Body image Quote by Brené Brown
““Shame Resilience 101 Here are the first three things that you need to know about shame: We all have it. Shame is universal and one of the most primitive human emotions that we experience. The only people who don’t experience shame lack the capacity for empathy and human connection. We’re all afraid to talk about shame. The less we talk about shame, the more control it has over our lives. Shame is basically the fear of being unlovable—it’s the total opposite of owning our story and feeling worthy. In fact, the definition of shame that I developed from my research is: Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.1 Shame keeps worthiness away by convincing us that owning our stories will lead to people thinking less of us. Shame is all about fear. We’re afraid that people won’t like us if they know the truth about who we are, where we come from, what we believe, how much we’re struggling, or, believe it or not, how wonderful we are when soaring (sometimes it’s just as hard to own our strengths as our struggles). People often want to believe that shame is reserved for the folks who have survived terrible traumas, but this is not true. Shame is something we all experience. And while it feels as if shame hides in our darkest corners, it actually tends to lurk in all of the familiar places, including appearance and body image, family, parenting, money and work, health, addiction, sex, aging, and religion. To feel shame is to be human.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Daring Greatly, 2012 (or related lecture)
Shame is a universal, primitive emotion that fuels fear of unlovability; talking about it reduces its power.
In simple terms: Shame is fear of being unlovable; sharing it weakens its grip.
Talk openly about shame to reclaim worthiness.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- team building
- personal journaling
- public speaking
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What stories are you avoiding sharing?
- How does shame affect your relationships?
Shame can also motivate growth if faced constructively.