The Power of Tears: When Silence Speaks Louder Than Words

Can silent moments speak louder than words? On this heartfelt episode of LiftOneSelf, host NatNat shares an intimate story of standing by a friend during chemotherapy, where an unexpected medical crisis underscores the delicate balance of life. In a moment of profound silence, a deep connection forms, demonstrating the weight of emotions that transcend language.

Join us as we explore:

• The power of vulnerability in supporting loved ones through illness
• Why people often respond to tears with "I'm sorry"
• How embracing our emotions is an act of self-love
• The strength found in shared silence

Experience a guided mindful moment, designed to help you connect with your emotions and find peace amidst life's uncertainties. Perfect for anyone dealing with stress, supporting loved ones, or seeking to understand their emotional landscape better.

Listeners are encouraged to share these insights with those who might need them most, creating ripples of impact beyond our immediate audience. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok under @LiftOneSelf to engage further with our mission and services. Visit LiftOneSelf.com for more resources on emotional well-being and personal growth.

Remember, your emotions are valid, and it's always okay to feel. Tune in and experience the transformative power of vulnerability and shared silence. Treat yourself with kindness and care – your self-worth and emotional well-being are critical.

Exclusive Offer for Listeners:

Boost your mental clarity with Magic Mind! Use code LIFTONESELF20 for a special discount at www.magicmind.com/liftoneself.

#LiftOneSelf #EmotionalHealth #Vulnerability #CancerSupport #Mindfulness #SelfLove #HumanConnection

🔔 Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll explore the surprising power of vulnerability in leadership.

Chapters

• 0:00 Vulnerability, Emotions, and Silent Understanding
• 17:00 Sharing and Taking Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Have you ever experienced a moment so profound that words became unnecessary? Today we're exploring the power of vulnerability, the weight of unspoken understanding, and why allowing our emotions to flow freely is not just okay, it's essential. Welcome to the Lift One Self podcast. I'm your host, nat. Nat, let me share a recent experience that shook me to my core and taught me about the eloquence of silence. As many of you know, I've been supporting my dear sister friend through her cancer journey and accompanying her to chemotherapy appointments. And recently, as of yesterday, we had a day that changed everything.

Speaker 1: 1:01

Picture this we're in the treatment room on the floor, surrounded by the humming of the medical equipment you know those IV and beepings and the quiet conversations of patients and caregivers and suddenly chaos erupts. A patient goes into convulsions. We hear a beeping sound that is beeping rapidly and the nurses reacted in form and scattered, reactingly to. I guess this patient was reacting to a drug, and this room fills with urgent voices and rushed movement. So that activates in me a curiosity. Yet what was deeper is that my vulnerability surfaced. In that moment I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I looked at my friend and our eyes met. No words were exchanged, yet in that silence, volumes were spoken. We both understood what those tears represented the stark reality of our situation, the fragility of life that we were facing head on. And what was remarkable is that I didn't hide my tears, I let them flow. Interestingly, we never talked about that moment. We didn't need to. It was a silence that spoke louder than words ever could. In that shared vulnerability, than words ever could, In that shared vulnerability, we both understood the weight of what we were experiencing, the precariousness of life that had suddenly become so apparent. As I said, the fragility of life that we at times don't allow ourselves to feel because it's so overwhelming.

Speaker 1: 3:06

This experience, you know, made me reflect on how we process emotions, especially in moments of intense vulnerability. I also put myself in the shoes of those nurses that continuously have to feel this intensity of vulnerability. Yet they have a job to do, so they have to disconnect from that sensitivity to be able to do what they need to do and then continue on to serving patients. So it dawned on me like when do they process all this stuff that they experience throughout the day? See, there was a time when I would have tried to hide those tears to put a brave face for my friend. Yet I've learned something crucial Our bodies need to process these big emotions, the uncertainty, the helplessness, the acute awareness of life's impermanence. These feelings demand to be felt and acknowledged, even if not always verbalized.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Later that day I had a massage booked and I headed to the massage knowing that I have so much tension and stress that this body has held on to that. I'm so thankful I have this massage, and this small act of self-care in the midst of this emotional storm was what I needed. When the clerk asked me how's my friend doing, the floodgate opened up. The tears came again, unbinded and unstoppable, and as those around me responded with a quick, almost reflective I'm sorry, I found myself thinking about that silent moment of understanding I had shared with my friend previously. It made me wonder why do we often feel the need to fill emotional space with words when sometimes silence and presence are the most powerful responses? Again I shared it with somebody else, and their response was I'm sorry. Then I shared it with somebody else my tears and again their response was I'm sorry. And if I hadn't been doing the work that I've been doing with myself, I would have shut that off because I don't want to be an inconvenience and I don't want to be a burden with these big emotions. Yet I allowed myself to be vulnerable and process and feel what I was feeling, and then later express, when I had the language of what I was experiencing, and thank them for asking me.

Speaker 1: 6:08

This brings a broader question. Why do people often respond to tears with an immediate I'm sorry? It's a phrase that comes up so quickly, it's almost reflexive, and here's why here's what I've come to understand Empathy. They feel your pain and want to acknowledge it it, even if they don't have the right words. There's cultural conditioning. In many societies we're taught to avoid making others uncomfortable and tears can be seen as a sign of discomfort, the desire to comfort. Saying sorry can be a way to offer solace, even when they don't know how else to help, and personal discomfort. Tears can make some people uneasy and sorry becomes a way to cover their own awkwardness, inadvertent guilt. People might feel they've caused your pain by asking, even when that's not the case. Understanding these reasons helps us see that it's not necessarily about dismissing your emotions, but often an attempt, sometimes clumsy, to respond to vulnerability. Unfortunately, in our dialogue, in our communication, in our interactions, we don't know how to deal with emotions or vulnerability. Here's the truth I want you to hold on to your tears are not an apology. They're a sign of your humanity.

Speaker 1: 7:55

Embracing emotions isn't weakness. It's the ultimate act of self-love, and sometimes, sharing a moment of silent understanding can be more powerful than any words. When we suppress our authentic emotions, we end up reacting with secondary emotions like frustration, anger or even apathy, and let's be honest, that's no way to live. So how do we change this? How do we create a world where it's safe to feel, where we can sit in the comfortable silence with our emotions and those of others? I believe it starts with us. It starts with creating a space where we and others can feel, whether through words or in meaningful silence.

Speaker 1: 8:59

Now I want to guide us through a short mindful moment to really start activating the healing process. And the healing process requires us to feel, and most of us don't want to feel because that shit's uncomfortable, it's awkward, it feels like an inconvenience at times. Yet the more you allow yourself to give yourself space to feel, the more these emotions don't feel so uncomfortable to feel and they have verbiage. So join me in this mindful moment. You're going to find a comfortable spot and if you can put your feet on the ground and for you, if you're able to close your eyes and we're going to begin, take a deep breath in through your nose and hold it through your nose and hold it and you're going to slowly exhale through your mouth.

Speaker 1: 10:13

Feel the weight in your body wherever you are. Breathe into your body, feeling the weight of whatever you've been carrying. Allow any tightness, any unexpressed emotion to soften. Remember, in this moment you are safe. It's okay to feel. It's okay to release. Notice where you might be holding tension your jaw, your shoulders, your belly, your hips and, as you breathe, allow those areas to soften, to unknot, to unclench.

Speaker 1: 11:06

Imagine each breath is like a wave, flowing in and out effortlessly. Let your emotions rise like the tide, without judgment. If there's a heaviness, allow it to surface. If tears come, let them flow With each exhale. Release the emotions that no longer serve you. Welcome in peace and comfort.

Speaker 1: 11:52

Stay here for a few moments, allowing your breath to guide you. Allowing your breath to guide you, bringing that awareness to your breath, allowing whatever sensations or feelings coming up to surface. You're safe to feel. You're safe to let go. Surrender the need to control, release the need to resist and just be, be with your breath. Go deeper into your body and allow whatever emotions that are stored in your body to pass through. Allow them to be expressed, keeping your awareness on your breath, not getting tangled into them Again. Stay here for a few moments, allowing your breath to guide you, allowing your body to release and just be. When you're ready, slowly bring your awareness back to the room. Bring your awareness back to the room, staying with your breath, gently open your eyes, knowing that this practice of feeling and allowing emotions is a step towards healing. How do you feel? Take a moment to reflect, maybe share your experience on social media using the hashtag lift oneself. Your story could be the permission someone else needs to embrace their emotions or to sit in understanding silence with a loved one.

Speaker 1: 13:57

Now I want to share something that's been helping me stay grounded during these intense emotional moments. It's called Magic Mind. It's a natural blend that supports stress management and mental clarity, which has been invaluable during my friend's cancer journey and me walking alongside her. Go to magicmindcom forward slash lift oneself. M-a-g-i-c-m-i-n-d dot C-O-M. Forward slash L-I-F-T-O-N-E-S-E-L-F and you, the listener, you get a discount. So put in the code LIFT1SELF20. That's L-I-F-T-O-N-E-S-E-L-F-2-0 to get that discount, and I encourage you to subscribe because you'll get even more of a further discount and guess what? There's a money back guarantee for your first time orders. If you're not satisfied, just write to them and ask for your money back, no questions asked, you get it. So there's no risk with this. And you don't know what you don't know until you try something, and I'm sharing this because I have benefit from it. So sharing is caring, so remember.

Speaker 1: 15:23

Emotions are a part of our healing and the more we allow ourselves to feel, the more we can release. If this episode resonated with you, don't forget to subscribe and share it with someone who might need to hear this message Before we go. I want to leave you with this thought the next time someone cries in front of you, instead of saying sorry, try simply being present with them. Sometimes, a shared moment of silence can speak volumes. Moment of silence can speak volumes. Let's create a world where it's safe to feel, where we honor the fragility of life by fully embracing our emotions, spoken and unspoken.

Speaker 1: 16:18

Thank you for being here today. This is Nat, nat, reminding you your emotions are valid, you are never alone on this journey and it's always okay to feel, whether through tears or in profound silence. And stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll explore this. And stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll explore the surprising power of vulnerability in leadership. Trust me, you don't want to miss it. Until next time, please remember to be kind and gentle with yourself. You matter. Hey, you made it all the way here. I appreciate you and your time.

Speaker 1: 17:00

If you found value in this conversation, please share it out. If there was somebody that popped into your mind, take action and share it out with them. It possibly may not be them that will benefit. It's that they know somebody that will benefit from listening to this conversation, that will benefit from listening to this conversation. So please take action and share out the podcast. You can find us on social media on Facebook, instagram and TikTok under Lift One Self, and if you want to inquire about the work that I do and the services that I provide to people, come over on my website, come into a discovery, call LiftOneSelfcom. Until next time, please remember to be kind and gentle with yourself. You matter.