It’s strange how connected and disconnected we can be at the same time. The media landscape makes the world sound louder than ever — constant notifications, news cycles, messages, opinions — yet so many people I see describe feeling unseen. Even when they’re surrounded by people, there’s often a loneliness they describe.
How does this relate to baseball and the current season? Well, I’m a big baseball fan…and a Canadian. I’ve been tied to the Blue Jays’ games all season. As I was watching the last series against Seattle most recently, I couldn’t help thinking about how connected people seemed whether at home watching on TV, in sports bars, or at the stadiums — even while so many report feeling disconnected from and in other parts of their lives. The Jays’ dramatic comeback against Seattle, brought out something deeper than excitement. I can’t help feeling it wasn’t just about the game. It was about what it felt like to feel something together again — to care, to hope, to share in something that briefly cut through the noise. I spent two games watching with two different sets of friends — a last minute-ish plan that doesn’t happen often in today’s busy world. Feeling more connected, we stayed connected online for the following games — texting through every at-bat through all the tension and joy. It reminded me of how much we are all longing for joyful connection, and something to collectively cheer for and cheer on. It’s been a while I think.
Now, as the Jays face the Dodgers — Canada’s team against one of the giants of American baseball — I can’t help but notice how symbolic it feels. I wrote about this a little in my last blog. Not just David versus Goliath, but a reminder of how easy it is to feel small in a world dominated by larger forces: political tensions, global uncertainty, economic strain, work and family demands. That sense of smallness, of being unseen or outmatched, echoes what I hear so often in the therapy space — a feeling of disconnection not only from others, but from oneself; and the feeling of being stuck with no way out. We believe these stories of stuckness and it can leave us feeling ashamed, lonely, and alone.
How We Lose Connection
Loneliness isn’t always about being alone however. Sometimes it’s being surrounded by people but feeling as though you’ve lost your place among them. It can grow out of burnout, out of the speed of digital life, or from constantly having to appear “fine.” It can come from trying to live up to expectations — at work, in family, online — until there’s little left for your own inner life.
In that sense, isolation becomes both an emotional and physical state. It’s not that we stop caring about others; it’s that the pathways to genuine connection get crowded out by everything else.
Many clients tell me they miss something they can’t quite name: a sense of belonging, meaning, or shared rhythm. And yet, when they try to reach out, they often feel awkward, disconnected, or uncertain how to begin. Many avoid reaching out altogether for fear of the discomfort that may come with rejection. It’s exhausting.
Therapy as a Place to Re-Engage
Therapy can be one of the few spaces left where conversation does not feel transactional. It’s not about performance, quick fixes, or advice. It’s a space where your story, as it is, can unfold at a human pace.
As therapists, we can help you slow down enough to notice what’s happening inside, and help you begin to see the places where disconnection has taken hold. Sometimes that involves exploring what keeps you distant; this can be fear of rejection, self-criticism, or old patterns, beliefs and stories we tell ourselves, that make closeness feel unsafe. Other times, it’s about learning to tolerate presence — to just sit with someone, or that someone’s discomfort or pain without having to curate or edit yourself, or to feel obliged to fix them or their situation.
With therapy, small things can begin to shift: the ability to breathe more fully, to notice when you’re numbing through screens (or other distractions), to feel genuine interest in others again. These are quiet signs of reconnection — the beginnings of something that doesn’t depend on external noise, but on genuine human contact. The body is a good teacher.
Belonging Close to Home
Here in Hamilton, the GTA, Burlington, and the Niagara region, I offer in-person therapy for anxiety, depression, grief, isolation, burnout, and relationship challenges. I often meet people who long for more rooted connection — to family, to community, to meaning. Sometimes it starts with small things: dinner without phones, a walk with a friend, a message that isn’t about logistics but about life.
In therapy, we work on noticing and nurturing those moments. Whether in-person or online, the goal is the same: to help you rebuild a sense of belonging, both internally and in the relationships that matter most.
Connection, Still Possible
As I watched the Jays’ bench (and the Rogers Centre crowd) erupt after that Game 7 comeback, I thought about how connection often shows up in unexpected ways — collective relief, shared joy, tears, disbelief. In a divided and uncertain world, those glimmers of togetherness matter. They remind us that we still care, still feel, still have the capacity to be moved.
Therapy works with that same capacity — the part of you that still wants to feel connected, even when it seems safer to withdraw.
If this resonates, you can reach out for a 15 minute free consult at ontariotherapist.com
Let’s Go!
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