Braving the Wilderness

Feeling like I never truly belonged anywhere was my greatest pain

Unchecked loneliness fuels continued loneliness by keeping us afraid to reach out

Instead he agreed and told me that I “kinda didn’t belong” to any one group

I never tried out for a single thing again. Instead, I got really good at fitting in by doing whatever it took to feel like I was wanted and a part of something.

Numerous studies confirm that it’s not the quantity of friends but the quality of a few relationships15 that actually matters

I need a permission slip to stop being so serious and afraid. I need permission to have fun today

this is actually when I started choosing research and data over vulnerability.

This is especially so in a world where the term “emotional safety” is often used to mean I don’t have to listen to any point of view that’s different from mine, that I don’t like, that I think is wrong, that will hurt my feelings, or that

Our families and culture believed that the vulnerability that it takes to acknowledge pain was weakness