Reclaim Reflections: A Letter to Sensitive Souls
The thing about being a sensitive person in this world is it’s so easy to get swept away by the collective hurt. Every day brings a new set of breaking news. Every hour brings a new heartache. Every moment, someone, somewhere is hurting. And what are we supposed to do? Go on with our lives like nothing is happening. Like the world isn’t on fire, like the pain and suffering of the collective isn’t screaming and begging to be heard. And I am noticing more and more people on the edge of completely burning out. Not for lack of wanting to make a difference, not for having lost the love of their work, but from the confines of the damn system we are “supposed” to be operating within.
I am seeing the helping professionals being asked to hold too much, often being the only outlet people have for expressing their pain. Holding so much collective pain and doing so while being told by insurance companies they will not be compensated for their work and if they are compensated, it is an embarrassingly small amount. Who is helping the helpers? When the helpers burn out, when the mothers of this world are not taken care of…goddesses, help us all.
We are seeing the breakdown of greed, unchecked power, and so much violence. And all I want to do is hold my babies. My heart feels so heavy. I so wish I could find something positive to say. But, that’s not the reality of where my heart is and that’s not the reality of where our collective is.
So yes, it’s ok to say you’re not ok. Acknowledging the pain, being with it, not bypassing it, but allowing it to be there, have a voice, express, and move. And maybe it won’t move yet. Maybe the collective hurt is too much in this moment to feel any shift and that is also ok.
One of the hardest skills I have had to learn is how to stay with the difficult experiences. My own and others. Allowing the hurt to simply be there. Allowing the anger to be felt. Allowing the overwhelming feelings to have a voice. All while staying grounded and present. Not letting myself get swept away by the emotions, and also allowing them to be felt. This is not an easy task. Simple, yes, easy…well, no.
I hear you saying, “how?” “How does one sit with and feel ALL of this?” Yes, it is too much. I absolutely feel the same way.
My short answer is, “through your body.”
And my longer answer lives inside the work of Somatic Experiencing and learning how to understand the language your body speaks. This is the work I find myself returning to again and again, helping people learn how to stay present with what is real without being swallowed by it.
Sensitive souls,
There is nothing wrong with you. The pain you are feeling is so valid and I hear the hurt in your voice. The pain behind the going along like everything is fine, because that is what we need to do to survive. You show up. Like the mother you are. Like the friend you are. Like the human you are.
And yet, you wonder…where is the help? When will enough of us see what is happening and DO something. When is enough enough? And, sadly, we all know. In the current system, enough is never enough. There is never enough when power and greed and control are the driving forces. So, sweet, sensitive soul…while there may not feel like a solution in this moment, sometimes the first step is being seen and validated in our experience. Knowing you are not alone can hopefully provide some sense of stabilization. While it may seem like you are alone in your grief, your fear, your overwhelm, look out. There are so many of us right here with you. All I want is collective safety. Freedom for you to be you and me to be me. It feels so far off, in this moment.
Perhaps the work right now is not to solve anything, but to simply be with the feelings, whatever they are for you right now. To sit with each other in our collective grief, without judgment, without trying to fix anything. But to hold each other in our pain, through our pain. Gently, compassionately, and with a strong knowing collective healing is possible.