Integrate Series #6: Be Vulnerable

We started introducing the concept of vulnerability in the Discover Series and have continued to come back to this quote by Brene Brown. 

“I believe that vulnerability – the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome – is the only path to more love, belonging, and joy.”

While we were together we practiced vulnerability. For many of us, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable with people who have earned the right to hear our story will be a lifelong practice and may never feel easy. 

Now that you’ve been back home for a few weeks, have you had the opportunity to practice being vulnerable with your friends or family? What has been the surprise and/or frustration? 

Perhaps you have felt completely supported and your connections at home feel stronger than they did before. 

But, if you find yourself grappling with feelings of isolation because close friends or family members have not been able to hold space for you, and/or it feels like you have to put up a front to protect yourself from other people’s energy, you are not alone. 

As we grow and change, we can’t take everyone with us. A loss of closeness in any relationship can be incredibly difficult to navigate. Sometimes we question if the growth is worth it and we might want things to go back to the way they were. 

But as we talked about when we were together, we can’t unsee things or unlearn things. The best we can do is to be patient with ourselves and the people in our lives. It also helps to remind ourselves that it’s ok to grieve the loss of what once was and to trust that not every relationship can give us everything we need.