Give Yourself Permission To Be You
Being vulnerable is not only courageous, it also takes practice and begins with learning to love ourselves. Vulnerability is often seen as a weakness, but this is actually our greatest strength. To do so entails a lot of self-love, self-confidence, and self-worth. By loving ourselves completely, we reduce the fear of rejection or concern about what others may think. Self-love builds confidence and the more confident we are, the easier it is to accept vulnerability.
In this world and on the internet where people are accustomed to pointing out mistakes and flaws, exposing our vulnerability is not ideal. It will open up spaces for discrimination and painful encounters. It can get really scary. Our authentic selves often has a lot of fear, sadness, and anger—our true selves were hurt and that's why the "adaptive self" took over. However, the difficult secrets we hide from ourselves are what make us who we really are. So as much as possible, and as slowly as you need to, courageously explore the truth of what makes you, you. Identifying, experiencing, accepting, and letting go of these buried emotions is exactly what fuels your most authentic and vulnerable self.
In practicing self-love, you give yourself permission to be you - with all your imperfections which, is what makes you more than beautiful. Love yourself and have compassion for others to develop authenticity. Because it takes self-love for our vulnerable selves to emerge, embedding more love and compassion within yourself and your life is helpful. Once filled with love, share some of it with friends or loved ones. Sending love to others tends to expand the love within!