😳 Vulnerability Hangovers
You know the feeling…
🤢 You are absolutely mortified to exist.
🫣 You visualize yourself crawling under a magical invisibility rock that not only prevents you from being seen but also erases any evidence that you were ever breathing the collective air.
🗑 Thankfully, this magical rock removes the fiery messages you sent to the group chat.
☕️ It even unsays all the nerdy sentiments you offered in surely an-all-too caffeinated state at that birthday brunch.
🕺 The enchantment is so strong that it actually un-performs all the dances you’ve ever shared on stage!
🤐 Mercifully, the rock also prevents you from having ever posted anything personal on social media.
❤️🩹 And the spell is so strong that it even un-tells the people you love that you love them (because surely they only said it back out of pity, anyway).
❌ Even more thankfully, this rock does not actually exist!
💎 ️If it did, we would be erasing some of the most powerful, connective moments of our lives.
❣️ We would undo our brave actions, our attempts at intimacy, and our opportunities to be truly known and loved.
🪨 The rock is not real, but the discomfort is.
⚡️ The discomfort of sharing your authentic self does NOT mean that you should not have been vulnerable.
🤫 It does NOT mean that you should keep quiet from here forward, or that you did anything wrong.
💔 Vulnerability hangovers do not mean you are weak or broken.
🗣 Feeling exposed after sharing your thoughts, emotions, and art is completely normal and to be expected.
💪 It means you are strong and courageous.
🫶 If you struggle with intense feelings of discomfort after taking an emotional or artistic risk: you are not alone!
🌹 They happen to me all the time…but some part of me knows that what I shared actually did help me make meaningful connections, even if the “audience” doesn’t respond in an overwhelmingly supportive way.
👀 I remind myself that often people are quietly reflecting on the art and thoughts I share. They might not be telling me outloud that I made them feel less lonely and better understood but I choose to believe in their silent appreciation anyway.
🫂 Why? Because I can easily reflect on all the times I felt healed and connected to someone who shared vulnerably and I did not tell them about it. I think of all the times people have told me years later how much they were personally, quietly, fortified by my emotional and creative risk-taking.
✅ Honestly, it is difficult to be the one who chooses bravery over and over. But I know from experience that vulnerability hangovers are 1000% more pleasant than the chilling loneliness that comes with hiding, playing it safe, and not inviting others to truly see me.
🤺 I encourage you, I BEG you: please be brave with your heart and mind. Give us a chance to know you and love you for who you really are!
💜 In the spirit of bravery, I am sharing this duet that Drake von Trapp and I performed in January where we SING on stage for the first time EVER!
🎵 I am so proud of this dance and how courageous we were to share it.
The movement, frame drum, and finger cymbal vocabulary of this duet is pulled directly from my cued-group-improvisational dance format, Cued Cohesion. If you love this dance, you will love what I teach in my online coaching program, The Cohesion Collective!
I'm teaching a super valuable, actionable workshop inside The Cohesion Collective SOON! I'll be breaking down exactly how I reach my dance goals! I'll guide you to make your own creativity calendar! I'll help you understand your tendencies, choose compatible organizational strategies, and I'll even screen-share and show you the EXACT apps and methods I use to keep myself on task!
You will want to apply to ASAP to get into that live workshop!
✨ Apply at: www.TheCohesionCollective.com ✨
💠 When you take 2 minutes to apply to work with me in The Cohesion Collective 💠 you will get your invite to watch my advanced private training where I go over my 3-part Cohesion framework for becoming a brilliant bellydancer! There is no obligation to join and this free training is full of tips and inspiration!
PS: I heard the term “vulnerability hangover” from Brené Brown -whose scholarship I cannot recommend enough!
PSS: Comment and tell me if you ever feel exposed after sharing. I want to know what actions you take to care for yourself in those moments!
Wishing you a soothing balm for your courageous heart,
April Rose 🌹
Read what people are saying about The Cohesion Collective...
Here is what newly-certified Cohesion Teacher Gaby had to say about her recent performance achievements inside The Cohesion Collective:
"I am not so judgmental with myself anymore. Before, if a video or clip was not perfect I would discard it or bury it in oblivion. But I love that April reminds us: 'We are not here to be perfect' and that is exactly what I felt! I avoided looking for perfection and I focused more on enjoying and feeling dance and music. I feel happier and freer this way. I grew a lot as a dancer thanks to the process that led to creating this performance. I am very supported by the community and very motivated! All of Stage 1 helped me to be more aware of my body and to explore the whole root of the movement in a very deep way, which is now reflected in my improvisations and performances. Everything I have learned has exceeded my expectations, since I definitely wanted to improvise in a more fluid, natural, fun way and also, I love that it always reminds me that we are human beings and that it is okay to make mistakes and try again, that everything is learning and that we are never alone in this process. I have felt extremely supported and sheltered by April and by my colleagues and the Cohesion Collective has sensitized me to such a degree that I am more aware of cultural appropriation, of the rights of author and about the musicality. It has been very complete and very enriching. Being here is THE BEST decision I could have made in my dance career."
💠 Apply to work with me in The Cohesion Collective 💠 and get your invite to my advanced private training where I go over my 3-part Cohesion framework for becoming a brilliant bellydancer!
🌹 You'll want to apply NOW to join us for my workshop on creating your foolproof practice schedule to reach your dance goals! You don't want to miss it!