Being vulnerable can seem scary. You might be afraid to say how you really feel because you are worried about how people will react.
The truth is that vulnerability is a natural part of life, and it doesn’t make us any less human than anyone else. It’s time for all of us to remember this! In this blog post, I’ll share 9 ways to be more vulnerable in your everyday life and how it can help you achieve your goals faster!
The Importance of Being Vulnerable
Vulnerability is the root of trust. It gives people a safe space to be themselves, and it’s how we bond with each other as humans. Vulnerability connects us more deeply than any other human emotion can. And yet we all struggle with how to share ourselves honestly, even online — in our status updates or tweets or blog posts.
We might worry about how we’ll be judged or how anyone will respond, and that fear keeps us from being vulnerable.
The hard truth is this: vulnerability can hurt at times, but it also brings deep meaning to our lives — if we allow ourselves to truly connect with others through the process of sharing who we are and how we feel.
9 Steps to Being Vulnerable
1. Acknowledge how you feel in the moment.
If you’re feeling happy, acknowledge how good that feels and how it’s different from how you may have felt before. If you are feeling sad or angry, take a moment to feel those emotions as well.
It can be really difficult for us to recognize how we feel without being told by someone else how they think we should be feeling. When you can be more honest with how you feel, it’s easier to know how to handle challenging situations in your day-to-day life.
Acknowledge how good that feels and how it is different from how we may have felt before. If feeling sad or angry take a moment to notice these emotions too as well.
2.Write down your fears.
It’s a lot easier to face how we feel when we have the time and space to do so. When you write down your fears, it helps us step back enough from our worries that we can take an honest look at them — ask ourselves how big they are really? what is the worst thing that could happen if this fear came true? If we don’t have any fear, how does that feel?
Writing down our fears can allow us to step back enough from them so that we are able to take a more honest look at how big they really are.
3.Share how you are feeling with someone you trust.
It’s not always easy, but how can we expect to be more vulnerable when we don’t have anyone around us who knows how hard it is? If you’re feeling frustrated that the dishes haven’t been done in a while or sad because your partner forgot about your birthday — share these feelings with someone.
A friend might offer an understanding ear, or a loved one might provide some helpful feedback. The more we can share how we really feel with people who care about us, the easier it will be to live our lives in ways that are true to ourselves.
4.Recognize that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.
Recognize that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. It’s the fear of being seen as weak or overly emotional that keeps us from opening up and making ourselves more human. We all have vulnerabilities– it’s what makes us relatable. When we let our walls down for others to see how we’re feeling, we allow them to be vulnerable too.
5.Get comfortable with your own emotions.
Get comfortable with your own emotions. Figure out how you process what’s happening to you, and how you express those feelings. What are the best times of day when it feels right for you?
Is there a certain way that makes sense for how you feel on any given day– maybe journaling or talking to someone close to get things off your chest?
6.Be honest with yourself.
Be honest with yourself. Even if it feels scary, how does that make you feel? What do you have to lose by admitting how you’re feeling and what your feelings might mean for how you want to live the rest of your life?
Being vulnerable is not about being afraid or ashamed– there’s nothing wrong with how we think or how we feel.
Be honest with yourself about how you are feeling even if the situation feels scary or like there may be something wrong with how you think or how you feel.
7.Give up the need for approval from others.
Give up the need for approval from others. What does it mean if we are always looking to someone else’s opinion, how they feel about what you do, or how they see your worth? Why not ask how you’re doing and good enough instead of only asking “is this okay?”
This is an important step towards being vulnerable because you are able to be how you want to be without fear.
The need for approval from others can keep us feeling insecure and unable to be how we want to be. Giving this up may mean that when we’re done, it’s our own opinion about how someone is doing or how they feel about themselves that matters most instead of the opinions of those around them.
8.Let others see the real you, not what they want or expect to see.
Let others see the real you, not what they want or expect to see. We often hide how we really feel– even when it’s how our best friend is treating us that doesn’t make sense– for fear of being rejected by those around us who don’t understand how we work and think.
But the more we put on a show, how can we expect anyone to come close enough to really see us?
Be vulnerable by letting others see how you are feeling and how you think without hiding who you are.
9.Face your fear of vulnerability head-on.
There is no way to get comfortable with how we feel until we are willing to face the fear of vulnerability head-on.
It might feel scary at first but how will we ever get used to how vulnerability feels unless we are willing to face our fear of it?
If you are feeling afraid, then start by being honest with yourself about what is happening. What specifically scares you about this situation? Where does that come from in your life and how can it be resolved?
Face how we feel head-on by being honest with what is happening. What scares us specifically about this situation and how it comes from our life that can be addressed in how we want to live.
Final Thoughts
Take a deep breath and do it. Be vulnerable, share your story with the world and watch as people connect to you at an intense level. You can’t be afraid of what others think because they are too busy thinking about themselves anyway.
Share yourself openly without shame or reservation and find out how much more rewarding life becomes when we allow ourselves to love fully in every area of our lives—even those we may have been trying to hide from for so long. It is never too late to become who you were always meant to be—a strong person full of vulnerability, authenticity, and love.