That uncomfortable feeling called "vulnerability"

Several years ago I was introduced to perhaps one of the greatest TED Talks I have ever listened to, Brene Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability." If you haven't listened to this TED Talk, please take some time to listen (after finishing this read first!). A number of times during therapy sessions, a client will say "I am sorry that I am being so [insert any emotional/feeling/etc]." What is happening is vulnerability. We, as humans, have the innate inability to be uncomfortable in vulnerability. The more we sit in that uncomfortable space of being vulnerable, the more difficult it can be.

Some people think vulnerability equals weakness. Brene Brown reminds us that vulnerability is actually the core of all emotions. I want you to sit with that for a minute. The CORE OF ALL EMOTIONS. I put it in all caps for a reason. "To feel is to be vulnerable," Brown says. So when we consider vulnerability to be a weakness, we consider one's emotions to be so, too. Brown is spot on in this statement. "Being vulnerable connects us with others. It opens us up to love, joy, creativity and empathy," she says. There is so much truth in this.

So what should we do to embrace our vulnerability? Just that: embrace it. Sit with being vulnerable. Know that doing so allows you to begin to explore those situations and instances that have brought you to that space. Use it as an opportunity for self-exploration. I encourage you to take 5 minutes out of your day and practice vulnerability. It can be as simple as telling your partner, "sorry. I actually wasn't listening when you were talking" or telling your best friend something personal about yourself that you haven't shared before. Embrace it.