Let's make one thing clear: Yes, there are some women in this world who are actually crazy, but there are also some men in this world who are as well. I am also aware that women can say some ego deflating things about men, and men are not the only ones in the wrong. However, we are ignoring those exceptions for the sake of this article. We are going to focus on the false generalization that all women are crazy just because we are, usually, more emotional than men.
Men, there is nothing wrong with a woman being in touch with and expressing her emotions. However, there is something wrong with making a woman feel like she isn't allowed to because she's scared she'll seem crazy. You want to know a little secret? We worry so much because we've been hurt...men. We overanalyze because we've been told we aren't good enough, by men. And we are forced to keep our mouths shut because time and time again we've been told that we're just crazy, by men.
Women: Just because men refuse to take the time to understand our side does not mean they should be allowed to use our sanity as a scapegoat for their laziness. Unfortunately, a lot of males my age are too prideful to ever be at fault, so they blame women's emotions instead.
Right now, we feel like we're subjected to men's feelings. We can only express our problems when they want us to. And I'm sorry, but I refuse to live the lifestyle of a woman in the 1900s. This is 2016, and I am allowed to feel feelings and I am allowed to express those feelings.
However, I understand that there are some men out there who don't take the easy way out and run away just because they get scared of how women think, and I applaud them for trying to understand us. I am in no way trying to put the entire blame on men because I am aware women can be at fault as well, but, in my experiences, I know that I too often feel like I am going to implode because I have to silence my concerns in order to "keep a guy around."
If you know me, you know I tend to overthink everything, especially when it comes to males. That's because I have been hurt. I have been used. I have been discarded. I worry day in and day out that I am not good enough. But I don't blame men for me being this way. I blame myself for allowing a man make me feel this way.
However, I believe that if men could take a step back and recognize the damage they are doing to women by demoting us, they might begin to understand our side. Just as you, men, are entitled to your stubbornness and pride, we are entitled to our overanalyzing and worry. We are both equally responsible for the success or failure of a relationship. It is not one sided.
It's an unfortunate fact that many men scare off easily, and if we don't tread lightly on their meticulously placed eggshells we could lose them. But I am done treading lightly. I am exhausted from always worrying if it's OK to bring up a concern or an issue that upsets me because I'm afraid of how I will be misinterpreted. And I know I am not the only woman who feels this way.
I will no longer apologize for how I feel because it isn't something I should be sorry for. I take pride in the fact that I am in touch with my emotions and so should all women. It is a gift that strengthens us. And if men would stop dismissing us as insane just because we worry, they might realize we're not actually crazy. We're human.
"Never apologize for how you feel. No one can control how they feel. The sun doesn't apologize for being the sun. The rain doesn't say sorry for falling. Feelings just are." Iain S. Thomas.
