhere because she wasn’t happy right here right now. Luckily for me, I was.
6) Excessive busyness
Do you know anyone who can’t sit still? They are always out and about with lots of projects on the go and never stop.
She might be trying to hide her feelings of emptiness by staying busy.
When someone stays busy they don’t have to stop and smell the roses. They don’t have to think about how they are feeling and they don’t have to deal with the emotions that come up.
I know a woman like this. She does every possible sport and hobby under the sun. I had coffee with her once and after an hour she said she had to go because she had another thing she had to do.
I’d hate to see her diary. And I’d hate to know how she feels when she finally stops and rests.
The thing with excessive busyness, is that eventually, something has to give. Maybe they fall ill, they get exhausted, or anxiety creeps in. Then they have to stop and deal with much more than just a cold.
7) Imposter syndrome
You may have heard a bit about this lately. It’s one of those phrases that people use a lot more, especially for people who are neurodivergent.
Imposter syndrome is where you think you suck at everything even though you don’t. You get so into your head and think that you’re not worthy of the promotion or can’t do the job you’ve been recommended for etc.
When someone displays this by downplaying an achievement, they might be saying that they don’t believe in themself.
Not believing in yourself or having excuses that other people helped you to achieve something you have achieved on your own could be down to feeling empty inside.
Basically, if you’re feeling empty inside you could just be feeling like a fraud when something finally does go right in your life.
8) Lack of meaningful connections
Have you met a woman who has a lot of acquaintances, but not any real connections? Or maybe just a bit of a loner?
I worked with a woman once who told the whole office that her 6-year-old niece was her best friend. We all believed her too. She was clearly lacking in social skills, and confidence and probably did feel quite empty on the inside.
When we don’t have meaningful connections we don’t feel loved. We don’t feel worth anything and we certainly don’t feel confident.
This study talks about how having meaningful connections with others is one of the most important parts of our experience as humans!
It goes on to say it’s the quality, not the quantity. And the best way to get yourself out of a slump is by connecting with someone on a deep level.
