Embracing Your Sensitivity

Sensitive people long to be understood for their sensitivity. For a long time I never felt understood. I didn't understand why I felt things so deeply. Why, something so small in the sight of others, would be seen as something so huge in my eyes. Why, I saw beyond the surface, things that others couldn't see. For a long time, I lacked in confidence because I felt my sensitivity made me weak and vulnerable. It made me 'moody', sad, melancholic - far too much for other peoples liking. Sometimes, I would hate myself for it. For the tears that would fall from my eyes, again far too much for people's liking. So I kept my sensitivity hidden. It made me feel far from beautiful; it made me different.

That was until I found Islam. Islam helped me understand that, my sensitivity was both a gift and a test from Allah. A gift, because it helped me connect with Allah. I took my ability to feel things deeply and began to deeply try to understand the meaning behind His words. It strengthen my connection with His book. I took my ability to break so quickly as an opportunity to help other broken souls. It strengthened my relationship with His creation. I took my feelings of sadness and turned it into compassion. It helped me be more considerate of others feelings. I took my weak moments and channelled them through way of Du'aa. It strengthen my relationship with Him. Slowly, as I began to understand that this was the way I was, I began to accept who I was. When I began to learn that, every person is unique and Allah created everyone in different shapes, forms and with different personalities, I began to embrace who I was. Embrace my identity, my beliefs about life, it helped me set a vision, a vision whom only a few truly understand. I was also introduced to other sensitive souls, with fragile hearts, and it reminded me, that I'm not alone. There are more people like us.

But the biggest lesson I learnt and continuing to learn from struggling with sensitivity, is to always be you, be beautiful. It is also the reason why I titled my book with this same phrase; it's because, accepting who we are, will remind us that we are beautiful. Maybe not to everyone, but definitely to Allah. We must take our supposedly weak traits and turn them into strengths by allowing them to strengthen our relationship with the Creator and the creation.

They should direct us back to Him. 

It may not even be sensitivity that you struggle with, it may that your struggle with the opposite. You struggle to feel things so deeply. But that's okay. Learning to embrace who you are is the first step, making the necessary changes within that will help you become better, is the second step.

Sensitivity is not a weakness. It's a gift and it's also your test. Learn to use it to better yourself and to honour those around you, to serve His cause and to grow closer to Him, and it can become one of your greatest, most valuable strengths.