Thank you for this AJ. I know this is a piece I’ll come back to repeatedly.
This resonates so much. I agree that the fear of getting it wrong is one of the biggest barriers I/we face in reducing harm. (I’m a white woman with lots of unearned privileges). I know I’ve caused harm when this fear has caused me to freeze and stay silent, to prioritise not being ‘rejected’, to avoid conflict and to spiral into guilt and shame. As you point out, the programming we’ve had reinforced around this is strong and the feelings can feel completely overwhelming (wrong = I am a bad person etc). But it is possible to build this muscle and get the support in place to move through the discomfort and fear. Thank you so much for the prompts. I appreciate the reminder that I have my individual work to do but this is collective and community too.
Thank you for this AJ. I know this is a piece I’ll come back to repeatedly.
This resonates so much. I agree that the fear of getting it wrong is one of the biggest barriers I/we face in reducing harm. (I’m a white woman with lots of unearned privileges). I know I’ve caused harm when this fear has caused me to freeze and stay silent, to prioritise not being ‘rejected’, to avoid conflict and to spiral into guilt and shame. As you point out, the programming we’ve had reinforced around this is strong and the feelings can feel completely overwhelming (wrong = I am a bad person etc). But it is possible to build this muscle and get the support in place to move through the discomfort and fear. Thank you so much for the prompts. I appreciate the reminder that I have my individual work to do but this is collective and community too.
You're welcome, Janelle. And thank you for sharing this. Yes, community is essential 💜