We should be naked, all the time.

Stark naked. Au naturel. Totally unclad. In fact, if you aren’t naked right now, I’m going to spend the remainder of this article convincing you to do so.

And, by the way, this kind of nakedness has nothing to do with showing skin or throwing your t-shirt and jeans on the floor. This is a different kind of naked—this kind of naked exposes your inner-self and puts it on full display.
If this sounds pretty scary to you, you aren’t alone. Trust me.

I used to think that being vulnerable was a weakness. That if I were to expose myself in my fullness, it meant leaving myself incredibly unprotected and susceptible to all kinds of harm. I thought that the real strength was wearing my suit of armor at all times and marching through life with a militant heart and mind. Of course, this isn’t a way to live and authentic life, or to feel any sort of true connection with anyone or anything.

Sometimes we get the message that we’re supposed to hush the most sensitive parts of ourselves and ultimately be less volatile and less emotional. Of course what this creates is a culture of censorship, unexpressed emotion that turns to fear and anger, and disconnection to ourselves and those around us.

So, here’s the mission: strip down bare, let your guard down, and dare to be seen and heard in your fullness.

Become as open and vulnerable as possible. Say what you really feel. Fully express your needs and desires. Let your emotions run free and your deepest truths be heard. Come exactly as you are.

Here’s five reasons to undress, right here and right now:

1. Being vulnerable will expand our worlds.

When we so boldly decide to start being vulnerable and open, we will find that even though we’ll lose some connections, the situations, events and people in our experiences will become better suited for our souls. Our newly authentic world will become vast and joyful, full of deep intimacy. If we never dare to be seen, heard, and felt, we’ll never know just how big our world can become.

2. We will experience connection like never before.

Being alive means having the desire for connection—we all, on some level, seek to be understood and to fit in. Therefore, it’s normal to be afraid of expression (after all, if what we naturally desire is connection, what we might fear the most, consciously or not, is losing those connections). But, when we take the often difficult journey of putting ourselves out there, we will experience intimate, delicious connection dripping with authenticity. What’s really awesome is a life of full expression—feeling seen, heard, and valued for what we really are. Being vulnerable is the only way to experience that.

3. We can’t see anyone’s heart until we can see our own. 

When we are afraid of what lives inside of us and we hold back from full, unfiltered expression, we are rejecting bits of ourselves––bits of us that are just as real as the tangible parts. Living this way for a long period of time begins to build walls, and we lose touch with ourselves. In being vulnerable, and beginning to love and express who we are, we begin dismantling our walls bit by bit. When we reclaim our own precious hearts, and accept ourselves in our entirety, we will then begin to love and see the light in others, too. We’ll hear what they aren’t saying and feel what they aren’t expressing. Our ability to empathize and love becomes expanded.

4. Vulnerability attracts honesty.

The only way to find what’s best for our souls is to show our true colors, in their full vibrancy. Keeping a mask on will only attract dishonesty and disingenuous connections, and keep circumstances and people in our experiences that aren’t a match for our unique spirits. It may seem risky to undress—people and things may fall out of our experiences, but even better, more valuable connections will be made.

5. It’s something we all share. 

If we could see into the hearts of everyone in the world, we’d find that we all share, to some degree, being a little scared of vulnerability. We all have something inside of us that we keep hidden in fear of being unworthy, unlovable, inappropriate or flawed. In daring to express ourselves fully, we may just give others courage to do the same, too. We’re all in this together.

So go ahead, it’s okay: strip down and let it all hang out.

Feel the freedom of being in your metaphorical birthday suit. Let the world really see you, and don’t for one minute be ashamed.

Being vulnerable is just about the most courageous thing we can do. Even if it takes a ton of practice and time, our nakedness will be the key to our freedom.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Leah Grace/Flickr, lucyfrench123/Flickr