Dear Goddess,

Have you ever felt hesitant to open up and let people in? Do you tend to be the friend that everyone comes to for advice? Does it feel more natural to listen to others vs. share about yourself?

If you said yes to any of the above, you are not alone. Many of my clients face this, especially when it comes to family dynamics and intimate relationships.

I can relate too. Maybe because of the work I do, it feels really natural to share guidance that is coming through to help someone.

But it hasn’t always come naturally to me to be vulnerable and share some of the personal, cool quirks that make me…well, me, like “I love and believe in Angels!”

I found myself craving deeper bonds and connection…while simultaneously feeling like I just couldn’t ‘go there’ with others. Many of my clients have shared a similar story.

Thoughts would come up like:

I don’t want to burden ‘them’ with my stuff.
‘They’ are just going to think I’m a whiny bit&h and see me differently. I’ll just journal about it later.
In dating: I don’t want to turn him off-he’ll probably think I’m weird and have too much emotional baggage.

Through my own personal development journey over the years, I have learned to give myself permission to open up and help others through that too. They are always amazed by all the love and support available when they do , but it’s a process to feel safe to go there.

This week, let’s explore how to open up.

One of the first steps to breaking this cycle is to understand the difference between being vulnerable in a healthy way vs being emotionally needy.

Here are a few distinctions:

Emotionally vulnerable (healthy) looks like:
Expressing your thoughts, feelings and desires in an authentic way
Comes from a grounded place-you are sharing to connect
Personal accountability + responsibility-you aren’t expecting someone to fill you or fix you.

Emotionally needy (unhealthy) looks like:
Comes from an ungrounded place-usually fear or anxiety.
Is often rooted in the need for getting attention, validation or emotional regulation from someone else.
Little to no boundaries-there may be a total focus on getting reassurance from another and often comes with a lack of awareness that the person on the receiving end may feel smothered or overwhelmed.
Next week, I’ll be sharing some powerful questions you can ask yourself to notice which energy you may be coming from in any given moment.

But for now, I invite you to simply take inventory of the distinctions above. And if your desire is to truly open up your heart and world to more authentic connection…and feel safe to do so, it starts with a decision.

If you’re brave, leave a comment that says, ” I’m ready!” to this.

PS: Want to get away with me in the Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ for an intimate, soul nourishing retreat this May 18-May 21?  Click here to see more details .Space is limited to a max of 6 Goddesses, so if you feel called, I encourage you to act quickly to reserve your spot! Feel free to email us here with any questions.