I Can’t Get No Satisfaction: Rachel Gersten Of Viva Mental Health & Wellness On Why So Many Of Us Are Feeling Unsatisfied & What We Can Do About It
An Interview With Drew Gerber
Practicing gratitude: This goes along with therapy, but spending time appreciating what you do have goes a long way towards combating the feeling of constantly wanting more. Journaling is a good tool here, but even just taking a reflective walk is also helpful.
From an objective standpoint, we are living in an unprecedented era of abundance. Yet so many of us are feeling unsatisfied. Why are we seemingly so insatiable? What is going on inside of us that is making us feel unsatisfied? What is the brain chemistry that makes us feel this way? Is our brain wired for endless insatiable consumption? What can we do about it? In this interview series, we are talking to credentialed experts such as psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, brain science experts, as well as spiritual and religious leaders, and mind-body-spirit coaches, to address why so many of us are feeling unsatisfied & what we can do about it.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Rachel Gersten.
Rachel is a licensed therapist and co-founder of Viva, a multi-city mental health & wellness practice. She believes that wellness looks different on everyone and is dedicated to Viva’s mission of making therapy more accessible and individualized. A four time marathon finisher and five time black belt in martial arts despite managing a chronic illness, she strongly believes in a holistic approach to mental health and healthcare in general.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What lessons would you share with yourself if you had the opportunity to meet your younger self?
A lesson I’d share with my younger is self is to focus on what you can control — and you can’t control everything. To be honest, my current self is still working on this!
None of us are able to experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful because of the support they gave you to grow you from “there to here?” Can you share that story and why you are grateful for them?
I’ve been lucky enough to have a great support system throughout my life, but the person that comes to mind first in this moment is my husband. He supports me as my authentic self and is 100% the person I want to have in my corner when life feels like a struggle.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
My practice, Viva, has just expanded so we are now serving clients in New York, Pennsylvania, and California. We are so excited to bring accessible and inclusive therapy to even more people.
Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Let’s now talk about feeling “unsatisfied”. In the Western world, humans typically have their shelter, food, and survival needs met. What has led to us feeling we aren’t enough and don’t have enough? What is the wiring? Or in other words, how has nature and nurture played into how humans (in an otherwise “safe and secure” environment) experience feeling less than, or a need to have more than what is needed for basic survival?
Our capitalistic society breeds this idea everyday. While I absolutely think there’s more to life than just the bare minimum, we go too far when we can never be satisfied. There’s a fine line between wanting to continue to grow and achieve goals and also being happy with where you are in the moment. It’s a struggle in and of itself to hold both of those ideas at the same time, but then we’re bombarded with messages that we should always want more or that we’re not enough. It’s not surprising that a lot of people feel unsatisfied with themselves or life circumstances.
How are societies different? For example, capitalistic societies trade differently than communists. Developed nations trade differently than developing nations. In your opinion, how does society shape a human’s experience and feelings of satisfaction?
It’s all about the messages we receive starting from a very young age. If you’re receiving different messages, you’re going to grow up with a different perspective on life and what you need from it.
With a specific focus on brain function, how has the brain and its dominion over the body and beliefs been impacted by the societal construct?
Definitely not my expertise here!
Do you think the way our society markets and advertises goods and services, has affected people’s feelings of satisfaction? Can you explain what you mean?
Yes, absolutely. If people aren’t satisfied, they’ll buy more to try to fulfill themselves. If they are, they spend less. Research continues to show this and hence why marketing is focused on the idea that we need “more”
How is the wiring of the brain, body, and beliefs shaped by marketing, language, and how humans trade?
Not my expertise!
I work in marketing so I’m very cognizant of this question. In your opinion, how do you think marketing professionals can be more responsible for how their advertising shapes humans’ health and experience of happiness overall?
I’m not sure it is a marketing professional’s responsibility. Their job is literally to ensure their product or service is being consumed, so it seems counterproductive that they would try to limit that. I think it’s the responsibility of society as a whole to change the message, and while that includes marketing professionals as people, I believe there’s a larger problem than just the specific marketing campaigns we see.
For you personally, if you have all your basic needs met, do you feel you have enough in life?
Definitely not. I think that’s an unrealistic goal. There are definitely things beyond the basic needs for survival that I have to have in order to want to get up in the morning. That’s the beauty of being human — our emotions. We also need love, purpose, joy, etc. in order to feel like we’re living our best lives.
Okay, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview: Can you share with our readers your “5 things we can each do to address the feeling of not having enough.” Please share a story or example for each.
- Therapy: This is always my number one recommendation as the feeling of not being satisfied is very complex and a solution can’t be simplified. Working with a therapist can support you in finding ways to combat this feeling that actually work for you.
- Practicing gratitude: This goes along with therapy, but spending time appreciating what you do have goes a long way towards combating the feeling of constantly wanting more. Journaling is a good tool here, but even just taking a reflective walk is also helpful.
- Spend time in meaningful relationships: Connection is incredibly important and can help foster feelings of satisfaction. Even something as simple as going out to dinner with loved ones can go a long way.
- Spending time in nature: This has been proven to ground us and can be a great break away from the vibe of capitalism. Taking a walk or just sitting on a park bench are easy ways to do this.
- Prioritizing what is important: Spending your time, money, and energy on what you truly love can help you feel more satisfied. Therapy can help you identify what these things are!
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that have inspired you to live with more joy in life?
I’m a huge fan of the book Tuesdays with Morrie and The Happiness Project. Those have definitely been helpful in putting me on a meaningful path. My own therapy is also super helpful with this.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I feel like I’m doing that with Viva. We want to break mental health stigma and make therapy as accessible to as many people as possible and I feel like that’s such an important movement to be a part of.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Visit our website at vivamentalhealth.com or follow us on Instagram at @vivamentalhealth.
You can also listen to The Viva Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world.
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction: Rachel Gersten Of Viva Mental Health & Wellness On Why So Many Of Us… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.