When someone cares, others tend to call them sensitive. Lately, I've been accused of being too sensitive after someone hurt me, and I took those words to heart. I allowed myself to believe, just for a moment, that I was overreacting. That I didn't have a reason to feel hurt.
For just a moment, I told myself that I was too sensitive, but that's not true. Yes, I am sensitive. I have feelings that can be hurt, and sometimes my emotions take over. Sometimes I'm on edge, and small things can push me over. I am sensitive, but that's not a bad thing.
Being sensitive doesn't give other people the right to hurt me, and it certainly doesn't devalue the hurt. Other people don't get to decide what hurts us, and they don't get to tell us that our feelings aren't valid. We are allowed to feel whatever we feel, and sensitivity doesn't take away that right.
So what if I'm sensitive? I care about so many people and things and will stand up for them. I feel things deeply, and that allows me to be empathetic and loving and understanding and comforting. I express my emotions openly because I refuse to let things bottle up inside of me unhealthily until I explode. I get hurt when people insult me because words hurt. Being sensitive allows me to see little things about people and the world around me and appreciate them more.
Being sensitive is a beautiful thing, not an insult that should be used to make us feel bad about ourselves or like we're overreacting. To be sensitive is to be understanding, thoughtful, careful, compassionate and intuitive. These are all qualities I'm proud to have, and I refuse to apologize for them or feel bad about them.
I am sensitive, but I am not too sensitive. I just know my worth and refuse to accept anything less than that.
Next time you want to use this as an insult against me, ask yourself if I'm really overly delicate or if you're just being a jerk.