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Making a Change

July 24, 2021
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I was recently listening to the podcast "Unlocking Us" by Brene Brown, a favorite of mine, on Spotify. The podcast was diving into a series addressing the Brene’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, and includes a conversation between Brene and her two sisters, Ashley and Barrett. I first read the book about 7 years ago, and it has had a powerful impact on my journey. In episode 4 of the series, a phrase jumped out to me: “Do your work” in reference to living wholeheartedly. Brown says wholeheartedness “is like a North Star. You never get there, but you know when you’re heading in the right way.”

I am not going to get into the wonderful life changes that Brene addresses in her book, but I would definitely recommend it if the idea of “wholehearted” living intrigues you. What I wonder is what keeps you from “doing your work?” At times, we have an idea that something ...

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Change

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Brene Brown
DeClemente and Prochaska
work

Vulnerability is Not Weakness

July 15, 2021
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I grew up in a culture where opening up emotionally, or being vulnerable, was seen as weakness. It was for the gullible and naive - not the courageous.

Men were discouraged from ever showing sadness or fear. If they did, they were called names and made fun of for being “weak.” The only “negative” emotion that was socially acceptable to show was anger. If the men dared to show any sign of emotional vulnerability, their masculinity (a core identity for many) was instantly placed under public scrutiny.

Likewise, women were labeled as “overly emotional” if they cried in public. Women who were emotionally “stable” were the ones that cried in private and didn’t “make a fuss.” Another way of putting this is that they silenced their hearts and didn’t let others know how they really felt.

Many parents discouraged their children from crying in public to avoid embarrassment around onlookers. Parents cared more about the opini ...

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Vulnerability

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Emotions
courage
shame

Reintegration After Isolation

July 1, 2021
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With the onset of the COVID pandemic, there was a multitude of social outlets many of us like to engage in that were put on hold. Concerts, going to restaurants, and even more mundane social contexts such as working in a setting with co-workers that we sometimes take for granted were all interrupted last March. A common sentiment heard during this period of time was “I can’t wait to socialize again” regardless of what one’s preferred means of socialization was. Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and social events are starting to happen again. Concerts are suddenly able to be planned, restaurants are starting to bustle with patrons more than in the past year, and some workplaces are transitioning back to work in-person. Yet despite these exciting realities of socialization becoming available again, there’s one sentence that I’ve heard frequently over the past few weeks from clients and friends alike: “I think I’m excited to socialize, but for some rea ...

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Anxiety
COVID-19

Tags:

Social Atrophy
relationships
social distancing