I used to think “I hate being depressed, anxious or worried.  Why should I want to share my weakness with others?  It would be like sharing my dirty laundry.” 

Nowadays I think “When I feel depressed, anxious or worried, I know that if I share my feelings on paper or with a trusted friend I can get better sooner.” 

One poet looks at the process from a different perspective: 

If I Had Known

If I had known what trouble you were bearing;

What griefs were in the silence of your face,

I would have been more gentle, and more caring,

And tried to give you gladness for a space.

I would have brought more warmth into the place,

If I had known…

Mary Carolyn Davies

Today I was worried about a loved one.  In the past I would have spent much of my day worrying and imagining how his troubles would effect me negatively.  Today I called my friend Darla.  I shared my worries with her and then we prayed together over the phone.  I felt so much better.  

Sharing our weakness can bring comfort, strength, and insight.  It can bless both of us with understanding and healing.

Oliver Wendall Holmes said it well when he penned, “trouble makes us one with every human being in the world.”