I have always beat myself up for allowing other people to control my emotions. I have never learned how to deal with words of hatred, so I am constantly attempting to ignore how it really makes me feel. The truth is, I can allow one destructive sentence to ruin my entire day. I can let one person consume my thoughts for days. Unfortunately, it can make me feel so down on myself that it slowly convinces me to actually believe these harmful words.

Now, I am not saying you should shut down in response to every negative statement someone throws at you or lay in bed all day because of a mean girl who just won't leave you alone with hateful comments. But, that's

not what being sensitive is. Being sensitive means that you know it's okay to show emotion and it's okay to tell people how you feel. I can acknowledge this about myself, but why does society make us think of it as a bad thing? There are so many worse things I can think of being called, but being sensitive should not be a synonym for broken, naive, or weak.

Considering I am this way, I have been labeled as being over-dramatic, a cry baby, or just too emotional. I have begun to grow tired of being stuck with these negative stigmas that are connected with being a sensitive person. But, over time, I no longer consider sensitivity to be my weakness. I believe my "emotional" side and having a sensitive heart is one of the many positive traits that I have and here's why:

It doesn't make me broken, it makes me empathetic.

Of course not everyone thinks of being sensitive as a "good" thing, but because I show emotions obviously more than those around me, it doesn’t mean I'm "broken" or an emotional wreck. It means I am a real person, with real emotions and I show these emotions. If it's more than you, so what? Because I am aware of my real emotions, I am able to relate to other's real emotions too and make sure they don't feel left out for feeling this way.

It doesn't make me naive, it makes me understanding.

I understand when someone is going through something tough in their life, as we all do. When this happens, it can really bring out the worst in us. We can say hurtful things that we can't take back, but when we do so, apologize. I do not condone allowing anyone to walk all over you. I just know that I see the good in people, so I try to give them the benefit of doubt when they make mistakes. We're all human.

It doesn't make me weak, it makes me compassionate.

I am able to put myself in someone else's shoes and try to understand how they are feeling because of a certain situation. This allows me to try to keep in mind someone's feelings before I say something that might cause them pain. I'm by no means saying that I have never said something hurtful, because I have and I'm not proud of it. But, I have learned from my mistakes. I know how bad words can hurt and strongly impact me, so I will try my best not to use them.

So, no, I don't think I am "over-reacting" or taking everything personally.

I will not apologize for being a sensitive person. It's who I am and it's not something I am ashamed of.