And as humans, we've evolved some pretty unhealthy ways of dealing with them.

We may mask our vulnerability beneath other negative emotions like anger and jealousy,

deny it in order to convince ourselves and others that we are okay, or even blame our

problems entirely on external sources.

These walls we built around our weak spots can protect us from being badly hurt, but

the longer we work to hold them up, the more we allow our vulnerabilities to grow within

us, snowballing into something more sinister like feelings of self-hatred, despair and

even apathy, which can leave us prone to depression.

But believe it or not, there are ways to transform vulnerability into something that gives us

strength to go forward instead of holding us back.

Here are three steps to turning vulnerability into a superpower.

One; change your mindset.

That means stop playing the victim.

It's tough love but only when you stop using vulnerability as an excuse to feel sorry for

yourself.

Can you take responsibility for your situation and change it.

Instead of ruminating on your misfortune, move towards the mindset of acceptance.

That means deeply acknowledging a painful situation and your personal role in bringing

it about without allowing these things to define your identity.

Sure, a bad thing may be happening to you now, but it is not characteristic of you.

When you identify your own self harming behavior, you acknowledge that you have the power to

change it, and that's when you start to take control as a superhero rather than a damsel

in distress.

Two; tear down those walls.

Reach out to others and share your story.

When you stop playing the victim, you stop looking to others for consolation, and as

a result, people will feel safer sharing their ideas because they won't feel responsible

for fixing you.

So stop expecting others to swoop in and save you, and instead, use them as a source of inspiration.

You'll find that more people can relate to you than you think.

And once you realize that you're not the only one carrying this burden, you'll fill its

weight lift from your shoulders and a sudden sort of power that allows you to move forward.

That's the moment your vulnerability turns into a superpower.

Three; commits to the new mindset.

You might expect your brand-new superpower to make you positively unstoppable, but think

again.

As any comic book will tell you, even being a superhero requires hard work and maintenance.

Small continuous efforts are required to prevent negative feelings from snowballing again,

especially if you're prone to mental illness.

A good mindfulness routine is the perfect countermeasure.

When you feel that victim mentality creeping up again, try doing some stream-of-consciousness

journaling, gratitude journaling, meditation and track your sleep to ensure you get those

eight hours.

These strategies lead to a heightened awareness of the good things in life that when recognized

on a daily basis can stop you from falling victim to vulnerability.

Hey Psych2Goers, don't forget that you're not alone on your self-improvement journey.

Christine is an up-and-coming freelance blogger, documenting her struggles through life and

the strategies she's learned to get through them.

This video is one of those stories.

Feel free to check out her wordpress site link below, we're sure it will help you fill

us along.

Thanks for watching!