There is a particular ache in not being asked. Not being asked how you are. Not being asked what happened. Not being asked what you think. Not being asked what you feel.

Presence sounds simple. Be here. Notice this moment. Come back to now. But for many people, being present is not simple at all. The mind may be in the past, replaying what happened. The mind may be in the future, trying to predict what might happen. The body may be braced, tense, restless, or tired. Emotions may feel too much, too distant, or too hard to name. You may be physically in the room, but not fully here with yourself. This is one reason presence matters. Presence is

Emotional neglect is often difficult to name because it is about absence. The absence of warmth. The absence of comfort. The absence of delight. The absence of repair. The absence of attention. The absence of emotional responsiveness. You may have been fed, clothed, educated, and provided for. But emotionally, you may still have been alone.

For some people, anxiety is connected to current stress, uncertainty, health worries, work pressure, grief, relationship conflict, or life transition. For others, anxiety may be linked to earlier experiences.

Emotional neglect can happen when a child’s emotional needs are repeatedly missed, dismissed, minimised, ignored, or left unsupported. This may happen in families where there is obvious difficulty, such as conflict, addiction, illness, grief, trauma, overwhelm, or instability. But it can also happen in families that look quite functional from the outside.