I have been working as a psychotherapist for several years now. The majority of my patients are young women between the ages of 25 and 40. They mostly come to therapy for anxiety symptoms, panic attacks, and depressive states. The triggering factors can vary—family dynamics, work or academic pressure, romantic disappointments.
What often surprises me about these seemingly fragile young women is, in reality, their exceptional intelligence, the inner resources they struggle to bring to light but undeniably possess, their ability to look within themselves, and above all their strong desire to work on themselves, to change, to grow.
And yet something holds them back. Something makes them doubt what they could be, even who they already are. It causes them to stumble, to appear resigned, discouraged, so disappointed and disheartened that they can no longer truly see, recognize, or know themselves.
It is difficult to paint a general picture—each of them has a unique story, different challenges, and a personal path of growth and transformation. However, I have identified some common elements, and in particular one that stands out: loneliness.
I am not referring to being physically alone or isolated from the world. These young women often—though not always—have a wide network of friends and acquaintances with whom they spend their free time and share experiences. But at a certain point, it feels as though this is not enough. It is as if the inner emptiness they experience can only be temporarily covered by the noise of conversations, nights out, group vacations—but never truly filled.
Their greatest desire remains finding a partner who appreciates, understands, and cares for them—someone with whom they can share life. Seemingly simple things: going to the movies, having dinner together, making plans, sharing laughter, exchanging a knowing glance. Yet these simple things represent the longing to feel complete, loved, and respected.
And where are these men? Are they all already “taken”? Especially after the age of thirty, as they witness friends getting engaged, married, and starting families, there is often a painful sense of having been discarded—or worse, of having to settle for what remains. The belief emerges that if someone is still single, there must be something wrong with him—so perhaps there must be something wrong with them as well.
The search for a partner then becomes a pressured and often disappointing mission. Once friends-of-friends are exhausted, attention shifts to acquaintances, colleagues, singles vacations, and social media—especially Tinder. After all, we live in an increasingly connected society, where meeting places have moved from social gatherings to phone screens. On a screen, we can be everything and its opposite, with seemingly minimal risk.
I say “seemingly” because online dating can be both facilitating and devastating. Very often, women encounter men who immediately state what they do not want: no serious relationships, no blondes, no brunettes, no short or tall women, no “hysterical” or “demanding” types. The starting point is exclusion, not desire—and this is already revealing.
Whether declared or implied, the message is that one meets with a single purpose—and only that. Everything happens at lightning speed. The traditional stages of courtship are shortened or reduced to virtual exchanges. Conversations quickly become sexually charged. Before even meeting, touching, or truly knowing each other, a kind of artificial intimacy is created—full of expectation. If reality fails to match that expectation, the result is a blow to self-esteem and a cascade of questions: What is wrong with me? What did I do wrong? Why am I not enough?
Endings are just as sudden and drastic. From texting until late at night, to the man suddenly disappearing without a trace—except for the clear sign that he remains active on the app, searching for someone else.
At first, there is a kind of frenzy—the excitement of finally succeeding in meeting someone. Conversations happen with multiple people simultaneously, there are several dates, sex may happen lightly and with the desire to let go. But when the endings follow the same pattern, what remains is emotional emptiness.
So is Tinder to blame? Clearly not. This system accelerates and amplifies a process that often begins with an already present sense of self-devaluation. If Tinder were the problem, simply not using it would solve everything. Yet similar dynamics occur even when meetings happen in real life.
The deeper issue is the encounter itself—the fear of revealing oneself, of sharing dreams and fears, of not being adequate, not being understood, of risking too much and being hurt. These fears inhibit the possibility of opening up and getting to know one another authentically. And this fear is not only female; many men experience the same emotional struggles, albeit from different perspectives.
So what can be done if genuine connection feels impossible?
The work we do in psychotherapy focuses on developing self-awareness and discovering one’s own strength, resilience, and capacity to be and to give. We strengthen self-esteem and emotional independence—not to eliminate the need for another person, but to allow for an equal partnership.
Not as the girl who needs to be saved, loved, and supported—but as a companion with whom to share life and walk side by side.
And often therapy is not about fixing something broken, but about engaging in a transformative process of personal discovery—facing oneself and one’s experiences, evolving and reshaping toward a conscious and mature self.