How to Be Authentic Without Feeling Exposed "Be Real!" "Live Authentically!" "Confess your sins!" "Share your burdens!" If you’ve ever been deeply hurt by judgmental, manipulative, or demanding people, sharing your authentic self can feel unsafe. You wonder whether someone is trustworthy, or whether they’ll use your vulnerability against you. You may feel compelled to answer every question honestly and directly, even when you don’t want to. "Why did you do that?" "Wha

Don't like to read? Watch the video here! Empathy and compassion require more energy than giving advice. They require us to slow down, to avoid our compulsion to fix, and to sit in the discomfort of someone's pain. Many of us find it difficult to offer empathy and compassion toward others. In order to do so, we have to surrender to things we cannot control, to consideration of another person's perspective, and to a process that might take longer than we have scheduled on

You have the right to remain silent. You have the right not to answer a question if it demands an answer too personal or unnecessary for the situation. You have the right to speak. It might not change the other person, but sometimes things need to be said. If someone hurts you, you have the right to tell them, “That was rude," or "That was unnecessary." Speak up when someone is hurtful, even if it's simply to be honest. You have the right to change your mind. We would neve