Embracing Imperfection:

Through out my years working in the field of psychology, one thing stands out for me, is the fact that people often are harder on themselves than others and often carry shame about who they are and for that matter who they are not. Individuals hide there true selves and inner experiences as they carry shame about there thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. At the core, people fear not being enough and not being lovable. These fears are limiting people’s lives for many reasons. They stop them from trying new things, living new experiences, building meaningful relationships and in fact living a simple, fulfilled life.

In her book Daring Greatly, Brené Brown defines vulnerability as having the courage to “dare to show up and let ourselves be seen.” She describes vulnerability as the uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure we all experience in everyday life, and discusses why we fear being vulnerable, the ways we protect ourselves from vulnerability and the price we pay for shutting down and distancing ourselves.

Unfortunately in our culture vulnerability is often mistakenly seen as a sign of weakness. Brené Brown has hit the nail on the head by arguing that the ability to share emotional openness with others is instead an important measure of courage and strength.

It takes courage to show our authentic selves with all our strengths and imperfections, it can be scary and certainly has its risks. On the other hand, by taking the chance and opening up to others whether in friendships, romantic relationships, family members or with a therapist we develop healthy relationships and connections with others in which all of us deserve.

Ginette Gaudet, Psychologist