All my life, I have always been the girl who is told I am too sensitive. I get asked, “Why can’t you just relax?” People, even my close friends, get frustrated because small comments hurt my feelings or I get “overly angry” when I feel like I have been wronged. It is the way I have always been and I have slowly learned to be proud of it rather than ashamed.

If my feelings are hurt, I can’t let it go. Most people will hear comments about themselves and brush it off, but I can’t get the words out of my head. I will isolate myself and hold grudges because it’s impossible for me to just ignore someone else’s words.

Yes, my feelings get hurt easily. Yes, I overthink about everything. However, that doesn’t mean the way I think and feel should be invalidated.

Recently, a girl in one of my classes has been making rude comments directed to me that are completely unnecessary. I have sat in class silent, fighting back tears, because this girl makes me so uncomfortable. I’m not someone who can put on this hard shell and not care about her words. Her comments are snarky and not needed—I spend the rest of my time in that class feeling unwelcomed.

I don’t want to have to stay silent because I am afraid that my feelings are not important. Going through life without expressing yourself is no way to live. If I have a voice, why should I be put down for saying what hurt me?

I don’t want to just relax because that is not who I am. And I believe that everyone should have a safe space to be and feel exactly who they are. I look at my sensitivity not as a bad trait, like most usually label on me, but as compassion. I am sensitive, but I also care about everyone more than I can even describe. My heart aches for people I’ve never met because I know that there are so many going through pain that I can’t imagine. I care too much and while I end up being upset sometimes, I’ve also learned to care about others.

I offer kind words to the people around me because I don’t know anything they are going through or if they have been treated poorly by someone else. Seeing someone I don’t even know upset, makes me want to reach out and help. Everyone gets upset, and whether one person believes it’s valid or not does not make it any less important to me. There is a reason we all feel the way we do—even if we do not agree.

I truly believe that my sensitivity is just one trait that makes me who I am—in a good way. It has pushed me to stand up for myself (while I’m still working on this one I am getting better). It has allowed me to see new perspectives and gain an understanding for how my words might make someone else feel.

For those who are less sensitive than me, that is okay too. Again, how and what you feel does not make you any less deserving of care. However, for those who think I am “one of those who gets offended too easily,” I hope that one day you find compassion for those around you. Those of us who have been classified as overly sensitive care about how others view our character and personality.

I am not asking for everyone to tip toe around me. All I am asking is for the negative label to be taken off. Just because I get upset more than someone else, doesn’t mean I’m weak.

I have a metaphor that runs through all of my personal essays where I describe myself as having a suit of armor. I believe it is possible to be sensitive and to still carry around my suit of armor. I have strength because of the things I have encountered in life and I don’t want to be afraid of looking weak because of my feelings.

For the one who has been labeled as too sensitive like I have, you are just as strong, brave, and important as everyone else. The way you feel does not break who you are—it makes you into something beautiful.