Nope, not that.   Although it’s too, mighty powerful.

I’m talking about   V-u-l-n-e-r-a-b-i-l-i-t-y.     

 So, a client of mine is dating this guy, let’s call him Mike.   Mike and ‘Jen’ have been seeing each other for a few months.  Dates have been consistent and fun; Mike is affectionate and considerate.  All systems have been ‘Go’ as far as the relative ease and mutuality in their dating relationship.    Jen called in for our regular coaching session, and started off with a big sigh. She told me she was in a bad place:  she was feeling really anxious and uncomfortable regarding Mike.  After some dialogue, she says, “You know, everything is great, just fine, and then if for one day Mike doesn’t call me or text me with a check-in, I find myself spiraling into negative thoughts and insecurity.  I feel so vulnerable, and it’s really uncomfortable.  I CAN’T STAND IT!”. 

What is it about vulnerability that makes us so scared, Savvy Women?  So uncomfortable?  We can forget all that we know (see my Love Savvy Principle #6).  We can walk (or RUN) away from someone just to save ourselves the discomfort, or sabotage things in some other way.  We might be someone who really hits our ‘edge’ when our vulnerable feelings come up.  And they do.  They will.  We wouldn’t be human without them.

 

Jen had been here before, this wasn’t new territory.  But she knew that her conditioned ways of being with these feelings hadn’t gotten her anywhere in the past – by either running away or grabbing on, she had caused more confusion, discomfort and pain, with herself, and often with her guy.

 

Taking a look at what was underneath this feeling of vulnerability for Jen helped her tremendously.   Jen took her power back by deepening her understanding of what was coming up for her, and not immediately projecting it back onto Mike, or sabotaging it by chasing him down or running way.   It wasn’t that Mike was neglecting her (5 days of radio silence and no future date planned might have been another story, as it would have been unusual behavior for Mike). 

 

Stay tuned for an exercise that will bring you V-word sanity, and save you from running or grabbing (inappropriately, that is).

From my savvy heart to yours,

LeslieThe Savvy Woman’s Love Coachwww.belovesavvy.com

Tags: Dating, dating issues, relationship coaching, self-improvement

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 9:30 am and is filed under Dating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.