When was the last time you seriously took the time to ask yourself how you’re doing? Did you find yourself being brutally honest or did you put on a mask and try to cover up how you were really feeling, assuring yourself that things were fine and you were good?

Although concealing your genuine emotions may offer a temporary fix that helps to give you a reason to keep pushing or to appear as though you have it all together, the truth is, this way of coping is in fact harmful long-term.

When we ignore the flags that surface to alarm us that things are off-balance emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually, we leave affected areas in our lives unchecked. The longer we avoid acknowledging and accepting our truest feelings, the more likely we are to find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, broken, and depressed without an outlet to experience release and healing.

Embracing vulnerability in times when things are uncertain, chaotic, disheartening, or unstable is a powerful way to be fully transparent and honour how we truly feel. While we’re taught that showing this form of sensitivity is a sign of weakness, vulnerability exposes us to our most intimate thoughts and feelings and our ability to face things “as they are” reveals a mark of boldness and courage.

Rather than being consumed by what we’re going through, we’re able to be present and acknowledge how we feel—which then gives us the power to make a choice to choose self-forgiveness, self-love, and self-healing. Too often we don’t allow ourselves the grace to be human, to feel and exist.

If you’ve ever felt you had to be strong when you reached your breaking point or pretend that things were okay to avoid being judged or the center of attention, I’ve got a message for you that will help you overcome the challenge of avoiding how you truly feel.

Click here to view what I shared with my audience on Facebook.

Sending you love and encouragement. You’ve got this!