We all want to cut out the bad parts of ourselves. It won’t work, and it won’t make us happier

Trauma, vulnerability, dependency … like it or not, we can’t just wish them away
When I was a little girl, I cried a lot. I used to wish ferociously that I was not such a crybaby. I remember the shame so well. Sitting on my bed on a Sunday evening, hot-cheeked and furious with my tears, holding on to the thought that when I was a grownup, I would never cry. I would be a strong, confident and capable woman, and I would never again feel like a sobbing little girl who doesn’t wan