Given the current circumstances, we live in a very chaotic world. There are multiple events happening simultaneously which makes it tough for us to come to terms with it. However, there are times and situations that make us completely exhausted and helpless.
To look at it, this is just one side of the narrative. On the other hand, there are times when the situations are perfectly manageable and fine. Here, we are going to focus a bit on the different sides of the story.
The emotional turmoil we experience on some days is inexplicable. Humans experience multitudes of emotions regularly and the majority of the time the focus is put on the negative domains. This usually leads us to the vulnerability factor. Experiencing adverse emotions can intensify the circumstances in various forms. When we talk about vulnerable emotions, it could be deviating towards the end of unpleasant emotions such as shame, guilt, anger, emptiness, etc.
It can be a very uncomfortable process to feel these emotions as it could be a sign of weakness. Communication on such topics is usually dismissed and we are asked to just ignore it and think positively. Here my question is, does it help or does it create more baggage that is resurfaced in the later phase of life with high intensity? Do we genuinely feel understood in such times? As you answer it for yourselves, the focus here is that the emotions we feel under certain circumstances need to be acknowledged and felt in a healthy manner.
When we talk about normalizing our vulnerable emotions, remember it is a slow process. As most individuals experience this, there is a lack of space to express themselves. It can be a very suffocating experience. However, as we try to let ourselves experience a wide range of emotions it gives us space to grow and develop emotional maturity.
Being vulnerable simply means that you feel safe within yourself as you experience various emotions. We cannot dismiss the fact that the initial times when you are emotionally vulnerable intentionally or unintentionally could be aggravating. If we notice it gives us freedom of expression and some sort of acceptance of the situations. It surely can be a very subjective experience.
We will also focus on the benefits of being vulnerable for better understanding. To put forward a few of them,
Builds self-awareness - It gives us the strength to be okay with ourselves and open to experiences as we are exposed to various situations.
It helps us develop trust in relationships.
It improves our self-worth and self-esteem.
Enables us to develop empathy and understanding towards other individuals.
Self-acceptance- In this journey, we can break the myth of perfectionism and eventually learn to do things at our own pace.
There could be many more benefits that can be added as per the individual experiences. By being vulnerable we allow ourselves to be resilient. As we grow up, our journey holds different kinds of stories which includes suffering, joy, achievement, fulfillment, and many more. Hence, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable with other aspects as well will make us feel content.
Here, let’s take a pause- look back in the past and see when you genuinely experienced vulnerability in any form, was it easy at all for you to express or communicate about it? Hence, just as a reminder one can try to do various things in such a scenario:
Talking to an expert and building your support system: It is important to consider aspects like them being non-judgmental and validating your emotion and thoughts.
Expressing in the form of journaling
Building alternatives- It could focus on things we can do to calm ourselves while we are immensely overwhelmed (coloring, walking, grounding, mindfulness, music, etc.)
Introspection and label your thoughts and emotions
In conclusion, vulnerability helps us build a bridge and connect with ourselves and others. Emotions are just a part of being human. All it requires is baby steps to a different path we incorporate some sort of changes.
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