How often do you get the chance to try out new experiences? How many days of the year would you say you are able to put on your big girl pants and step out into the unknown? How many seconds of each day are you able to grasp without rushing and just breathe in the surroundings one moment at a time? My guess is not very often. If you’re like many of us humans, you’re always rushing to the next appointment, meeting or grocery store to mindlessly choose your next meal that you won’t even get to enjoy because you’ll rush through that too. I wanted to revisit the topic of slowing down today. I want to stop focusing on things we “shouldn’t” or “can’t” and start believing more in what we “could” or “can.”

Finding Strength in Vulnerability

I love a good book. What are some of your favorites? Recently, I’ve been reading Feel The Fear…And Do It Anyway. I’m sure you can see how it’s reflected in these recent writings. But that’s what this blog is about, after all. My learnings and findings and understanding of what in the world we’re going through as humans and to share that with you, my friend.

This trip away from the world has given me ample opportunities to become more vulnerable with my partner and with myself as well. (We talked about that a lot more in the last post if you’d like to check it out). Oftentimes we will suppress those feelings of fear, of doubt, of anxiety to impress or prove to others around us that we are more brave or fearless than we actually are. I wanted to let you know that being afraid of something is okay. It is okay to be vulnerable. It is okay to look at the world with question and ask others their opinions or understanding of it all. They’d probably be happy you asked, because they are probably feeling that same thing.

So, why not be the one to begin the conversation?

Because I’ve “felt the fear and did it anyway,” on this trip, (within reason, of course), I’ve gotten to paddle board for the first time with my husband. Not only paddle boarding, but to a tiny oasis below our campsite that had a massive ancient cave with a secret beach inside of it. I’ve gotten to feel more comfortable in my own skin talking to him about how important it is to need support through this new vulnerability and to be able to learn from him as well.

You see, we need others to feel validated. We do not need to do every single thing on our own in this life. We need to be independent when those times arise, but we also need to feel at ease leaning on others when it is necessary. If I didn’t have the support of my incredible other half, I may have taken months or even years longer to start down this path of true freedom from fear, anxiety and doubt. Lean into your support, you don’t have to shy away from it.

Your person doesn’t have to be your spouse. It can be a friend, a parent, a loved one, a teacher, a therapist, whatever you feel comfortable with. It can even be yourself in the mirror if you’d prefer to keep things private and focus on self-talk. The choice is yours of where to begin, but don’t delay. The time, energy and awareness I’ve felt through being more vulnerable and becoming more comfortable and confident has completely changed my outlook on this life.

I’ve become more aware of my surroundings and more in awe by Mother Nature and more obsessed with learning and becoming my higher self.

I want you to have those feelings, too.

Related: Shining Light on Stress and Mental Health Barriers: Lessons Learned From the Solar Eclipse

Letting Go and Living Fully

We can do amazing things. We can conquer anything that we want. It’s always been within reach, we are just too afraid to let go of what we feel comfortable with. We feel the fear and back away, we say we “can’t,” or that we “shouldn’t” because we are to concerned of the outcome instead of just enjoying the ride.

My goal is to always become better at “going with the flow.” It’s something I’ve been actively working on for years. Seeing what happens instead of wondering and questioning “what if” has given me so many more days of bliss and happiness, so many less days of anger and frustration and lashing out at others. It’s been amazing.

I promise it’s better on the other side.

A lot of us use an escape to mask these feelings though. Escapes such as over-exercising (without knowledge of how to properly do so), such as coping with our “hard days” by drinking or another form of addiction. These escapes only highlight those feelings of doubt…they only increase your “stuck” feelings instead of letting them go.

I used to feel that way. I used to mask my fear and doubt with alcohol. I used to drink when I felt uncomfortable and make sure it was always there, “just in case,”…almost like a security blanket. That’s madness.

This spring I stopped using alcohol as a coping mechanism and started using my own courage to begin putting myself in these uncomfortable situations. I stopped worrying about bringing it on vacations and stopped ordering it every time we go out to eat. I stopped treating it like a normal thing and started looking at it for what it is, poison to my mind and body.

(I want to remind the reader really quick that this is purely my own experience. This does not mean I am an expert in this field, only that I want to share my own learned knowledge and understanding of what it means to me and why I’ve changed the course. Please keep that in mind while continuing on, thank you for reading).

This liquid overtook my body, mind and spirit for more than a decade. It released parts of me that were angry and rude and unkind which are not feelings I wish to continue conveying to my family and friends. It created unease in my body with hangovers and even more uncomfy feelings the next day(s) as my poor body tried to recover from this unhealthy substance that just permeated my organs.

We can talk more about this in another post but I wanted to highlight it as a part of our fear-based posts. It hid my fear, it cast a shadow over my part of self that was less brave. It only allowed me to do things in a false sense instead of truly bringing my bravery to the surface and pushing through the fearful situations in my life.

You can do this, too. You too, can be brave naturally and focus more on finding the courage to embrace life at its fullest.

I believe in you, you just have to start believing in yourself.

Related: Reclaiming My Life: The Fight Against Anxiety Part 1

Thank You for Reading Embracing Vulnerability : The Art of Slowing Down and Seizing New Experiences

I want to thank all my readers and supporters who have traveled with me on my journey so far including today’s post about embracing vulnerability and fear.   Have you experienced something similar?  Want more tips? Let us know.