What Is Emotional Vulnerability?
To understand what emotional vulnerability means, we must first understand what being vulnerable is. Being vulnerable refers to being in a position that can cause a threat or harm to you. Whereas, emotional vulnerability is where you are opening yourself up emotionally and sharing intimate information with others. This usually involves sharing your insecurities, fears, weaknesses, etc.
Often, people fear being vulnerable because they are not comfortable with the idea of feeling weak in front of others. Additionally, some find difficulty trusting others due to bad experiences in the past. Nonetheless, being emotionally vulnerable is important as it prevents you from bottling up your feelings. Let’s look at why emotional vulnerability is important, its benefits and how can you be emotionally vulnerable around a person.
Why Is Emotional Vulnerability Important?
- Allows you to be intimate
When you are emotionally vulnerable, you allow others to see you for who you truly are. It increases intimacy between you and the person you open yourself to.
Being intimate allows you to build deeper and more authentic connections. When you are intimate with someone, you find a sense of belongingness with them. Moreover, you feel safe and comfortable around them.
- Helps you be authentic
Being emotionally vulnerable allows you to be true not only to others but also to yourself. Being vulnerable, you have the opportunity to reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and feelings, thus helping you understand yourself.
Additionally, when you are vulnerable with people, you are building genuine connections. Building such connections helps to build a safe space where you can be yourself without the fear of judgment.
- Increases communication skills
Communication is an important part of building trust and strong bonds in any relationship. Being emotionally vulnerable allows you to express yourself to others through communication.
When you are vulnerable with someone, you can openly communicate with them without the fear of being judged.
- Builds Trust
Being emotionally vulnerable allows you to openly communicate with people and it also helps build trust. When you trust someone, it strengthen your relationship with them. Moreover, you can rely on and confide in them.
Benefits Of Emotional Vulnerability
- Promotes Problem-Solving
When you share your feelings, problems, or difficulties with your friends and family they may be able to offer you solutions to your problems. Additionally, it declutters your thoughts and feelings which allows you to think clearly, and come up with solutions to your problems.
- Strengthens Relationships
When you become emotionally vulnerable, you become emotionally intimate with the person and this helps strengthen your relationships. With them, you feel comfortable sharing your problems, you trust them, and you can confide in them.
Trust, comfort, and safety are all traits you have with people who are close to you and who you care about.
- Reduces Stress/Burden
When you have your problems bottled up, you are more likely to have outbursts which is an unhealthy way of dealing with emotions. Hence, when you share your problems with others, it helps reduce the burden and stress.
- Builds Emotional Resilience
Some people find it very difficult to open up and share their feelings. Moreover, it is challenging to put your trust in someone in the beginning, especially when you have had your trust broken in the past.
However, even after your trust is betrayed, if you still find the strength to put your trust in people, it is a great thing as it shows that you are emotionally resilient. Building emotional resilience is beneficial for your mental health and facilitates personal growth.
- Promotes Physical Health
Studies have shown that emotionally resilient people are less likely to have stress-related diseases. Moreover, emotionally resilient people are more likely to have strong immunity.
Sharing Emotional Vulnerability With Someone
Often people have the fear of being emotionally vulnerable, this is because they are afraid of having their trust betrayed. Nonetheless, one must not fear it as being vulnerable allows one to express their feelings healthily, as discussed above it strengthens relationships, reduces stress, promotes physical health, and much more.
To overcome this fear, you must ensure they are trusting the right people. For this, you must try to understand how a person is. One way to do this is by sharing small details that are not extremely intimate and noticing how the person perceives it and how they respond to what you share. A trustworthy person will actively listen to you, and not share advice or judgement, rather, they will support you.
Signs you can be emotionally vulnerable around a person:
- Trust
Trust is a foundation for any relationship. Hence, you must take time to build trust, and make sure you understand the person’s character and traits before you open up to them. Opening up to the wrong people can lead to betrayal. Hence, you must take time to build trust before you open yourself up to them.
Some people overshare as soon as they meet new people. Avoiding this will prevent you from having your trust betrayed. Rather, take some time to get to know the person, and slowly confide in them.
Suggested reads: Building Trust
- Empathy
A person who respects and truly cares for you will listen to your problems empathetically, and will not share any judgement.
- Boundaries
One of the most crucial things you must look out for before you open up to people is that they respect your boundaries.
Suggested reads: Healthy Boundaries in Friendship: Their Importance And How To Set Them
- Intuition
Last but not least, always trust your instincts. Your instincts always hint to you when something is wrong. Hence, listen to your gut feeling about a person.
Conclusion
Often, people fear opening up and being emotionally vulnerable due to several reasons such as the fear of being perceived as a weak person, or having bad experiences in the past. Whatever the reason may be, being emotionally vulnerable is important as it allows you to be authentic, build intimate relationships, build trust, and strengthen assertiveness, and communication.
Additionally sharing emotional vulnerability has several benefits such as strengthening relationships, building emotional resilience, strengthing immunity, etc.
It takes time to open up to people and be vulnerable around them. To ensure you can be vulnerable around someone there are some signs like having trust, respecting boundaries, empathic nature, and trusting your instincts. Nonetheless, ensure that you don’t trust someone too soon, take your time and get to know the person before you share your feelings and emotions with them.