HIDING OUR BROKENNESS
Sadly, we live in a world that all too often tells us to hide our brokenness. We don’t want people to think we are weak, that we can’t do it on our own, or that we are failures. So, we come up with all kinds of coping mechanisms hoping to hide or conceal the fractures that are a part of simply being human. Below are some of the characteristics that describe the behaviors one goes through to hide one’s brokenness from others:
Denial: facade - a front to a fake emotion, maybe it’s not broken
Blame: discharge the pain by pinning it one someone else
Run away: so you don’t have to face it or anyone
Perfectionism: need to appear perfect; flawless
Cynicism: self-interest, you’re above it all, bitterly distrustful
Numbing: take a pill, self-harm, over eating, drinking alcohol
Control: I must be in control, I dictate when, who, where and why