Emotional Fragility: The Keys To Understanding Our Self And Strengthening It

Emotional fragility is very different from emotional sensitivity. Sensitivity rather describes a quality that defines us. But fragility describes a lack of resources to manage our complex, emotional inner world. In other words, fragility means that we have big problems facing even the smaller difficulties of everyday life.

We explain this difference between emotional fragility and sensitivity for a very important reason: there are a lot of people trying to get their emotional fragility under control. They claim that they are who they are, that is their life. “I am a sensitive person and I cannot change that”,  these people often say in their defense, and do not differentiate between instability and sensitivity.

Emotional fragility can lead to debilitating states that include anxiety and stress and may cause depression.

It’s also important to understand that if a behavior or attitude just makes us insecure or leads to loss of control, then there is no room for excuses. They simply do not apply if this condition only makes us suffer. Basically, more sensitive people have a broader view of life. They can better deal with their needs and their environment. Fragile people quickly reach their emotional limits.

In addition, there is often a larger problem underlying emotional fragility. These can be, for example, depressive disorders, fears, poor emotional management, etc. So we will now explain the problem a little less.

Emotional Fragility: Causes and Characteristics

The American College Health Association published an interesting study on emotional fragility several years ago. In it, the association presented worrying statistics, according to which young people today are much more likely to suffer from depression, stress and emotional dependence. Worst of all, suicide rates in this age group have also increased. One reason for this, according to the publication, is the prevalence of emotional fragility.

Most of these psychological problems have their roots in parenting. Educators and parents reacted only with delay to the fact that our society demands more and more skills. This has led parents to work even harder to give their children a better life. At the same time, they train their children to be more diligent, even at a young age, in order to have success later in life. Sometimes parents force their children to outdo themselves and constantly remind them how special they are if they just try hard.

So parents try to provide their children with all possible resources to ensure that they can be successful. Of course, this wish of the parents is understandable. But some parents forget a few important details.

Because parents often protect their children from failure. Because of this, the offspring are unable to cope with frustration, no matter how small it is. He then also finds it difficult to learn to make his own decisions. He feels insecure and extremely uncomfortable when it comes to dealing with his own emotions.

Gradually this generation then realizes that they are not as “special” to everyone else as they have always been told. She then realizes that she lacks the skills, tools, or strategies to tackle even the most basic of problems. That is the basis of emotional fragility.

These are typical characteristics of emotionally fragile people:

• Inability to process emotions such as sadness, anger, disappointment, etc. and understand. Affected people often react very strongly to their feelings.
• Inability to deal with frustration
• Feeling overwhelmed by simple problems, disagreements, or other situations that don’t turn out the way they’d hoped
• Difficulty taking control of one’s life; a feeling that everything is too much for you
• Ongoing problems in social life shaped by thoughts of deception and betrayal

• Little drive, apathy, constant melancholy
• A constant feeling of emptiness
• Affected people seem insecure even when performing the lightest tasks. You feel incompetent and have low self-esteem.

Our emotional health often depends on how we grew up and the quality of our earliest interactions with other people. But a toxic or ineffective upbringing is not the end. One can overcome emotional fragility at any time.

Strategies to strengthen the self and become emotionally strong

If we want to understand how we can become emotionally stronger, let’s imagine a porcelain cup. We know that the material of the mug is delicate. Maybe we can already see small fiber cracks on the surface. But this porcelain cup is anything but fragile. In fact, it is amazing for its beauty, design, and all of its little imperfections.

We can be delicate, but we shouldn’t get fragile. Let’s not cross the line behind which we’ll break. Let us remember our identity, our intrinsic worth and our inner beauty. But how do we do it? How do we get rid of the emotional fragility that prevents us from being happy?

• The first step is to become aware of our emotional weaknesses. We talk about all the situations that limit us and cause us discomfort. It might sound like a strange method, but there are studies that show that art therapy can help us manage this problem. It is a good idea to explore our thoughts, emotions, and problems through colors and drawings.

• The second step is to take responsibility for ourselves. Fragile people feel they are victims of their environment, society or their fellow human beings. They just react like a ball bouncing off a wall. Instead of reacting, however, we need to take control and develop a sense of responsibility.
• This responsibility also means that we leave our past experiences behind and shape our present. All changes come with fear. But if we remove these “stumbling blocks” from our daily life, we will notice how we feel better. Because we have finally gained control over ourselves.

In conclusion, it should be noted that this is obviously not an easy process. Often times we need the help of a good psychologist to do this. As difficult as it may be, we should always remember that we can get stronger emotionally.