It’s so hard to show ourselves. Really, truly show ourselves. To express fully what our truth is when we stand in front of strangers and friends alike. We can talk about our problems from a distance – even, at times, the deeper issues. But this distance, this removal of presence, keeps us closed up and safe. It’s when we step into our truths and fully feel them in our bodies as we open up that we become most vulnerable. Peeling back the layers, rather than speaking about our reality as if we are describing that of someone else.

We protect our soft spots in immeasurable tiny ways. With fleeting eye contact. Casual dismissal of the importance that an event held in our lives. Making ourselves small so that we don’t feel the enormity of how we move through the world. Laughter and self-deprecation. I could go on and on, but that’s not really the point. The point is that we are still, often, protecting ourselves subtly even when we open up. Even when we reveal our stories.

You know that you aren’t fully in your truth when it doesn’t feel like breaking open. When it’s not scary, or difficult, or vulnerable. You can tell the truth without being IN your truth. I know because I’ve done it so often. Do you ever feel, when you’re in a stressful situation, like you’ve left your body and you’re watching from outside? That even though you’re saying what you need to say, you aren’t really there and present with it, because the emotions feel overwhelming? That’s what I mean. Maybe you’re speaking the truth, but you aren’t embodying it in the moment. You’re shut down. You’re closed off.

I want you to know that whatever your truth is, deep down in your bones, it matters. It deserves to live in the light, even if it feels like the darkest of shadows. You deserve to feel safe to show all of who you are. It may be frightening and unfamiliar, especially at first. As you step into your power and trust yourself, it’ll get easier. Eventually, you’ll find that your power lives in your ability to effectively break open.

Breaking open is not easy. It’s an immense act of self-love, trust in the universe, and raw courage. You are a warrior and you are blazing the path for so many others when you allow yourself to cross these thresholds. I see you. I love you.