Health benefit of saying the truth

Your energy is diminished. Your vitality is drained. “The only thing that will actually get that vitality back and enhance your energy is the liberating act of going back and telling the truth”

If you accept this premise – that we leave our energy on the table when we get hurt, or when we don’t get what we want, or when we don’t speak up for ourselves

1. Ask permission. It’s as simple as saying, “Would it be okay if I told you how I really felt the other day when (fill in the blank) happened?” I suggests some good ice-breaking openers, such as, “I’m nervous that if I tell you this I might feel worse, but if it’s okay with you I’d like to share”, or “I don’t know if you even know this, or meant it when you said it, but can I tell you my reaction to (fill in the blank)?”

It’s also critical that they say yes, and that they have the time to discuss it. If they don’t, you’re not going to get taken care of, and the energizing power of telling the truth will be lost. Pick a time when they can actually be present for your communication.

2. Stat the conversation with “This is how it is for me”. As any marriage and family counselor will attest to, you’ll never get anywhere with a conversation that puts the blame on the other person. It’s not “you make me feel bad” it’s “this is how I feel when (fill in the blank)”. This opens the door to being heard and understood – a surefire energy en-hancer. It also keeps your listener out of the uncomfortable position of being on the defensive, which is almost guaranteed to accomplish exactly nothing.

3. Spill the beans. Tell the other person your truth, the way it really is for you. No blame, no saying that person was wrong, just an honest, self-revealing picture of what you didn’t communicate that you’d like him or her to know.

Whatever they say, the most important point is being proud of your own bravery. The energizing power of telling the truth actually has less to do with whether your listener “gets it” than it does with not suppressing your feelings and expressing what you feel in your own voice. “We lose vitality because we cower.

We can reclaim our vitality by speaking in our voice. From the heart. With the truth. There are few things I know of that are as certain to increase your energy instantly.