Being vulnerable in relationships means taking a risk you might be rejected, but exposing yourself nonetheless.
It is about the intention to connect with another by sharing the deepest, most authentic parts of ourselves.
Knowing the risks of feeling rejected or ashamed that vulnerability in relationships carries, why would we opt for embracing it? Why is vulnerability important?
The power of being vulnerable lies in the effects it has on our relationships. Vulnerability in relationships has multiple benefits. Read on to find out.
1. Increases the chance of having our needs met
If we dare to ask for what we truly want, we might actually get it. If you never ask, the answer is surely no.
2. Improves our sense of authenticity and worthiness
When you start advocating for your needs, you start feeling better about yourself. You send an important message to yourself, “my needs matter, and so do I.”
3. Builds trust in relationships
When we show the softer side of us to our partner, and they accept us, our faith in them increases. They were there for us when we felt the most defenseless.
4. Helps you pick a healthy relationship
Opening up to a partner is a true testament to the strength of a relationship. How your partner will receive the real you is an important test of the relationship.
If they know or are willing to learn how to be there for you in times of your revelation, the relationship will thrive. If this is not their cup of tea, at least you will know on time and have an opportunity to choose differently.
5. Makes you feel genuinely supported and comforted
Intimacy is a significant source of comfort and predictability in an otherwise unpredictable world. We can only receive said support and comfort if we open up to our partner about what we are going through.
6. Lets you be truly loved
If you always put a mask around others, you will always get what you don’t need. If you want to feel truly accepted and recognized, you need to expose the inner parts of you to that possibility. If you always put up a strong suit, you will never know you can be loved even though you feel weak.
7. Humanizing effect
Although we want our partner to see the best in us, trying to be perfect all the time won’t have a good effect on the relationship. Without allowing vulnerability in relationships, we might seem too distant, polished, and inaccessible. Vulnerability in relationships humanizes us and makes us more relatable. It opens the doors to connect and eventually have a mutually supportive relationship.
8. Increased intimacy
There can be no intimacy—emotional intimacy, spiritual intimacy, physical intimacy—without vulnerability. A lasting relationship is one where we feel intimate and united, and the path to it is through vulnerability.
