My friend of nearly 20 years died suddenly this month. She had been in poor health but, even so, no one expected this. My friend was unfailingly generous – with her time, her skills, her energy and her care. She cared deeply about people and about her community, often devoting herself to charitable causes andContinue reading “Vulnerability – how much is too much, how little is too little?”
Tag Archives: Brene Brown
Emotional safety and boundaries
The human brain experiences unmet emotional needs in the same way it experiences unmet physical needs – with a rising sense of panic that our very safety is threatened. Evolutionarily speaking this makes sense; unmet emotional needs signal our separation from others, which is a huge threat to our ability to survive a hostile physicalContinue reading “Emotional safety and boundaries”
Enemies (near and far) of connection
In Buddhist practice, near and far enemies are qualities or states which impede the divine qualities of the heart. Far enemies are a simply the opposite of each divine quality. Near enemies are a little tricker. While they appear similar to the divine qualities, they actually work to undermine them and drive disconnection. Here areContinue reading “Enemies (near and far) of connection”
Sympathy, empathy, compassion (oh my!)
Sympathy. Empathy. Compassion. While difficult to untangle at first, these concepts are actually quite different to each other, if one is willing to examine them a little more closely. Shame and connection researcher Brené Brown discusses the difference between sympathy and empathy in this short animated video. In short, sympathy is acknowledging and/or feeling sorry about another’s difficult experience, but with someContinue reading “Sympathy, empathy, compassion (oh my!)”
Book review: I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) – Brené Brown
I first came across Brené Brown’s research into shame resilience and living wholeheartedly while reading this interview. At the time, I felt the enormous weight of my own shame and, because I didn’t understand it, the more I tried to move away from it the more pronounced it became. Reading the interview was like aContinue reading “Book review: I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) – Brené Brown”
This One Too 