This week at I Am Here, we’re asking: Why do we call authenticity the highest frequency of human emotion?
- What does it really mean to be authentic, rather than just agreeable?
- Why do so many of us learn to override our own feelings before we can even name them?
- How can we get better at hearing our own voice over everyone else’s?
We spend a lot of our lives responding to what feels expected of us, rather than what we actually feel. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many of us learn to override our own signals to keep the peace, fit in, or avoid disappointing someone.
This week, we’re exploring authenticity: what it costs us to hide our real feelings, and what we gain when we listen to ourselves more closely.
What Are We Watching This Week?
This week, we’re watching You’ve been ignoring your real self, a conversation between Davina McCall and philosopher Alain de Botton.
De Botton explores why so many of us lose touch with what we actually feel. Starting in childhood, we learn to override our own reactions to match what the people around us expect.
He describes self-understanding as more akin to archaeology than sudden discovery: small, quiet moments of interest and energy that we need to notice and piece together over time, rather than one dramatic realisation about who we are.
Watch the video here (4-minute watch)
What Are We Reading This Week?
This week, we’re reading Authenticity: the highest frequency of human emotion, by Nadine H.
The piece explores an idea gaining attention in wellbeing circles: living authentically, rather than performing a version of ourselves, might matter more to our wellbeing than we realise.
It draws on Brené Brown’s writing on vulnerability, including her description of authenticity as “the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be.”
Brown’s research links authenticity to better mental health, higher self-esteem, and more fulfilling relationships.
This is a personal reflection rather than a scientific study. It still offers a useful lens on why authenticity matters so much to us, allowing for deeper connections with others, fostering a true sense of belonging and understanding.
Read the article here (4-minute read)
Who Are We Quoting This Week?
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
– Joseph Campbell
Campbell’s words are a good closing thought for this week. Authenticity isn’t a one-off performance we get right once. It’s a lifetime of small, honest choices about who we actually are.
At I Am Here, we see this as part of Acceptance: accepting ourselves, rather than the version we’ve learned to perform. Trust in ourselves is built slowly, one honest moment at a time.