Let’s be Vulnerable

Something we don’t seem to talk about often. Could be because of a number of reasons: ⠀⠀
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1. We want to hide our lows from the world⠀⠀
2. We feel threatened if we expose our weakness⠀⠀
3. We fear being attacked when we’re at our weakest⠀⠀
4. We hurt the most when our pain is raw⠀⠀
5. We don’t want to be questioned/judged about our failures⠀⠀
6. We would rather focus on positives in life ⠀⠀
7. Or we just really don’t want to talk about it ⠀⠀

That’s why we only post in good times and don’t when we’re struggling. A consequence of this approach is that the Insta-world becomes a picture-perfect world where people seem to smile but not cry, they have it all made but don’t struggle, they have great relationships but have never been betrayed. ⠀⠀
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This is a completely unreal portrayal of what life actually is! This is what causes a lot of problems including poor self-image, jealousy, cyberbullying, envy and even depression. ⠀⠀
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⁣Exposing our weakness can be so difficult. I’ve experienced first hand how wretched people attack you the moment they find out you’re vulnerable. This is why domestic and pet abuse has always been prevalent in the world. ⠀⠀
However, by always appearing strong, we lose out on the benefits of being vulnerable. One of them is the power of communities. The moment we share about our weak moments, we realize we’re not the only ones in the situation and connect instantly with others going through the same issues. This bond that’s created is strong and powerful. ⠀

LetsBeVulnerable initiated by Fatima reminded me of how we need to loosen up at times. There’s no reason for us to always appear flawless. We need to be more vocal about our hardships, traumas and everyday struggles. When Fatima asked me to submit a piece on this, I didn’t know which part of my life to choose: ⠀⠀

My fathers sudden diagnosis, his death, my abusive (previous) marriage, my divorce, the jiggers before my second marriage, career changes, apprehensions about moving abroad again, getting scammed, dead scared of childbirth, living so far away from family, doubts about motherhood, challenges with breastfeeding, husbands sudden layoff (previous company) or everyday struggles like feeling shy coming unfiltered in front of the camera, having a terrible memory, being conscious about a zit or feeling like a complete loser! ⠀⠀

So here’s a reminder for us to appreciate all the hard times that we face along with the good times, be open about sharing our true lives on social media, not only the fun parts. ⠀

Some influencers are starting to acknowledge this fact and are trying to show all sides of their life (sad & happy) to depict life in its true meaning/sense. Life is full of ups and downs. None of us is perfect, we all have our flaws, we all have suffered, none of us has reached the ultimate goal of life: to be the best version of ourselves. Who’s with me? ⠀⠀
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Picture Credits: @nyelness ⠀