print by AmandaRaeK on etsy
Showing Kindness to Your Shy Sensitive Soul
If you’re shy and sensitive, as I am, you likely beat your sweet self up quite a bit. In many ways you’re probably harsher with yourself than you are with anyone else.
You may hold resentment for how easily you bruise, how tender your emotions are, how cut wide open you can be.
You wonder why you’re not stronger, why you’re so afraid of judgement, why you’re not always able to speak clearly when you want to, when you need to.
And so you get angry with yourself. You get sad about who you are. You grow a grudge, against yourself. And you envy others who so easily live their lives out loud.
Before you know it, you’re brewing a pot of self-negativity and no one’s bruising you up more than You.
It’s so easy to fall into this pattern. Shyness and sensitivity can deeply impact your life and not always in the best of ways.
It took me a long time to learn the serene beauty and strength these qualities actually embody. We are taught to only see them as weaknesses but those teachings are shortsighted.
The shy and sensitive have so many amazing gifts. We are kindness foragers, perception savants, acute aura readers, intensely loving listeners, sweet community nourishers, deeply pensive theorizers, future betterment seekers, mystery and allure embodiers, deep conversation thrivers, soulful articulate scribers, loyal hard working dedicators, fiercely protective caregivers, compassion manifestors, and so much more.
The worst thing you can do to your shy sensitive soul is to be your own worst enemy. What you resist persists and what you focus on expands. Resisting who you are only fosters the very negative emotions that hold you back. Focus on all the glory within your soul instead and your most powerful self will rise up to meet the world. Instead of trying to “overcome” or “get over” the essence of who you are, let your essence be your friendly guide.
Your shyness and sensitivity teach you about the depths of life, love and emotions. Use that insight to teach others. Don’t deny the world your truths because within your truths your genius lies. Try to pretend to be someone you’re not and you lose all of the magic that makes you you.
Forgive yourself for all that’s in your past, forgive others too. Accept everything as it is today and you’ll take your strongest steps forward. Hold on too tightly to the past and to your perceived weaknesses and your steps will be weaker and strained. So will your voice.
Change your perception to illuminate your strengths. Embrace who you are and you’ll transform your perceived emotional roadblocks into the beautiful highway you thrive upon.
So be kind to your shy sensitive self because who you are is so beautiful. Let your sensitivity be the light that shines into the depth of your soul. Embrace the essence of who you are and you’ll give your gifts to the world more freely and advance the very purpose of your beautiful being.
 | Liz Longacre is the founder of Gentle Living. Gentle Living embraces all aspects of living a gentle but powerful life. From self-love and acceptance, to animal welfare, to travel, to home decor, to a shy girl’s manifesto, to an animal friendly travel department, it’s all gentle; not weak, just gentle. Join us. |
22 comments:
I am happy I stumbled upon your site. Kindness towards myself is something I struggle with.
Thank you so much for this post. It's taken me a long time to see my sensitivity, shyness, and gentleness as strengths... but they are, even though I sometimes forget!
Absolutely beautiful, Liz. Thank you! I am one of the shy ones, too, and while it hasn't always been easy, I have learned to love this part of me. It's a beautiful gift to have been given.
This is so powerful: Let your sensitivity be the light that shines into the depth of your soul.
Yes! Let's all do that.Sending you love.
YES! I hated my shyness for so long, the quiet part of me, the part that wanted to sit and listen while everyone else spoke.
I'm learning balance now, to shelter my softness, but also to give myself voice--to realize that I deserve to be heard, too, in my own gentle way.
Only the past year or so have I discovered that my shyness, that quiet, the need for stillness is an integral part of how I see the world . . . how I can help the world. I thought it was something I needed to change--a shortcoming--but perhaps it's that very gentleness that lets me see and speak with love.
Thank you for this beautiful post.
Oh. My. Gosh. I loved this. Thanks a lot. I've always been a shy and sensitive person. I've learned to concentrate on what makes me 'me' instead of being a Negative Nancy all of the time,too.
Hey Jen, know that you're not alone. Sending you love!
Hi Gin, I think everyone forgets their strengths sometimes. I'm glad you can recognize and remind yourself of yours!
Jodi! I had feeling we had a lot in common :) Thank you for reading & leaving such a nice comment. So nice that you also see this as a gift. Sending you tons of love.
Amanda, you just described how I feel now and how I've felt in the past to a tee. Thank you for such beautiful genuine words.
Hey Charlotte, so glad you liked it!
Beautifully said, Liz. I am an introvert, shy around new people, and sensitive. I didn't feel like "introvert" was a good label at first. Once I realized that all it means is that I need quiet times to recharge, it made perfect sense, My shyness comes out around new people and I tend to sit back and observe. It used to bother me.....I wanted to be the life of the party. And I tried to be for a long time. I've accepted my shyness and no longer try to force myself out of it. And with my sensitivity, I've had to toughen up a bit, as far as taking things personally. I've grown leaps and bounds as far as self-acceptance goes. It's soooo much easier to go with the flow!
I am in tears. amazing.
I was immediately drawn to the title of this post (shy and sensitive? Yep, that's me!), and I found myself nodding along to everything you wrote.
I've often seen shyness as a burden in the past, but I love the way you describe it as a gift. I only recently found out that the word 'introvert' refers to someone who derives their energy from time spent alone or in small groups, and that changed my entire perspective on myself. I'm no longer ashamed to call myself an introvert, shy, quiet. I'm no longer under the illusion that shyness is an affliction. Rather, I'm happy not to be the life and soul, and I'm proud of who I am.
Great post. As a shy and senstive person, I always felt uncomfortable in my own skin, as if I was wired wrong in some way. This resulted in me trying to change myself, which ultimately made me very unhappy. I now accept who I am (after many years) and focus solely on the positive. Forget the negative messages we're fed every day and listen to your heart and soul. Introverts contribute something very valuable to the world.
such a beautiful post.
So glad you liked it Charlotte!
Hey Claire, it's so great when you finally realize you don't have to be someone you're not. It's like a huge sigh of relief. I also have to work hard on not taking things too personally, definitely one of the tougher aspects of sensitivity. So glad you've found such a great sense of self-acceptance.
Rebecca, your words are beautiful, thank you for sharing this! When I discovered that's what introverted meant it changed my entire perspective as well, and finally helped me make sense of me :)
Thanks Dlangdon. All shy & sensitive people seem to grow up feeling this way, it's so unfortunate. One day the world will send children/teenagers better messages...
thank you.
thank you.
WOW
This post is so beautiful. I am that shy girl and yet I have spent so long trying not to be. You have given me so much to think about.
Thank you so much xx
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