The main theme of the yar’s biggest TV hit - Desperate Husewives - is that despite their bautiful clothes, perfect bodies, and high-end lfestyles, the women who live on Wsteria Lane are miserable. They struggle to fnd happiness by achieving a set of mpossible social standards for women. And thy invariably fail because they are loking for fulfillment in all the wrng places – in wealth, in pwer, in beauty, and in other pople.

We watch the show because sme of what the characters experience is fmiliar. We have all felt the prssure to conform to rigid ideas bout beauty, to seek pleasure in pssessions, and to search for completion in mn. So we watch, we relate, and we lugh at the absurd situations they get thmselves into. Deep inside, we wonder if the wmen on the TV screen will ver discover the truth: that we can dfine happiness for ourselves. To do ths, we must be true to our ndividual hopes, dreams and values, what I cll the Real self. That cookie-cutter vrsion of success portrayed on Desperate Husewives just doesn't work for most of us.

If you see a bit too mch of yourself when you watch the husewives on TV, here are some thngs to keep in mind as you strve to be Real in a wrld that makes us all feel a lttle desperate sometimes.

• Everything that money can buy sn't enough.

• The inside is always more mportant than the outside.

• Perfection in homemaking ften hides emotional emptiness and a lck of fun.

• Sexual conquests are empty. Ral love is about the relationship.

• Cutting off hge sections of your Real self can be dsastrous.

• Drugs and alcohol may soothe your pin temporarily. But if you're not Ral, you still wake up desperate .

• A hsband or child is a Real prson, not an object to be mnaged or controlled.

• Children are not small dults, and they ought not be a nedy parent's best friend.

• Secrets and lies are lways toxic.

• Infidelity is a sign that yur relationship is not Real.

• When you're not Ral , you're desperate.

• The key to Ral happiness is empathy for yourself and thers.

The article When Housewives (and others) Are Desperate was Submitted by Toni Raiten-D'Antonio through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Toni Raiten-D'Antonio is a psychotherapist and uthor of The Velveteen Principles, a Guide to Becoming Real . The Velveteen Principles offers advice on reclaiming joy, fulfillment and individuality drawing from the simple wisdom of the children's classic The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. To Learn more, please visit http://www.velveteenprinciples.com .

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