What is it about seeing someone as authentic and vulnerable that is so compelling? It’s a feeling that can be heightened, if the person is someone we admire or look up to, or someone in the public eye.
From a neuroscience perspective, it makes sense, that we can empathize with others in a similar situation. Neuroscientists have focused on a system in the brain called “mirror neurons” as a possible explanation for emotional empathy. These are a small circuit of cells in the brain that are activated when we perform certain tasks, but also when we see someone else performing the same action.
For many of us living with conditions like anxiety and depression, what’s harder than living with the illness itself is the burden of having to put on a brave face and pretend everything is OK. What we fail to see is that we all in some way share these emotions; these moments of doubt and emotional misunderstanding.
There’s a power in that sense of shared experience, that you are not alone. That someone understands how you are feeling and feels the same way.As you go about your busy life, instead of focusing on your situation and thinking you alone feel this way, why not think about the following:
We all share this journey known as life and its moments of bliss and sorrow. Some of us rise to these moment and illuminate the path just a bit more. So who has inspired you?
Since we share many of these feelings and moments, what actions can you take to reach out to others in the same situation as you?
How much better would you feel if you let go of the need to be perfect and embraced your vulnerabilities and flaws? Do not wait; the time will never be ‘’just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.
Peace and Love, Jim
