Why Are We Afraid to be Vulnerable?

I haven't been sure how to ask this question for a long time. It's a question that has plagued me in the classroom, and on my commute home, I would wonder if I was wrong to be genuine with my students or if I should have been more honest with them. I was never sure how to deal with the question of how much I could reveal to my students, or how much I could help them based on my own personal experience. To be honest, I'm still not sure! But in my teaching experience and in conversation with my fellow teachers and peers, a constant question has run through my mind: Why are we afraid of being vulnerable with our students? 

I am incredibly open with my peers about my various mental health issues, and I do so with the mentality that perhaps my story will help someone. Of course, I don't open with, "Hi, I'm Michiah, I have clinical anxiety, nice to meet you!" But at the same time, if one of my peers wants to know how they can cope with having a panic attack, I have no qualms about delving into my personal experience dealing with my own attacks in order to help them. 

In contrast, allow me to share a story from one of my experiences at a school I worked at. One of my students had to leave class due to a sudden panic attack. I waited awhile for her to calm down, went and got my coffee from the staff room, and then walked over to her and helped her with breathing techniques. However, I never informed her that I knew she would be okay since I knew what she was going through. While I was able to help her, what if she wasn't helped by my breathing exercises? What if she needed to know from my personal experiences that she was going to be okay? Would my fear of being vulnerable have been a hindrance with my students in this vein? 

As another example, I had another student in another class that struggled with severe depression and more than once I found myself having to take her to the counselor. But I found myself wondering: Would she have benefited from talking to me about what she was going through? If I had allowed myself to be vulnerable, could I have helped her more? 

So, this leads to my question: Are we afraid to be vulnerable with our students? Or should we be cautious in how much we share? On one hand, I want my students to realize that I am a person they can talk to and who they can trust, and I am aware that sharing cultivates trust. On the other hand, however, is it too much information to share with my students about the real-life struggles that I do face? Is there a way I can balance talking to my students about their personal struggles and being vulnerable with them, while at the same time maintaining my role as a leader and role model? 

These are some questions that have really weighed on my mind lately, and I would appreciate any input that is given. Thank you so much for your time in reading this post, and thank you in advance for any feedback.