Brene Brown, an American scholar, author, public speaker, and a research professor, explains in her talk The Power of Vulnerability that you can’t selectively numb emotions. You can’t say here is the bad stuff: shame, guilt, grief, vulnerability, fear, disappointment. I don’t want to feel these. I’m going to have a couple of beers and a banana muffin.
You can’t numb these difficult feelings without numbing everything: joy, gratitude, happiness, connection.
How do we numb?
It is not just the beer and the banana muffin!
We make the uncertain – certain; I’m right, you are wrong! That’s it!
We perfect.
We pretend that what we are doing does not have an impact on other people.
There is another way.
Let yourself be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen.
To love with your whole heart even though there is no guarantee.
Practise gratitude and joy.
Believe you are enough.