How to build relationships using emotional vulnerability
Many people find it intuitive to try to avoid painful or negative emotions. This is our human nature. We want to avoid hurt feelings and things that cause pain. While this can sometimes be beneficial, it is important to recognize and express your feelings. It would help if you also were vulnerable emotionally with yourself and those around you.
My insecurity has led me to push them away in past relationships. Fear of someone leaving became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over time, however, I learned to accept my feelings and vulnerability. I was eventually able to let them out.
Emotional vulnerability
People often think of emotional vulnerability as something scary or bad. But it doesn’t have to be.
What’s emotional vulnerability?
It is the ability to recognize and possibly express one’s emotions. Particularly difficult or painful emotions. Feelings like shame, sadness, and anxiety, as well as insecurity.
It is important to remember that acknowledging does NOT mean becoming fixated or wallowing.
Brene Brown has defined it as “uncertainty and risk combined with emotional exposure.”
Read this book for free to understand the true meaning of vulnerability.
The benefits of emotional vulnerability
It is possible to persuade yourself to make small changes to your behavior when it comes to emotional vulnerability.
1 Strengthens Relationships
Vulnerability is a way to build trust in relationships and increase intimacy. Trust is the foundation of all relationships, romantic, platonic, or intimate.
A person can build stronger relationships by being more vulnerable.
2 Increases Self-Awareness
You can learn a lot about you as a self and your emotions by being open to your emotions. Understanding and acknowledging your emotions is the first step to making changes.
Be More Emotionally Viable
Even if you believe that emotional vulnerability is important, it may be difficult to know where or what to do. It may seem scary at first.
How can we recognize our emotions?
First, it is important to observe and label your emotions. First, we must observe and label our emotions. This is not about how we behave, react, or think about emotions. It is as simple as I am feeling sad or I am angry — complete stop.
Next, it is important to validate our emotions. It’s important to remember that we can feel any emotion even if it doesn’t feel right to us.
Then we practice. Then we practice.
Daring Greatly has helped me a lot to understand how I can deal with this in a much better way.
How can we practice being emotionally vulnerable?
Writing down your emotions (or speaking them out loud) is one way to be emotionally vulnerable. You can create a habit of writing down your feelings, such as in a journaling exercise, and help you to express your emotions.
Therapy is another way to develop emotional vulnerability. Therapy is another way to practice emotional vulnerability. Many of our defense mechanisms and habits, such as emotional avoidance, are so deeply ingrained it can be difficult to notice them. An objective third party, such as a counselor or therapist, can help you recognize these patterns and help you make changes.
How I learned to be more emotionally vulnerable
I remember being more difficult on myself when I first began seeing a therapist. Because I didn’t notice my bad habits, I was unable to change my thinking and behavior.
One of my old habits was to constantly say that I felt weird. It doesn’t mean anything, and it does not help me deal with my feelings. My therapist kept reminding me of times I did this and forced me to express my feelings accurately, no matter how painful it was. This allowed me to see how frequently I was falling into this bad habit and encouraged me to be more accurate in expressing my feelings.
I was eventually able to make major changes in my thinking and gain the tools to manage my emotions better. I was able to share my emotions with others and myself more easily.
