Thick-Skinned or Thin-Skinned?

We all have heard someone in our life say that in order to survive this world, you have to be thick-skinned otherwise you wouldn’t be able to live. I do agree with that statement because you need to be able to move past other people’s opinions especially harsh criticism and unwarranted words in order to live a joyful & peaceful life.

Don’t get me wrong, it is important to listen to other people’s thoughts, experiences & opinions but when they start becoming arbitrary and judgemental then you have to reevaluate the other party’s intention. In today’s post, I wanted to explore some aspects that the society might consider to be thin-skinned in a person and whether or not they are. Without further ado, let’s jump into the post!

Nous avons tous entendu quelqu’un dire que pour survivre dans ce monde, il faut être insensible, sinon on ne pourrait pas vivre. Je suis tout à fait d’accord avec cette affirmation, car il faut savoir ignorer les opinions des autres, notamment les critiques acerbes et les propos injustifiés, pour vivre une vie heureuse et paisible.

Ne vous méprenez pas, il est important d’écouter les pensées, les expériences et les opinions des autres, mais lorsqu’elles deviennent arbitraires et critiques, il faut réévaluer les intentions de l’autre. Dans l’article d’aujourd’hui, je voulais explorer certains aspects que la société pourrait considérer comme de la susceptibilité chez une personne, et déterminer s’ils le sont ou non. Sans plus attendre, passons à l’article !

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SENSITIVITY

A lot of times, sensitivity has always been associated as a weakness and even as a flaw. ‘You are way too sensitive.’ ‘You are so sensitive.’ You can see variations of these comments in so many different scenarios if you had been impacted by another party’s words or actions, and they are always emphasised in a negative manner.

I would say it’s understandable to associate this aspect of someone’s personality as being thin-skinned because they are not immune to the world’s harsh words and they take everything to heart. However, there is a certain strength in sensitivity. Being able to connect with someone’s feelings on a deeper level has its cons but it also has its pros, and I do think this is what makes us human.

As to whether or not this aspect is thick-skinned or thin-skinned, I would say it depends on the way you utilise this part of yourself. You can let your sensitivity engulf you and overwhelm you or you can allow it to give an insight into other people’s emotions and reflect & reevaluate both yourself and others.

Related: 3 Ways To Take Care Of Yourself.

 

EMPATHY & KINDNESS

We pretty much live in a time where many people lack empathy and even kindness. I’m not saying this purely because of social media but I would be lying if I said that social media didn’t allow people to act unapologetically themselves, both in a positive or negative manner.

Empathy is becoming rarer therefore many people view it as a weakness and being ‘thin-skinned’ which in my opinion, is a big flaw in itself. We are born with many different emotion—both positive and negative, even if we can’t distinguish or verbalise what those emotions are at a young age.

But I personally think that empathy and kindness are skills we are taught, it’s not something we are inherently born with. The ability to connect and feel for another person can never be considered as a weakness. For a person to still be empathetic when the world wasn’t kind to them, might be viewed as a flaw, but it can also be viewed as a strength; you are the one who decides which side you want to be with.

Related: How To Move Past Unkindness.

 

MATURITY

I know many people might be confused as to when maturity has become something which is considered as being ‘thin-skinned’ when it should be the complete opposite, but on the contrary, having the experience, wisdom & life lessons of someone who has seen a lot in life can be very off-putting to many. It’s very much synonymous as someone being ‘serious’ which eventually transforms to being ‘thin-skinned’ but when you really think about it, is it really something negative?

I think we all know the answer and that is a no. As long as your maturity & seriousness doesn’t have a negative impact on the way you perceive the world and yourself, I don’t think it should be considered as a negative thing at all—let alone as being thin-skinned. Taking into consideration the lessons you’ve learned through your experiences is something not only beneficial to you but also to others.

Related: How To Stop Worrying.

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Thank you so much for reading! – xo N

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