Fragile vs Sensitive

The difference between fragile and sensitive is something that has been coming up for me with clients lately, so I thought it might be a good idea to discuss here as well.

I think often in our culture we equate sensitivity with fragility, but this is not necessarily true.

People who are sensitive often feel things deeply, so their reactions might be more intense or bigger than others. This does not mean that they cannot handle those emotions, it is often those around them who struggle to handle their emotional expression.

Juste because they feel deeply and have a big reaction doesn’t mean they are fragile and incapable of handling the big emotions. Sometimes this is a misinterpretation from those around them and their own discomfort.

Fragile suggests that the person is easily breakable and people will point to the big emotions as evidence of harm, when in fact it is simply evidence of deep feeling.