I listened to this book as an audio book CD. It is all about what shame is, how shame affects men and women differently, and what to do to when feeling shameful. Guilt is feeling bad about an action / behavior, whilst shame is feeling bad as a person. Think "I did something bad" versus "I am bad". Women tend to feel shame around their looks, while men tend to feel shame around their career. For what to do during bouts of shame, I was surprised that there was no secret formula for getting over it or avoiding it in the first place. Rather, Brown encourages readers to feel empathy for themselves and others. Readers need to go thru the emotion and out to the other side. A big takeaway for me is that holding onto shame does no good. How does it help oneself to feel like an awful person and wallow in misery? It doesn't! Humans are emotional, and it's normal to feel bad from time to time. The important thing is to move past those emotions, empathize, and get back to a happy normal. You are a great person that can improve. There is nowhere to go but up.
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