I have long loathed my sensitivity.
It's always felt like this incurable disease that pops up at the most inopportune times. I've spent a lot of money and done a lot of questionable things to try to numb myself, and reduce my sensitivity towards the world. Because sometimes, having a sensitive soul can feel like a liability in this insensitive, chaotic world.
This world doesn't care about your feelings. It doesn't care about your gentle heart. It's neither concerned with compassion, nor emotional intelligence. But although this world may be cruel to the sensitive, there's a place for us. Here are seven reasons why sensitive people are bolder than you think:
1. You bring compassion and empathy to the world.
In any situation, you're faced with a choice: to add or subtract love in the world.
Sensitive people know what it's like to be deeply affected by their surroundings, so compassion practically oozes out of them. This is important: Empathy may not win you awards or bring about unimaginable wealth, but it is its own currency—the currency of human connection.
2. You let others know they're not alone.
Keeping your own heart open enough to help others, takes an emotional courage that many don't have.
It’s not easy being the first to share your story. Sensitive people know the importance of opening a conversation, and saying, “This is who I am, and you are not alone.” To so vulnerably share parts of yourself with others in the hopes of creating a connection, and to tell others they're not floating along in life alone, are perhaps some of the greatest gifts a sensitive person can give.
3. You're stronger than people think.
Sensitivity is generally misunderstood as being weak.
In reality, it’s wildly courageous—to face the world without protection, without defenses, without impenetrable walls. To be unguarded in such a harsh world is an act of bravery that requires more strength than sensitive people get credit for. It often takes everything a person has to not crumble, or get swallowed up by numbness, apathy, pessimism, and anger.
4. You're capable of making genuine connections with others.
Let’s face it: Most people are selfish, and care only about themselves.
But sensitive people also care about the world at large. They want to forge genuine connections with others, and develop deep bonds. They're not satisfied with superficial relationships built on superficial qualities; instead, they yearn to connect in ways that are both important and honest.
5. You're honest with yourself.
6. You're the first to lend an ear.
Sensitive people will be the first to arrive on the scene of a sticky or difficult emotional situation.
They will listen attentively, offer advice, and be on call for the types of conversations that most people would avoid. In a world that's full of self-involved people, they work to counteract this selfishness by opening themselves up fully.
7. You never let circumstances harden you.
No matter what the world throws at sensitive people, they refuse to let life's circumstances harden them.
They are relentlessly committed to keeping their hearts open—even when it seems impossible to do so. They'll endure all manner of emotional torture just to prevent the world from swallowing them up. They understand that the flip side of sensitivity and softness towards the bad is sensitivity and softness towards the good.
If darkness is felt deeply, then lightness is felt just as deeply. If sadness is profound, then joy must also be profound. Shutting off one part shuts down the whole machine. While sensitivity often feels like an impossible burden to carry, when things are good, they're very good—and that makes it all worth it.
