All of my life, I've been the sensitive one. I've been creative, artsy, and fine-tuned into the world and people around me. For years, I've beat myself up for being so easily swayed by others' moods or emotions. I never knew how to handle the constant influx of emotion, so I tried to ignore how it makes me feel. I've tried to shut people out of my life because I connect with them too deeply or love them too strongly. I've been berated for feeling too much and now I'm done. I won't apologize for my sensitivity any longer. Being sensitive is a gift in this world where we are petrified by intuition and terrified by affection.

If you're a sensitive person, you find yourself picking up on the particularities and nuances of other people. You can feel the metaphorical temperature of a room as soon as you enter and it changes you. For whatever reason, you understand vibes and immediately know when something is off or wrong just based on a feeling. You are easily and deeply affected both by tragedy and joy. I'm here to tell you that you're not alone.

I'm thankful for my sensitivity because it helps me stay in touch with emotions that other people want to shut down or ignore. I can become engrossed in someone's life. It's an incredible opportunity to understand another person, their bliss and their sorrow, in all of their beautiful complexity. It's an incredible opportunity to provide true friendship, an ear to listen, and a shoulder on which to lean.

I'm glad that I'm so perceptive. It means that I know when to divert a conversation away from this topic or when to pry a little further into someone's story because they're at the point where they need to be gently cajoled into sharing more so that they can heal.

Some may say that I'm touchy or high-strung, but it's what makes me aware. Sometimes, it's hard for me to get over these feelings, but I'm learning that it's all a part of the process. I'm so grateful that I can feel child-like wonder, unbridled enthusiasm, and mind-blowing awe. I'm also glad that I can adopt and comprehend others' rage, despair, or incredible loneliness. Thanks to my sensitivity, I can feel an entire range of emotions and that's a blessing in disguise.

So, I won't apologize for being easily affected. I'm finished with downplaying my perceptions and I will no longer ignore the vibes that I pick up on around others. It's a gift to be able to feel in a world that is hardening, petrifying, and walling-off all signs of emotion and tenderness.

I am not weak, I am compassionate.

I am not broken, I am empathetic.

I am sensitive and I am strong.