Anxiety and its relationship to your Authenticity
““To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect and vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are””
Authenticity encompasses aligning your actions with your innermost values, morals, and beliefs. This calls for introspection and a candid embrace of your true self. Think of authenticity as a muscle that gains strength through practice.
Anxiety often emerges from denying aspects of our identity and resisting self-acceptance. This struggle develops over time, fueled by messages from caregivers, educational experiences, work environments, and relationships that suggest certain parts of us are unworthy, leading to feelings of shame, denial, and self ridicule. Gradually, we mold ourselves into versions we believe will gain acceptance from others or fit into specific groups, even if it means compromising our values and engaging in behaviors that leave us uneasy. This may be particularly true during vulnerable periods of youth when we seek the security and love of caregivers, driving us to conform.
As Brené Brown discusses often , our very survival hinges on our quest for love and belonging, as the absence of these core human needs inevitably leads to suffering.
Counterintuitively, true belonging cannot be achieved through fitting in, as the essence of belonging resists conformity.
The term "suffering" in this context is synonymous with what I refer to as "anxiety." It materializes when we deny or suppress our genuine selves, ignoring our intuition about who we truly are. It's an essential step in asserting yourself in relationships to be able to say, "I respectfully disagree."
Overall, authenticity beckons us to embrace our true selves, relinquishing the pursuit of fitting in for the sake of genuine belonging.