Why Sensitivity Is a Strength (Not a Weakness)

Headspace Studios. Hi there, it's Dora and you're now listening to Radio Headspace. So not long ago I was back home visiting family after dinner. While we were sitting around catching up, my mom looked at me and said, "You've always been sensitive, you know?" At first I laughed. But then she started sharing memories from my childhood. How as a kid I would pick up on everyone's energy. How I'd get quiet when someone in the room was upset, even if no one said anything. How I used to cry when animals were hurt in cartoons. And suddenly it dawned on me that the sensitivity I've sometimes tried to manage, shrink, or explain away, it's always been a part of me. And maybe it wasn't something to fix, but something to honor. Now, somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that emotions are a problem. That crying means you're weak, that being too sensitive makes you difficult. That emotional people are messy, dramatic, or unstable. But here's the truth, our emotions aren't flaws. They're intelligence. They're not proof something is wrong with us. They're proof that something matters to us. And mindfulness helps us to reconnect with that truth. It teaches us to meet our feelings with curiosity and not shame. To observe without judgment. To offer ourselves compassion, especially when the world tries to tell us we're too much. I used to work really hard to hide my sensitivity, especially in professional settings. There was this unspoken pressure to be calm, composed, and together at all times. And because I am someone who feels deeply, I thought I had to overcompensate. So I would rehearse what I wanted to say before meetings. I'd rehearse how to say it. Tone, posture, expression. Just so I wouldn't seem too emotional or too soft. I convinced myself that being sensitive made me appear unprepared, unprofessional, or fragile. There was one day I remember it clearly when that whole strategy fell apart. I was scheduled to lead a live mindfulness session for a community of educators. And it had been a tough week. I was processing some personal grief, and my heart felt heavy. I barely slept the night before. And as I logged into the virtual session, I stared at my own reflection in the webcam, eyes tired, throat tight, trying to summon this performance of calm I just didn't have in me. And then something inside me said, "You don't have to pretend today." So when the session started, I took a breath and opened with honesty. And I said, "Before we begin, "I just wanna name "that I am moving through a tender space today. "If my energy feels quieter or slower, that's why. "But I'm here and I wanna show up "with you in the most honest way that I can." I remember my heart pounding after that. Part of me was still waiting for the inner critic to yell, "You blew it." But instead, the...