“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.”
– Brené Brown
How often do you cry alone?
If you’re like me, crying is one of those things that feels immensely vulnerable and even — I know this is wrong to say — weak.
That’s not right, of course.
And it’s why I’m so impressed by Simon Sinek’s “no crying alone rule”.
Here’s how he explains it in this short video:
“I have a rule with my friends. My rule is ‘no crying alone.’ My close friends all know this and we all obey it. Like I’ll get a call from somebody who’s a significant person in the world that people know who they are, and they’ll call me and say ‘do you have a minute? I think I need to cry.’ I’m like, ‘What’s on your mind?’ And they’ll tell me what’s on their mind and they will cry. And that’s my rule. My rule with my friends is ‘no crying alone.’ Because if you’re at the point of absolute frustration, exhaustion — whatever it is — that you can’t hold it in, I’d rather you call me or one of us and you do it with somebody. You should never cry alone.”
Not only would this rule help you process and talk about difficult emotions with those you love, but it would also help you form stronger bonds with your friends.
It’s not for everyone.
And science still isn’t entirely sure why we cry in the first place.
But I thought the above rule was worth sharing for those of you who think it’d be a benefit to add such a rule to your friend groups 🙂
If you want to learn more about the science of tears, here’s a great article from Time.