When being labeled actually brings peace of mind.

Being labeled is unpleasant, isn't it?

"Because you're a woman," "Because you're a young person," "Because you're a shut-in."

So that's why you are the way you are.

Even if it's in a positive context, there are times when it doesn't make me happy.

For example,

"Women really do notice the little things, don't they?"

I used to be told this often by older people, but it never really made me happy.

When the fact that I've made an effort to "notice" things is dismissed as being just because I'm a "woman," I feel like my individual abilities and efforts are being denied.

"Use your youthful creativity to come up with some ideas."

This didn't make me happy either.

I don't know if young people have more creativity, as I haven't been older than I am now. However, there should be large individual differences when it comes to creativity. Being expected to have it just because of my "youth" is confusing.

Or, when I was wandering around the food section of a department store, I was called out to by a woman selling dried fish, saying,"Ma'am, take a look at this."

This also leaves me with mixed feelings.

I'm not saying that being called "Ma'am" is bad.

But I don't have any children, so I don't know why I was assumed to be a "mother."

I know there is a custom of calling older women "Ma'am" out of habit, but I'm not at that age, and it just fills my head with questions.

However, conversely, I think that without a "label," one might end up feeling anxious, wondering "Who am I?" or "Why am I like this?" forever.

I am not an HSP, but I feel like many of my followers identify as HSP.

I often have the opportunity to see HSP individuals say, "I'm glad there's a name for it, HSP. It gave me peace of mind. It made me feel like I wasn't alone."

So you have had the experience of finding peace of mind by finding the label of "HSP."

HSP is not a medically recognized disease name.
However, in my personal experience, I thought that perhaps the same might be true for diseases.

I feel somewhat unwell and have been depressed for a long time.

When terms like "adjustment disorder," "depression," or "bipolar disorder" are applied, various feelings pass through my mind.

Of course, there is shock.

However, there is also a definite sense of relief in thinking, "Oh, I was sick," or "It's not that I'm strange, it's because of the illness."

Because there is nothing more frightening than a "mysterious illness with no known cause"...

Developmental disorders might also have such an aspect.

A long time ago, a friend of mine asked a doctor, "Do I have ADHD?"

At that time, terms like ADHD and developmental disorders were just beginning to become widely known.

I think my friend was anxious about the difficulties in living and asked because they wanted to resolve that.

But the doctor got angry.

"You're saying that too. If you think you have it yourself, why don't you just keep thinking that?"

It feels like a cold remark.

Perhaps, at the time, the number of people asking doctors the same thing was increasing.

As a doctor, they might have also felt frustrated that the image of the words was running ahead of the reality of ADHD.

I think there were circumstances, but if there are people who find relief in labeling, I think it is an important role of medicine to listen properly, perform tests, and judge whether "you likely have it" or "you likely don't."

In this way, it might be the reality that rather than "labeling" being bad, "labeling" has both pros and cons, and it cannot be divided into black and white.

However, I do feel that, in most cases, the only labels that don't feel good are the ones you can't accept yourself.

Have you ever labeled someone else, or have you ever experienced relief from being labeled yourself?

From my own experience, I also tend to label people, like "doctors are always..." Every time I do, I rethink it, telling myself, "But doctors have various circumstances, and there must be humble doctors too."

There is a limit to what I as an individual can observe happening right in front of me.
That is why I can sometimes be biased.
I am sure that is all there is to it.

▶I did not reach a conclusion in this article, but I have written a deeper dive in my membership area. If you are interested, please take a look😊

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