As gay men, many of us have had to repress our authentic selves and hide our emotions because of negativity we may have experienced growing up differently. Among the myriad of issues this can cause, some of us may not trust acts of kindness from others.In this episode, we’re discussing why we may be guarded when it comes to receiving acts of kindness, the struggles this can cause when forming a romantic relationship, and how we can ultimately learn to begin accepting kindness.Additional Resources:Trauma Makes Us Shun Kindness When We Need It Most05. Interpersonal Vulnerability: Overcoming the Fear of Rejection Why Do So Many People Respond Negatively to Being Loved?5 Reasons Why Receiving Is Harder Than GivingHow to Understand and Overcome Help-Rejecting BehaviorFears of Compassion: Development of Three Self-Report Measures11. Overcoming Internalized Homophobia30 Ways to Deal with Internalized Homophobia for LGBTQ PeopleBe Kind to YourselfThe Importance of Accepting ComplimentsHow to Accept KindnessHow I Learned to Accept Kindness — Because that Doesn’t Make Me SelfishSupport the show