BEING SENSITIVE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

I'm learning that being sensitive is a double-edged sword.

On one end, I see sensitivity as a gift. Sometimes it's a really beautiful thing that allows me to be extremely observant, empathetic, and understanding. But on the other end, being sensitive can feel really draining. I take things too personally, feel things too deeply, take on the energies around me (the good and the bad), and I quickly feel overwhelmed.

Describing myself as sensitive is usually a word I try to steer away from because I'm embarrassed by it. But why?? I think it's because many people view being sensitive as being "irrationally over-emotional." But I'm now learning that is far from the truth.

Something that has allowed me to shift my perspective and see my sensitivity in a more luminous and exciting light is a quote from Glennon Doyle.

"The opposite of sensitive is not brave. It's not brave to refuse to pay attention, to refuse to notice, to refuse to feel and know and imagine. The opposite of sensitive is insensitive, and that's no badge of honor."

When I first came across this quote in her book Untamed, I think I read it over 100 times. This quote has so much weight to it. It felt so heavy to the point that I couldn't muscle turning the page to move on from it. The truth of it hit me hard in the best way possible.

Sensitivity is brave. It's strength. It's a superpower, and it's a gift. Yes, it will still drain me from time to time, but it might just be worth it. It's not embarrassing to be sensitive, it's something to be proud of, and I'd rather be sensitive over insensitive any day of my life.