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Being Honest without Being Selfish
You can Express yourself without Verbal Diarrhea
It’s good to be honest, isn’t it?
Transparency is a good thing, right? And we all want to be honest with each other. In fact, being honest with ourselves is part of positive self-care, and being honest with others is critical for achieving intimacy.
But like any good thing, you can have too much of it.
Is total transparency always appropriate?
Is it an asset at work? Sure, when you point out a defect in a product or process. Perhaps, when you communicate to co-workers about a health issue. But do you need to spill all the details of every blind date? Really?
With friends — do your conversations quickly turn into therapy sessions where they always end up playing the therapist? While honesty can enhance intimacy, do they really need to hear you endlessly rewind and rehash every detail of your day?
Your mother may need to hear about a deep childhood trauma. But does she need an itemized accounting of how she failed you? Will that bring you closer or just create more wounds and distance?
Is it appropriate to call your significant other to discuss a relationship issue while he’s…
