If you made it through your childhood as an emotional kid in a Black family, there’s a good chance that your big emotions were met with confusion, shaming, dismissal or no acknowledgement at all. With those types of reactions, you may have gotten the message that there was no place for your feelings or that they were something you needed to work to hide. Today, with more emphasis on mental health and more tools, we know that that’s not true.  Being in touch with your feelings can be a super power. In case you need a little convincing, here are five reasons why being an emotional person is a good thing.

Gives an Insight on Overall Wellness

Logically, we can pretend something doesn’t bother us. We can block and ignore it, but our emotions often reflect our subconscious mind. If you have a powerful emotional reaction to something or someone, you should figure out why you were triggered this way. Getting to the root of your emotions can help you on your healing journey.

Helps Build a Connection With Others

As much as people try to pretend otherwise, human beings are emotional creatures. Being in touch with and expressing their emotions is like a dog whistle to others thinking and feeling the same way. Being emotional also means being comfortable when others share their feelings with you.

Helps Develop Composure

People who are uncomfortable with emotions don’t lose their ability to feel. Instead, they bottle it up, and suppress it. While they may think they’re unemotional, their bodies have become pressure cookers. One day, all those emotions will come bubbling over—usually at inopportune times. Now, that’s embarrassing. Better to get them out as they arise.

You Love Openly 

Being in love requires vulnerability, and vulnerability requires you to be in touch with your emotions to share them with your partner. Being emotional makes your relationships, romantic or platonic, richer. You’ve opened yourself and are also open to the feelings others are experiencing.

You’re Not Numb

You may have been warned that it was a liability to be emotional. But in reality, being numb is far worse. Being numb means that you’ve shut down. Nothing is getting through, and nothing is coming out. Again, we’re supposed to feel things. It’s the essence of what it means to be human. Being devoid of emotion compromises your humanity.