Why Is It ‘Brave’ To Speak Out?

Spoiler: it’s not.

Photo by Mike Von on Unsplash

I shared my own story recently ; a story that I have never shared in so much detail or with so much vulnerability. I shared my story of growing up in a world in which I was, I felt (or feared) ‘fundamentally wrong’, and the impact that this had, and has had, on me. I am sharing my story (and this story) because I am not who I was and sharing my truth allows me to transcend my fears.

I recognise that, for all my flaws and foibles, I am merely hurt and human. I am not perfect. I am often anxious and insecure. I struggle to be vulnerable and to accept my vulnerability. And yet I am also aware that this isn’t about or unique to me. This is something that we all have to deal with. And something that often becomes more entrenched and deceptively insurmountable the longer that we resist [facing] it.

I am used to compartmentalising. To telling a story that, whilst true, does not get to the heart of what I have experienced. It’s not lies or hiding so much as ‘a tacit understanding of the need for space and boundaries’. Less is more, or so I hear. Or perhaps I’m fooling myself.

Either way, I have been experimenting with being more open on my own terms, and it has been incredibly profound and liberating for me. As I lean into who I am, I embrace myself in new ways. I learn to love, accept and…