Dear Emotional Warriors,

You may laugh at my collective title for you all, but it seems to be the only title that really fits. You truly are the emotional warriors of this generation. You're the people who have more compassion in your fingertip than some people have in their entire body, the people who feel and experience emotion so intensely and overwhelmingly that it's almost like an out-of-body experience and you don't fully know how to begin processing it all.

You are the people who feel things almost too deeply--and I feel your pain. Literally.

I get it. Being compassionate and feeling things in such an intense way can really suck sometimes. It overtakes you in a way and you don't always feel in control. There are times when you don't want to feel empathetic and where you don't want to put yourself in the other person's shoes... but you just can't help it.

When people are in pain, that pain radiates through you and aches in your soul and your spirit. When people are angry, that anger rolls through you like a fiery tide of lava. When people are joyful, your heart bursts in the best way possible. You see people's emotions--some of the most vulnerable things we have as human beings--and you look to know them, to understand the meaning behind them, and to feel them because you care more about what's underneath the surface then what you see on the top.

You're the people who probably give too many second chances. Who trust a little too easily and keep on forgiving even when you feel like you can't forgive or trust anymore. You're the people who, let's be honest, people tend to walk all over because they assume that you'll always be there, ready to listen and ready to empathize, just like you were the first time.

The world will tell you that feeling things too deeply is a sin of some sort. They will make you think that feeling with such intensity isn't "cool". And it may not be cool, and it most certainly isn't normal.

But let me tell you this, my emotional warriors: being empathetic and compassionate may be hard and frustrating and may want to make you pull your hair out at times, but in the end, it is quite possibly one of the biggest blessings you may ever receive.

So many people in this world work simply to respond--very rarely do you find someone who will sit down and work to listen and understand. Who will hear you and feel you and will genuinely want to know what you're going through and how they can help.

And you know what? You are that rare someone.

So be compassionate. Be empathetic. Be kind. Cross oceans for people when others will only cross puddles. But at the same time, be vigilant. Know when your purpose has been served and when to step back, recharge, and breathe... because feeling things deeply is exhausting and like all blessings, it is something that needs to be used with wisdom and thoughtfulness.

Carry on, my emotional warriors.

Sincerely,

One of You