I've paused.
I've been listening.
I've been reading.
I've been thinking.
I've been overwhelmed.
I've been anxious.
I've been ashamed.
I watched this eye-opening discussion with researcher, professor, and author Brené Brown PhD, LMSW. If time permits, it is a great conversation starter. The way she discusses these intense topics — privilege, power, and perspective — through her research resonates in an unsettling away.
I do want to share one very specific question that was asked at the end of the Facebook Live:
Q: When one is overwhelmed by and wants to stay in the conversation, yet feels paralyzed, what do you recommend?
A: This is how Brené Brown replied...
When you're feeling overwhelmed, take a break.
We need everyday moments.
We need joy.
We need gratitude.
We need love.
We need belonging.
We need…
Those things fortify us for this fight.
You cannot live in this conversation.
Once you understand what is happening in the world, taking a break is not going back to pretending everything is fine.
Don't burn yourself out so completely that you can't be a part of this movement anymore. Don't push yourself to the point where you don't have the will to show up. Take care of yourself.
We're fighting for civil rights.
We're fighting for equality.
We're fighting for justice.
But we're also fighting so people have access to the most meaningful experiences in life —
Love
Belonging
Joy
Purpose
… and if we don't have those things in our hearts, we cannot fight for other people to have them.
Take care of yourself so that you can stay engaged in hard conversations.
— Brené Brown
Watch the full Facebook Live discussion.
I have a few books in my library that I read time and time again — the margins are filled with notes, the pages tabbed, and passages highlighted.
Daring Greatly is one of these must-read books. After watching the Facebook Live discussion this week, these few lines from the intro specifically stood out to me:
. . .
Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.
We all experience shame. We're all afraid to talk about it. And the less we talk about it, the more we have it.
Shame is tough to talk about. But the conversation isn't nearly as dangerous as what we're creating with our silence.
When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.
— Brené Brown
. . .
Let's keep the conversation going.
Sometimes what counts is that you keep trying.
Don't quit. Rest when you need to but don't quit.
