Hold on to something! I'm gonna be radically honest

Whether you've encountered the term or not, Radical Honesty influences your lifestyle, relationships, and significantly contributes to physical and mental healing. It involves telling the truth, even avoiding the smallest white lies we often tell about the most basic of matters.

I am preparing to write an article about Core Values. This subject requires a deep and honest examination of one's beliefs about their identity and the experiences that have molded them into their current self. Although many people overlook the importance of reflecting on their past, it's crucial to evaluate your history to heal from conflicts and the emotional injuries you've experienced. Finding the origin of your struggle needs us to be radically honest. This reflection allows you to confront, learn and understand these experiences, ultimately leading to a happier and more peaceful life.

How do you begin...Just decide to move forward slowly, one well thought out response at a time. Be aware, and take your time with your thoughts and intentions.

This is a challenge, so you need to focus your thoughts correctly.

For me, radical honesty involves my own life experiences, distortions, and the journey toward my internal goals. My internal goals are to manage my emotions accurately, clear the garbage out that occupies my thoughts, communicate better and have empathy for who I am interacting with, to name a few.

During therapy sessions, I would express my challenges and hear the therapists say, "I'm going to be radically honest here," before revealing the truth about my interpretations, discussions, and distortions. I need this truthful feedback because it aids my growth, learning, and personal development. Complete honesty in discussing my practices, allows for more accurate progress. I am striving to become the best version of myself, and relying on partial truths leads me nowhere. Radical honesty has often brought me to tears as I advance in learning better life solutions, acquiring more tools, and enhancing my problem-solving skills. These are tears of growth, by the way.

Lying to myself would be such a disservice. Where would that leave me when it comes to relationships that I care about? life decisions? and pursuing my dreams? These desires would never happen! I'd be on the never ending hamster wheel of eating a bunch of donuts and wondering why I don't lose weight!

Ok, silly example. But if I'm putting in the effort to work on my mental health, I want results!

When I first started therapy, I thought my memories and the stories I would tell about my life were accurate and honest. But I soon learned, that through the years, the memories are not as sharp and the stories would embellish over time. It is common to translate our experiences in our own version that we understand. The internal details we remember about ourselves can be vague and distant. But as the truths and origins started to get revealed, I would feel like I had to pull off some very old band-aids on my most difficult memories -that were there to cover and protect the neglected wounds that I could not heal by myself. Even just re-discovering the wounds were always there, was an enormous revelation in my awakening and then into healing. There was no black or white, there was no version of the truth, there was just radical honesty.

Upon your arrival, everything starts to become clear. Blame is lifted, memories are seen in a new light, and trigger points are recognized. It's like you can breathe freely again as the burden of past flawed experiences is organized.

It's acceptable to take a brief pause and reflect before expressing your radical honesty. In conversations, we often have automatic responses, but when you apply honesty, your considered replies are fresh and precise, grounded in reality.

In social settings, it's ok to reel it in. Not everyone can hear your honesty all the time.

Now... does Martha need to hear the truth about her time spent at the make-up counter at Macy's? That depends on your relationship, not everyone can wear a "smoky eye", but if Martha is thrilled and loves how she looks, that is what you must consider.

When my husband comes out of the closet wearing his ensemble for date night, I'm hearing how comfortable he is with his choices but I just can't sit next to a florescent orange sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts. I can't.

Being entirely truthful offers considerable freedom, yet it requires being mindful of one's thoughts and emotions at that moment. Despite good intentions, honesty can still lead to hurt feelings, as people might have strong reactions to the truth. Engaging in radical honesty might result in feeling isolated from those who prefer to live comfortably in their own version of reality. You might even start your responses with,

"I'm going to be radically honest here," to prepare them.

With that, proceed with caution!