Do you often wonder, ‘Why am I overly sensitive?’ If so, there is no need to beat yourself up. Being sensitive is a positive trait unless you have mastered emotional regulation.
If you don’t know why you are being overly sensitive and suffer from its consequences, stick around as we simplify the concept for you and offer practical ways to improve your emotional responses.
What does it mean to be overly sensitive?
Sensitivity is when you are sensitive to pick the emotional cues from your surroundings. You feel so immersed in your emotions that you lose the ability to think straight. You experience heightened emotional responses to various stimuli and find it extremely hard to cope with everyday stressors.
Overly sensitive people are more prone to dwelling on negative situations. They often think they are being misunderstood and face difficulty with emotional regulation. The only upside of being overly sensitive is that it can foster empathy and emotional depth. Again, the overly sensitive nature may hinder personal and social interactions and cause difficulties in relationships.
Impact of Being Overly Sensitive
The worst impact of being overly sensitive is that it can be overwhelming to navigate through a range of emotions.
- Emotional Turmoil
The worst hit of being overly sensitive is that you experience bouts of emotions controlling your moods and decisions, and you are more susceptible to feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression, and frustration. - Low Self-Esteem
People with an overly sensitive nature often suffer from low self-esteem and constantly question their worth and abilities. - Poor Stress Management
Overly sensitive individuals often find it difficult to handle challenging situations and frequently exhibit poor stress management skills. - Negative thought Pattern
You develop a negative thought pattern in which you take every feedback and criticism as a personal attack. - Physical Symptoms
The downside of being overly sensitive is that you may experience physical symptoms, like headaches, stomachaches, or fatigue, whenever your body reacts to stress and emotional strain.
Ways to Overcome Sensitivity
Being overly sensitive can be a real concern, especially when you aren’t able to stick around for the right reasons. This heightened emotional responsiveness may cause you to withdraw from situations or relationships, often leading to misunderstandings and missed opportunities for connection.
#1: Emotional Regulation
If you want to reverse your overly sensitive nature, understand the importance of regulating your emotions. Our lives would be in complete chaos if we blindly followed our emotions. Emotions have the ability to cloud our fair judgment. Being under the influence of our emotions can make us adopt a completely different stance compared to when we are thinking through our logical minds. It’s just a matter of simple observation, and you’ll see that emotions can amplify our perceptions and distort reality.
By practicing emotional regulation, you can learn to recognize your emotional triggers. Also, when you choose to respond thoughtfully, it not only helps in making more rational decisions but also enhances your ability to engage in healthy relationships that can further help you navigate life’s challenges with greater ease.
#2: Practice Self-Acceptance
Self-awareness is crucial for changing your overly sensitive nature. Understand that every human being goes through this cycle and learns the ways to live life with greater balance. Once you get comfortable transitioning from being overly sensitive to being a stable person, you’ll find that you can navigate life’s challenges with greater ease. Also, it will enable you to experience relationships and experiences more fully without being overwhelmed by your emotions.
For a faster transition, you can journal your thoughts and make it a habit to write a gratitude journal. It will help broaden your perspective and shift your focus from negative emotions to a positive range of emotions.
SHOP ON AMAZON#3: Develop Healthy Boundaries.
Creating healthy boundaries helps us become self-aware, and with that, it becomes easier to set our standards from scratch. We gain our power back and do not feel stuck in the loop of powerlessness. Our stress and anxiety levels get reduced, we feel more empowered, and our compulsions to react in the heat of emotions are minimized.
When we say setting healthy boundaries, it could mean saying no to things that you don’t want to do or remaining firm about not accepting certain traits and behaviors. When we try to understand what’s negotiable and what’s not, we come up with better demands and judgments.
#4: Practice Mindfulness
The whole network of worries, tensions, and stress either builds up from the regrets of the past or the worries of the future. When you try to be present in the moment, the castle of anxiety collapses, and you can finally experience peace and clarity. When trying to overcome your overly sensitive nature, practicing mindfulness can help you find groundedness.
You don’t have to adopt someone else’s definition of mindfulness. Instead, discover what works for you and what doesn’t. Reflect on what brings you peace and a sense of grounding. Once you find clear answers, incorporate those practices into your daily life. It could be as simple as washing your dishes mindfully or engaging in other activities that help you stay present.
Benefits of Reduced Sensitivity
Here are the benefits you will derive after fixing your overly sensitive nature:
- You gain control and mastery over your own emotions. When you attempt to become thick-skinned, you become more attuned to go with the flow.
- You gain greater confidence and feel more comfortable in your skin.
- You develop a better equation with yourself and start to accept yourself in totality.
- Your focus increases, and you become competent to handle bigger and better tasks and responsibilities.
- Your coping mechanisms improve, and you feel ready to face the bigger challenges of life with greater ease.
- When you are able to sustain emotional stability, your mental health improves, and you walk toward your overall well-being.
- Your decision-making capabilities get better, and you find yourself ready to make decisions based on a rational mindset.
- You experience more joy in life, and your stress management skills improve as you learn to navigate challenges with a clearer mindset.
Conclusion
To overcome your overly sensitive nature, start by delving deeper into your being. It’s important to recognize that being overly sensitive isn’t your choice, but learning to choose how you respond to your emotions can be. Understand that this process improves with practice and patience, and over time, you will develop the resilience needed to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease.
FAQs
Identifying the emotional triggers requires deep inner investigation. Try to sit in a calm and understand what provokes you to feel the intense emotions of anger, sadness, and anxiety. Journal your thoughts and see if it increases your self-awareness—making you feel a sense of control over your emotions.
Sensitive people are usually very considerate of other people’s emotions. Those who have an overly sensitive nature tend to be caring and empathetic towards others. Their ability to understand others at a deeper level fosters stronger connections and meaningful relationships.
You can start by practicing mindfulness and see if you are able to bring your emotions in control. When you practice calm and resist your behaviors of being influenced by your intense emotions, you begin to choose rationality over sensitivity.
Some daily practices for dealing with an overly sensitive nature include mindfulness, affirmations, self-care rituals, and indulging in physical activities to keep one in a healthy and positive mindset.
What are the main challenges faced by overly sensitive individuals?
