by Anitra Lahiri, RYT-500
You sense the vibe in a room as soon as you enter, you pick up the emotional nuances of others before a micro-shift even begins, you are enveloped in empathy when you see or hear of suffering. And sometimes — oftentimes — it hurts like hell.
We’ve been taught that our heightened sensitivity to suffering is a weakness, that our propensity for intensity is inappropriate. Our relatives, teachers, and acquaintances told us again and again through covert stares and overt statements that we were not normal and needed to change. You are too sensitive, they said. You are too emotional, they hinted.
As I’ve said before, and will say a thousand times over: They. Were. Wrong. And now is the time to flip the script society wrote for you.
Not only is nothing wrong with you, sensitive soul, but on the contrary: You are an indispensable feeling and sensing gem in a terrain of callous indifference.
Your sensitivity is a rare gift — one that humanity desperately needs. It is people like you who house refugees, speak out against enslavement, protect instead of perpetrate, initiate social change, offer compassion to those in pain, heal instead of judge.
And though it can be exhausting <especially if you neglect to honor your needs first>, embrace this most precious aspect of who you are. Cherish that you could never be OK following the herd. Welcome the pangs of pain that arise when you hear about suffering.
Recognize that it is people like you who thrust humanity forward in the face of microaggressions, transgressions, atrocities, and genocides.
Your sensitivity is society’s sweet balm, the precise soothing salve we need in order to evolve.
Keep. Going.
Anitra Lahiri is a dedicated online yoga studio owner and self-love advocate, guiding individuals on their journey to healing and recovery.
Anitra Lahiri 