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Why We Feel So Empty Inside Despite Having Everything...
Mike Thurston
May 15, 2025
Modern life has given us more comfort and convenience than ever before.
Yet, so many people still feel empty inside with a lack of purpose…
This week's guest is here to discuss this crisis of meaning and how it’s affecting people across all walks of life.
Dr. Saliha Afridi, clinical psychologist with 20 years of experience and founder of Lighthouse Arabia, reveals that meaning crises have become her most common presenting issue—especially among those in their twenties and thirties.
She’s joining us this week to explain why modern life has created a disconnect between what we do and why we're doing it, leaving many struggling to find genuine purpose.
If You’re Feeling Lost & Empty, This Episode Will Help in Explaining:
The Modern Disconnection - Why having more choices, comfort and convenience hasn't translated into greater fulfilment for many people.
Understanding Emotional Language - How many of us never learned to identify and articulate what we're actually feeling, and why this creates barriers to meaningful connection.
Finding Purpose Beyond Success - Why traditional markers of achievement often fail to provide lasting satisfaction, and how to build meaning that sustains through life's challenges.
Digital Life vs. Inner Life - How our relationship with technology affects our ability to develop a rich inner world and authentic connections.
"I think we have a lot of people with meaning crises. You find people even in their twenties and thirties questioning what life is about. When you can outsource many day-to-day challenges, you're left with space to confront deeper questions about purpose and fulfilment."
Most of us weren't prepared for the strange emptiness that follows checking all the conventional boxes of success.
What Dr. Saliha's work suggests is something counterintuitive: that addressing this emptiness requires turning toward it rather than filling it with more external validation.
Later this week, we’ll be sending a deep dive into everything that was covered in more detail to ensure you don’t miss any value from your watching.
I'm curious - what are you most struggling with right now?
Hit reply and let me know your story (I read these all.)
Until the next one, keep crushing it.
Uncle Mike & The THRST Team 👋
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