vulnerability hangover? (symptoms and what to do about it)

Have you ever experience a time when you took that big step forward…

Even in the light of your fears and uncertainties, you took that emotional risk…

Only to find yourself the next morning going from a “high” to a “crash?!

All you can say to yourself was “What on earth was I thinking?!” You were left in this deep-sea feeling embarrassed, emotionally vulnerable and exposed. The only thing you wanted to do was hide.

As it turns out, this is actually a pretty common phenomenon. Brené Brown came up with a concept called vulnerability hangover.

These are moments where you truly put yourself out there, wear your heart on your sleeve and share openly.

She even goes far as saying that if you don’t experience this emotional or vulnerability hangover that maybe you did’t go far enough outside your comfort zone.

The biggest benefit to exposing and facing your deepest vulnerabilities is that you invite the experiences of purpose and meaning into your life. Pretty huge!

Here’s what-to-do-with-this-hot-mess-self:

1. Be on the look out for your patterns and symptoms
This requires shining the light of your awareness. What are your patterns? What are your symptoms? What actions are your triggers?

​Do you feel moody, irritable, anxious, fearful, depressed, completely side swiped, a combination of these? If it’s putting out your stuff in public, ensure you are consciously sharing what you desire rather than a verbal vomit.

2. Be-Compassionate! Be-Ee-Compassionate! (with yourself!)
Once you are aware of your patterns and triggers, give yourself YOU time. Pamper yourself. Nurture yourself. Give yourself some time off to recuperate, rest and recharge your batteries. 

Take a day or two off to ground and center yourself. If you get depressed, throwing on some America’s Funniest home videos or anything that makes you laugh. If you get anxious, throw in some meditation, walks outside in the fresh air, some high intensity workouts or messages. 

If you feel super burnt out out then give yourself some time to relax around the house, plan a relaxing trip or reach out to someone that you trust and can confide in for additional moral support. Share your story with someone you trust. Empathy is the key to connecting with vulnerability.  

3. Do it again!
Continue stretching and pushing outside your comfort zone. That is the only way to build your resilience. Remember, you don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have! 

If you feel like giving up, keep your head in the game. If you feel beaten down, keep your head in the game. If you don’t know how you can persevere, keep your head in the game.

If there is something in your body that is telling you are on the right path then trust me when I say this…

“You got this!”

If you loved this video, share with someone who may need to hear this.

Also, in the comments below, I would love to hear from you and what your experience has been with vulnerability hangover.

Always keep radiating your beautiful light to the world living life with passion, purpose and meaning.

With Love and Belief in YOU,

Yelena

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow.” - Thomas Paine