Body + Mind is reader-supported. We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through some of the links on our site.
The world we live in values qualities like bravery, strength and perseverance. Often, those values come along with the myth that strength can’t exist alongside softness, sensitivity and vulnerability. However, that’s exactly what it is — a myth.
The word “sensitivity” is often used as a synonym for weakness, but that’s so far from the truth. Some people might not want to believe it, but sensitivity is a serious blessing. Sensitivity doesn’t mean crying at the drop of a hat or being unable to take criticism. Sensitivity is openness, perceptiveness and a greater capacity for empathy.
As a sensitive person — or any person at all — you should never have to change who you are or try to be someone you’re not to please others. It’s time to own your sensitivity and realize it’s part of what makes you the amazing person you are.
One of the beauties of sensitivity is the ability to feel the high highs and the low lows of life deeply and fully. As a sensitive person, you experience your emotions on an intense, personal level that helps you show up to life with a greater understanding and a wider range of experiences.
Being sensitive makes you open to all kinds of emotional experiences, and therefore you go through life with access to even more beauty and euphoria. Yes, the sadness can be hard on the heart, but that sadness can also help you appreciate the great things in life even more.
Emotions are meant to be felt and processed, and when you open up to your sensitivity and allow yourself to embrace those experiences, you’ll reach new places you never have before.
Sensitivity doesn’t always come in the form of your own personal life experiences. Often, sensitive people feel other people’s emotions deeply and relate to their experiences on an intimate level.
While sometimes this can be exhausting — which is why it’s important to protect yourself and practice self care — it can also allow you to feel more connected to the people in your life. Your sensitivity is an opportunity to be a better friend, family member or partner by offering companionship and solidarity.
Empathy applies to positive emotions, too! When you’re around people who are happy and thriving, you can pick up on that and benefit from the positive vibrations all around you like a sponge soaking up happiness.
Empathy isn’t always easy, but it can often be a wonderful opportunity to find deeper connections.
Sensitive people are highly perceptive, which means they have a heightened skill for understanding situations and people around them. If you’re sensitive, you probably never have to be asked to “read the room” because you already do it naturally.
Being sensitive allows you to pick up on subtle details in conversations, moods and interactions that may fly right past other people. You can tell when someone is angry, upset or keeping a secret just by being in their presence because that’s part of sensitivity — understanding people and feeling the nuances in life that surround them.
Sensitivity is often defined by a reaction to little things. In the context of many conversations, this is viewed as a negative trait, implying that reacting to little things means you cry or get angry easily. What about the little things that bring joy?
Being sensitive allows you to experience the little boost of happiness when a stranger smiles at you or ride the high of a good deed all day long. You can fully envelop yourself in the beauty of seeing a lovely flower or wrap yourself in the coziness of a rainy day. You can soak up the goodness of the little things in life, and experience them for all they’re worth.
Sensitivity isn’t a bad thing — it’s a blessing in so many ways. Even if society doesn’t always value sensitivity the way it should, you can feel secure knowing that sensitivity is powerful. Finding openness and beauty in vulnerability is one of life’s greatest joys, and you can go out and live it.
