Imagine all the times you needed help but would not ask for it because you were ashamed. Now imagine how you could have lessened your stress by simply being vulnerable and reaching out for help.
When you are highly successful, you may think that you must do everything yourself. Delegating tasks may seem difficult, and expressing your true feelings to friends and family may even seem impossible. You may think that being vulnerable will discount all your successes, but it’s actually a very normal and healthy part of your emotional well-being.
What is vulnerability?
Vulnerability is the state of being exposed or unprotected. It is at the root of plenty of unpleasant emotions, like shame, fear, and self-acceptance. However, being vulnerable is also a key to forging stronger relationships, finding a sense of belonging, and tapping into depths of creativity.
Essentially, being vulnerable opens you up to criticism or rejection. When you are dealing with sensitive emotions, it can be really scary to allow yourself to be so exposed. However, it is unfulfilling to live a life so closed off from other people. The pros of being vulnerable far outweigh the cons in the grand scheme of things.
The benefits of vulnerability.
There are many great ways vulnerability can benefit your life. Let’s break down a few of these ways to help give you a better idea of how owning your vulnerability can be so positive in your life.
- Build stronger relationships: When you share something personal about yourself, people are likely to respond with their own personal fact. Trading these about yourselves help to deepen your bond and strengthen your relationships.
- Expands your worldview: Going through something as human as being vulnerable with another person truly makes you more self-aware of the human experience.
- Offers empowerment: Vulnerability allows you to reclaim your emotions and become more in touch with your true self.
How does vulnerability intertwine with success?
A common misconception is to interpret vulnerability as weakness. When you are in a position of power, whether it be a high-level executive at a big company or as a successful stay-at-home mother and homemaker, you may fear that showing vulnerability will make you appear weak. You may view expressing your true feelings will make others question your position of power and whether you are truly capable of completing your job. However, there is nothing more powerful than owning your vulnerability.
Everyone experiences emotions. We all go through periods of happiness, sadness, fear, and doubt. Denying your emotions does not make them go away, it just makes them louder. When you do not acknowledge your emotions, especially the ones that are uncomfortable to express, like doubt and fear, you are just giving them power over you.
By voicing your feelings of doubt and fear, you make yourself vulnerable. However, it also gives you power over your emotions once again and puts you back in the driver’s seat.
Embrace who you truly are.
In order to feel comfortable in sharing vulnerabilities with others, you must first be truly comfortable with yourself. Embrace who you are! Even the aspects of yourself you do not fully love, you must come to terms with who you are. This confidence in yourself will make you so rooted in your identity that being vulnerable with someone else will not even matter.
Tackling your emotions and owning your vulnerability is not a quick fix. This is something that can take years to grapple with. Taking strides toward the end goal of living in harmony with being vulnerable is all we can hope for day to day.
If you still find yourself struggling with accepting who you are or embracing vulnerability, therapy is always a great option to help. Reach out to me today for anxiety therapy for perfectionism so that I can help you down the path toward a happier, healthier, more harmonious you.