Today when we were playing in the park, another dog came over and was nudging Shiloh, being pushy and aggressive, not in a mean way, just excited. I could tell that Shiloh was getting irritated but she was putting up with it. She finally had enough and pushed back and barked. The other dog got the message and walked on.
In watching the exchange, I got to thinking about speaking your truth.
So I wanted to ask you…
Do you speak your truth? How long does it take you to speak your truth?
These questions came up for me and I thought…do I speak my truth, or have I not spoken up and have let things fester or stuffed down my feelings so not to rock the boat. Have I not listened and held strong to my convictions and boundaries. I would say yes and yes!! Sure, at times I haven’t spoken my truth and honored my feelings right away. How about you?
Stuffing down our feelings or putting up with something more then what feels right to you can create negative feelings toward someone, where the simplest thing can set you off and you explode all over them!! Well, not literally, but you know what I mean 🙂
They are thinking…where did that come from!!??
I find that if you enter the situation with vulnerability. Saying something like…Wow, what you said or did really hooked me, trigger me or effected me, I’m not sure why but I would like to share my feelings with you. This is a lot less threatening to the other person, then, “YOU MADE ME FEEL THIS WAY or WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THAT!” This type of communication will tend to make the other person feel defensive, shutdown and often times confused.
When we speak our truth, learning how to communicate in a way that honors the other person so they also feel heard and safe to communicate honestly, will create trust and a more loving conversation.
Sharing your truth is critical to the strength and success of any relationship in your life, especially the one with yourself. Being silent and stuffing your feelings is detrimental to your wellbeing. Judgment and lack of forgiveness lives in the body and can cause many health issues.
Freeing yourself from the need to please others and speaking your truth in an honest, compassionate and authentic way, will set the tone for others in your life to do the same thing.
Only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth,
and that is not speaking it.
~Naomi Wolf~
