A rough exterior or even a part of you that is impenetrable serves a clear function: to keep you safe. It also perpetuates the story that you alone are responsible for carrying everything. And when you are hyper focused on maintaining that narrative, it is easy to overlook all the things and people that are on your side.
But before you can see the ways you are supported, it is essential to acknowledge the level of pain you have been carrying. Because that’s what has thrown up the wall and built such a strong exterior. Just because the rough exterior is adaptive, doesn’t mean it’s necessary.
Casts aren’t intended to be forever fixes. They provide a supportive barrier while something that is broken can heal. That’s how to look at rough exteriors too. Capable of supporting us while we’re healing, but not a state to stay in for forever.