10 Things Only Strong (But Very Sensitive) Women Understand
It's not easy to simultaneously embody both strength and vulnerability.
Polina Tankilevitch | Liza Summer | Pexels / Ranta Images | Getty Images So, here's the deal. Even though we're confident on the outside, women can be really sensitive, too. Though we hide it well, in reality, our tough-as-nails exterior masks the inner turmoil we feel if we lose control of the situation.
If we're being totally honest here, being a strong but secretly sensitive woman is occasionally exhausting. (Awesome, of course, but exhausting.) It's not easy to simultaneously embody both strength and vulnerability. If you're anything like us, you can probably relate to at least a few of these daily internal struggles.
Here are 10 things only strong (but very sensitive) women understand:
1. We will slay you with our tongue but will eventually feel bad
Seriously, our comebacks have blades, but we'll feel awful about it a few days later. Unless you really deserved it, in which case, no remorse is necessary.
2. We can dish it out but it's really hard for us to take it
Does that make us hypocrites? Not intentionally, at least. We might just be a bit too honest for our own good.
3. We act like we do not care at all
Spoiler alert: We care way too much. We actually can't stop caring (maybe to our detriment).
4. We're usually the life of the party
We're also usually the ones crying in the corner at 2 a.m. because, in our inebriated state, we interpreted an off-hand comment the wrong way.
5. We're extremely competent but we take criticism way too personally
This is true in relationships, in friendships, at work, and in life. Even constructive criticism can send us into an internal tailspin.
6. That being said, we'll never let you know that we took it personally
Because, duh, we're strong. Wouldn't want to show any weakness or vulnerability.
7. We'll keep it together in public
But privately, when nobody's looking, we'll have the sob to end all sobs to get it all out of our system in secret.
8. We like ourselves, but we also like validation
We'll take it from bosses, from men, from the Internet. But, make no mistake, we'll get our fill of validation in an innocent, non-obvious way so it doesn't come across as desperate.
9. The highs are high and the lows are low
When we're strong, we're insanely strong and can handle anything thrown our way. But when we're sensitive, we're really, really sensitive. Some might even call us touchy.
10. We feel a lot of things but the good news is that we can handle it
And we've come to love both of our strong and sensitive sides equally. Because they make us who we are, and we wouldn't want to give up either.
Alex Alexander is a pseudonym. The author of this article is known to YourTango but is choosing to remain anonymous.