Be Not Afraid of Love: Lessons on Fear, Intimacy and Connection

Product Information

Suddenly being perceived, and not only perceived but being projected on, is such an intense experience.

They were projections used to invoke fear in my spirit, and at the same time were reflections of the fear that lived in X’s heart.What follows is a soul-baring look at Zhu’s journey toward healing as a survivor of intimate partner abuse. In sharing their own intimate encounters with oppression, healing, joy, and community, Mimi invites readers to reflect deeply on their own experiences as well, with the intention of acting as a guide to undoing the hurt or uncertainty within them. I know the weight of my words and that they actually do mean a lot to some people, especially survivors of intimate abuse. Maybe it needs some space, but I don't think that relationship can continue if there is no accountability or efforts there or if you've just tried so hard and there's just nothing you can do anymore. Although Zhu has always been “very anti-binary,” they struggled for quite some time to honor the full range of emotions that came up around their tumultuous relationship with X.

The author loosely ties their emotional trajectory to the 10-stage Westberg model of grief and shares how they struggled with numbness, anger, and anxiety before reaching the later stages of “community” and “love. not bad by any means but with these kinds of books it’s ofcourse going to be a very subjective experience and most of the insights here were things i had already come across in other books. The 28-year-old artist and I met at a cafe in Bed-Stuy on a hot summer day to chat ahead of their book release (out via Penguin Random House on Aug. We’re told that men must save women like princes in the fairytales, but then we’re told that women must be empowered and strong and not need saving.

Some days, I try to take it a step further and open the window but every time he buzzes away and disappears out of sight. In Be Not Afraid of Love: Lessons on Fear, Intimacy, and Connection, Chinese-Australian author Mimi Zhu translates the thought-provoking, text-based work they have become known for on Instagram into a book filled with wisdom, imagination, and tips for healing. When we allow ourselves to be complicated, we can heal and be more centered and intentional about our actions moving forward, instead of just pushing a part of us away. it was also reflective in a way that made me think more about the life i live and the one i want to live fully. We cannot see that there are whole and multidimensional beings around us who have experienced heartache, and we become ignorant to the fact that we can be supportive to one another during these painful times.