In the beginning...

Ahh the first post.. I guess I should begin with how it all began.

I remember vividly as a child crying, because someone had hurt my feelings. I felt what I had labeled as sad. Then, I heard the words that would jump start my interest in human behavior: "Trinka stop crying. You're just too sensitive." I was 10 years old.

From that moment on whenever I expressed emotion in any form, I was told I was sensitive, not only by my parents, but soon the family as a whole labeled me as "too sensitive." Since these were the people that loved me, then obviously they knew best--right? I started not to trust myself, since my perceived feelings were so incongruent with how my environment interpreted them. Defeated, I began to rely on others to define my emotions or I just didn't express anything at all. I succumbed to the status quo--just smile, just laugh or just ignore. Even at 10 years of age, I knew this was not right, but I was outnumbered.

As I grew, I retreated and became fascinated by human behavior. I was quiet and observant. I studied people's body movements, facial expressions and intently listened to the words of conversations. (eavesdropping--I know that's what you're thinking.) I was rapidly learning that a lot of times not all three matched.

So, I discovered psychology and went off to college to find answers to key questions for me:
1. Why do people do what they do?
2. What gives someone the right to define someone else's experience?
3. What determines emotional maturity?
4. Lastly, am I really sensitive because I express different emotions? :-)

Well that was almost 20 years ago and life has given me many different perspectives on the answers to those questions. As a result, many more questions formed. However, there is only one answer to am I too sensitive because I express myself. It is unequivocally no!
As my Mother eventually learned and shared with me, "If God didn't want us to express different emotions, He wouldn't have given them to us!" lol

I welcome your thoughts.
Trinka