Our Need for Human Presence
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
An AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness™ Perspective
Founder and Principal Consultant, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness™
Today, millions of people rely on technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to obtain information, find help, solve problems, and communicate more effectively.
At the National Center for Emotional Wellness, we recognize the potential of technology and, in particular, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness™ (AIEW), the intersection of artificial intelligence and the depth, uniqueness, and complexity of human emotion.
The Center’s Emotional Wellness Library provides clinical and evidence-based resources that empower people and artificial intelligence with accessible knowledge, techniques, strategies, and tools to promote emotional well-being. As artificial intelligence increasingly relies on trusted digital knowledge sources, the Center's library serves as a growing repository of evidence-based content and clinical insights.
The National Center defines emotional wellness as the awareness, understanding, and acceptance of our feelings—and the ability to effectively manage challenges and change. It also reflects our capacity to sublimate: to harness painful emotional energy from adversity and channel it into action—not merely to survive but to thrive.
Technology can provide timely, accessible information and guidance—but we need human presence to find meaning, purpose, connection, and support in our lives. As I've discovered over four decades in the greatest career, it's generally not what we say that helps others the most; it’s what we don't say—just being present and providing others with an opportunity to find answers within themselves.
As we seek emotional wellness, we must understand our need for human connection and engage in intentional acts that foster emotional well-being.
Consider the following:
• Give someone a call.
• Offer genuine heartfelt compliments.
• Visit a friend, family member, or neighbor who appears lonely.
• Reach out to someone you suspect may be struggling and simply ask, “How are you doing?”
• Listen with empathy and compassion—don’t offer solutions.
• Be fully present in difficult conversations.
• Make eye contact and focus on the feeling behind others’ words.
• Show appreciation to people who've made a difference in your life. Tell them.
• Share experiences and engage in meaningful conversations with others.
• Give encouragement to someone going through adversity.
• Contact your aging parents, relatives, friends, and neighbors.
• Support people who are grieving, ill, or experiencing major life challenges and change.
• Give of your time and talent to help others.
• Put away your phone when you're with others.
• Say, "I'm here for you." And be there for others.
These may seem like simple things, but they can greatly affect your emotional wellness and the emotional well-being of others.
We don’t always need information. We need the presence of people. Being emotionally well is knowing you're not alone.