You Are Worthy of Love: How Embracing Vulnerability Strengthens Self-Worth

As we grow up, we learn independence. We learn to overcome emotions, to drill strength and vitality into our system. We are taught to shut off any thought or feeling that drives volatile emotions or expectations because we must get on with life, work, and fulfill our goals. In doing so, we often lose the ability to notice the beauty of existence itself—the way a tiny bird chirps at the window, the fleeting bloom of a flower, or the radiant smile of a child when given a goodbye hug before work.

We have consumed our minds with planning, scheduling, and to-do lists. Our bodies have adapted to the notion that if we are not constantly doing something deemed "productive," then we are wasting time. Productivity, a term we have redefined to mean only external results, has become a relentless corporate world in our heads. When tension rises, we long to halt everything, to take a break, to calm our minds. Yet, even when we find that rare moment to pause—perhaps by falling into our partner’s arms, seeking comfort—we resist. Our bodies, unfamiliar with such vulnerability, wonder: "What is happening? Am I just listening to my heart, which aches to be held and loved?"

We convince ourselves that we have outgrown the need for love, for being held, for the gentle, reassuring touch of a mother’s hand on our back, telling us that everything will be okay. Instead, we wear our roles like armor—spouse, mother, daughter, CEO, leader—each one reinforcing the belief that we must be strong, that we must hold everything together. But in doing so, we deprive ourselves of the fundamental human experience of being nurtured.

It is not that others refuse to give us the warmth and love we seek; rather, we have not allowed ourselves to receive it. Have we told ourselves that we are unworthy? Have we defined ourselves so rigidly—too practical, too ambitious, too emotionally closed-off—that we have cut off our own ability to be loved? Labels imprison us, making us believe that needing comfort is a weakness. But in reality, it is a necessity. Until we achieve true emotional self-sufficiency—and most of us are still searching for that—we must allow ourselves the grace to be held, to be nurtured, to be vulnerable.

When we deny ourselves this experience, we look for it elsewhere. We place expectations on others to fill this void, but they never can—not fully, not in the way we truly need. And when we are left feeling unfulfilled, what then? That is when we must fall into the loving embrace of the Divine.

Too often, we restrict ourselves from receiving love because we believe we do not deserve it. We judge ourselves harshly, carrying past regrets and self-imposed limitations. But love does not judge. Love does not withhold itself based on past actions or current status. Love is ever-present, waiting for us to accept it. And when we do, when we allow ourselves to be held—by a person, by an energy greater than ourselves, by the very essence of life—we radiate self-worth. That self-worth transforms how we interact with the world. We notice the kindness around us. We see the love in our friends, in our family, in small gestures that we previously overlooked. When we embrace love, we attract it in abundance.

So why do we resist? Why do we keep ourselves from experiencing bliss? Why do we deny ourselves the right to be held, to be comforted like a child who simply needs reassurance?

For many, the mother figure they long for may no longer be there. Some may have never known the warmth of a mother’s embrace. But the Divine Feminine, the source of all creation, is always present. She is the universal mother, the infinite nurturer, the cosmic womb that holds all of existence. She whispers to us, telling us that it is okay to let go, that it is okay to release our burdens at Her feet.

Close your eyes. Imagine yourself being held—tightly, warmly, safely. Whether it is by a mother, a mother figure, or the nurturing energy you have always longed for, let yourself receive it. Let yourself be loved. Let yourself be a child once more, if only for a moment. Because everyone deserves to be held.