My friend tagged me in a Facebook post yesterday; the caption read:

“when a slight change in behavior makes you think they don’t like you anymore and you know you’re overreacting but you can’t stop overreacting and you need reassurance every five minutes but you know you’re annoying AF and you fight yourself in your head asking why am I like this.”

And honestly, I haven’t read anything more relatable. LOL.

I’m a sensitive person. I’ve always been. I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve, cried over baby birds, cuddled my stuffed animals, wanted hugs and affirmations, been very in tune with people and their triumphs and suffering.

For the longest time, I thought my sensitivity made me weak.

I was the only one (at least it seemed to me) who was really worrying about things, only one being affected by the world, the only one torn up over a broken relationship, or feeling everything so deeply.

Everyone else seemed to have it together, seemed to carry this inherent strength, seemed to handle the pain and conflict of the world without batting an eye.

And then there was me—a pile of tears.

For the longest time, I hated that I was so sensitive. I tried to push people away, tried to care less, tried to put my guard up and not fall into relationships so deeply (no such luck). But more recently I’ve learned to accept my emotional side.

I’ve learned that being sensitive, having a big heart—those are strengths, not weaknesses.

I wrote about this on my Thought Catalog page yesterday,

“ I am sensitive.
And I am proud of that.

I am proud of the way I write, the way my emotions find their way on the page. I am proud of the way I’m not afraid to be vulnerable in a world that’s scared.

I am proud of the way I care—about family, about strangers, about friends. I am proud of the way I don’t give up on love, even when it doesn’t come easy, even in a world that’s so damn temporary.

I am proud of the way my heart keeps beating, keeps believing, keeps fighting. I am proud of who I am.”

That piece (which you can read HERE) was my affirmation, my self-empowerment, my reminder that it’s okay to feel things, to care, to be ‘too much.’

And if you’re in the same boat, if this is who you are and how you choose to live and love—stop apologizing.

This is the part of you that is irreplaceable, that is unique, that is special and valued. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
 

Featured Image Credit: Joanna Nix

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