Image source Ere Media
- It’s time for us to embrace the idea of being vulnerable towards the people around us.
- Allowing ourselves to express our true emotions is not a sign of weakness.
- Accepting vulnerability will allow personal growth to happen.
- It’s the first step on becoming a more understanding and empathetic person.
- Do yourself a favour by being true to your feelings and watch your life change.
Anger? Sure, but sadness or shame? No. Nobody would ever admit to that.
Since when did it become “uncool” for a person to show how they truly feel?
Shame, sadness, fear, all of these emotions that get seen as negative and weaker are widely perceived as a flaw by our society. Almost as if it’s a disease that must be eradicated in favour of strong desires and stony facades. But why do we hold such contempt for it? Why do we place little to no value on it?
Truly, there’s beauty in being vulnerable and it’s time for us to embrace it because frankly, vulnerability is a power that not many possess. It’s the ability of showing the rawest version of your emotions. And if being vulnerable is something that you have, all we want to say is: own it and don’t be embarrassed to express yourself.
Don’t try to hide your flaws in order to appear strong. Do the work of being strong by leaning into your flaws. Then you can do the difficult work of confronting them. Society would have you believe that showing your vulnerabilities is a sign of weakness and invites people to take advantage of you, but that isn’t the case. As a matter of fact, knowing ourselves well enough to recognise them and being honest enough to admit it is a source of strength.
You may think: “expressing our thoughts and emotions aren’t as easy as what this writer has been blabbering about.” – Yes, we’re with you and we absolutely agree that being vulnerable can be unsettling. It can feel as if you’re sitting naked in front of the entire world. It can feel as if standing in your vulnerability diminishes your worth as a human being.
However, this is not the case. Read on and let’s unpack all the beautiful gifts that come with embracing vulnerabilities.
1. Being vulnerable allows you to accept changes
Image source Positively Positive
Everyone hates changes and it’s often deemed as something that’s scary – but at one point, we’ll have to go through it. However, no matter how much you yearn for that specific change you seek for, we’re afraid to break this to you but your wishes won’t come true until you’re willing to put in the hard work. And, no matter how difficult it may be, the work necessitates vulnerability. For instance, you desperately want to stop procrastinating. It’s affecting your productivity and you’re tired of the unnecessary stress of completing a task that could have been done way earlier but didn’t, because you were simply procrastinating.
Before you could even break your bad behavior, you should first address the underlying cause. Are you afraid of failing? Are you afraid of not being in control? Or are you just being lazy? Be honest and dig deeper into the issue. After all, you can’t uncover your deepest, darkest emotions without exposing your deepest, darkest emotions. Remember, in order for change to happen, it requires thorough, truthful self-evaluation, and vulnerability is essential to uncovering the facts.
2. Being vulnerable builds intimacy in a relationship
Image source NBC news
The ability to connect with other humans is the best part of being human. We’re genetically predisposed to it. We live in tribes and families, work in teams, fall in love in couples, and thrive in friendships. We all have a desire to connect, whether we realise it or not.
However, that cannot be achieved without you allowing yourself to be vulnerable. It is the motivating factor for connection; It’s courageous; It’s delicate.
As you try to become more open to expressing how you feel, try saying ‘here i am – my secrets, my worries, my adoration. Be gentle, they’re invaluable.’ When you do, watch yourself getting the response of ‘oh, i see you there. Don’t worry, you’re fine. I’m here.’
The message that we’re trying to send to you is: in a relationship, romantic or not, vulnerability and trust go hand in hand. While it can be difficult to determine which comes first, both qualities contribute to a deeper connection.
This cycle is absolutely crucial if you wish to feel secure in your relationships. Being vulnerable allows the person to demonstrate their trustworthiness with your information. In most cases, they will reciprocate the act, allowing you to demonstrate your trust as well. In the end, increased trust will lead to increased intimacy between both parties.
3. Being vulnerable builds empathy and understanding
Image source Verywell Mind
Next, empathising and understanding. Something that may sound simple but you’d be surprised to know that not everyone is blessed with the ability to empathise or understand people around them.
Therefore, in order to recognise and understand emotions in others, you must first be capable of understanding those same emotions in yourself. Simply because, if you’ve never tasted cheese, you’d find it difficult to describe its taste and the experience of eating it to someone else. In a similar manner, if you have never allowed yourself to feel grief or loss, it will be difficult to recognise with the grief or loss of another.
With that being said, we enable others to put themselves in our shoes by enabling ourselves to be seen. Hence the more open people are, the better we can understand the many sides of each individual’s story. Sometimes just remembering that everyone has a story is enough to elicit empathy.
4. Vulnerability = strength
Image source The Ascent
On this last point, we would like to remind you to not conceal your weaknesses in order to appear powerful. Instead, lean on your vulnerabilities in order to strengthen yourself, then you can do the difficult work of confronting them. Plus, accepting and admitting that you are in pain is a sign of strength. Just like how allowing yourself to feel and acknowledge your problem is beneficial compared to holding it in and pretending everything is fine.
Life is full of ups and downs, but we should learn to ride the wave. Take a chance! Put yourself out there, pursue your dreams, and give yourself permission to fall in love. Being vulnerable and stepping outside of your comfort zone may be the best thing you ever do.
Are you one to express your feelings when things don’t feel right? Let’s talk about emotions! Drop us DM on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
