I don’t know who needs to hear this but being “overly emotional” or “too emotional” is not – and never, ever will be – a bad thing. Period.

In this world (yes, even now with our society moving another step closer to equality – but still at a worryingly slow rate), women are often called “too emotional” as if it’s a flaw, an inconvenience, or even a liability. We are told that we “overreact”, we’re “melodramatic”, we’re “too sensitive”. The reality? Having emotions is a deeply good thing. It shows we care (sometimes too much) about a person, a situation, an event. It shows that we are emotionally aware, and this is one of the most profound and useful tools anyone can have.

Emotional maturity and intelligence isn’t about these things labelled above. It’s about having the strength to configure your emotions, analyse them, and extract them from one another. A strength which not a lot of people have, including me, but I am working on that journey to reach a higher level of emotional intelligence, as that’s what will help me succeed in all areas of life: my career, my relationships, my personal life. And I encourage you to do it too.

Being emotionally expressive is about being in tune with your inner self, with who you are, and what represents you. It takes courage to feel things deeply, as many of us having gone through traumas and suppressive experiences in our lives feel the need to block out emotions and not let ourselves feel them.

Crying is good – it’s showing emotion! Being angry is good (as long as you’re not smashing things – it’s showing emotion! Being happy is good. Being sad is good. Being anxious is good. When you start to allow yourselves to feel what you’re feeling in that moment (ok, maybe not in a meeting with your boss don’t get super angry or start blubbering – there’s always a right place and right time!), things become clearer and that weight is lifted from your chest: the weight of carrying everything round with you at all times. Suppressing feelings to fit a “rational” ideal can do more harm than good—leading to bottled-up stress, burnout, and a disconnection from who you really are. Instead of rejecting emotions, embracing them allows us to understand our personal boundaries, honor our needs, and communicate honestly. And trust me, we have all experienced this concept of bottling up emotions and causing an outrage on someone close to us who may not deserve to take that rage.

So, the next time you beat yourself up about being “too emotional”, take a moment to understand what you are feeling and why. Because we are also on trial for judging ourselves as much as others judge us. And, even more important, the next time someone (probably a man) calls you “overly emotional” or that you are “overreacting” or they say “it’s not a big deal” you have two choices. One, walk away. This isn’t weakness either – this shows strength that you have the strength to set healthy boundaries with what does and doesn’t serve you. Let them realise their mistake. Or option two, which is more fitting if this is in a relationship or friendship, take the time to explain to them how you are feeling. Here, I’m not saying you should excuse them for their loose language and lack of emotional awareness, but rather use your words to explain how that makes you feel – using your emotions. Oftentimes people don’t understand us, even those people whom we have known for quite a while, even in long-term relationships. And that’s ok, sometimes they need a nudge in the right direction to assess the situation. We might be “overreacting” to something as we’ve been under a lot of stress recently and we need an outlet. Or something has been bottling up inside you and you finally scream it at that person. These aren’t healthy ways of coping, so in time, with more communication, your partners and friends can start to understand that your high level of emotion is in fact a good thing, because you simply care enough about that relationship to cry and scream about it. And that’s enough as it is.

It’s not weak to cry, or to scream, or to let it out in whatever way feels comfortable to you. Let yourself feel it and you’ll find that life becomes just a little bit easier.

Let’s stop using “emotional” as a dirty word and start recognizing it for what it truly is: a strength that builds connection, empathy, and authenticity. Embrace your emotions, and let them guide you without apology.