If you are emotionally sensitive you probably often feel vulnerable, defensive and threatened; these emotions can be difficult to manage and change and many people do not know what to do to be less sensitive. However, it is worth working on overcoming excessive emotional sensitivity as it can reduce your ability to live a full and happy life, your connections to others and your ability to express yourself. It is possible to adjust your emotional sensitivity. This is done with patience and understanding.
Being too sensitive is not, in itself, a bad trait. However, emotionally sensitive people are easily hurt by comments and actions that are 'normal' and which most people do not find hurtful. Misinterpretation of every day constructive interactions may limit your ability to lead a happy life.
It is important to balance sensitivity with common sense, confidence and stamina to not over-react to the events of daily life. This article explores the ways you can overcome excessive emotional sensitivity effectively and change your life forever.
Be honest with yourself
As simple as it sounds, you must admit that the problem is largely down to how you react to situations. This first step is often the most difficult, you may require many hours of internal conflict and discussion as well as self-contemplation, before you can admit to being overly sensitive for your own good.
There are not many people who are able to look within themselves with honesty and admit to the truth of what they see is happening, so you will probably find this step to be a challenge. But the fact that you have decided to examine your sensitivity is in itself a big step forward, keep with it.
Explore your sensitivity
- What are you emotionally sensitive about?
- Are you sensitive regarding a specific topic or things in general (perhaps larger social issues)?
- Are you very sensitive to a particular person or group of people?
- What is the depth of your usual sensitivity?
- Is your reaction over the top or is it perceived as a small injury or emotional harm?
Try to explore the subtleties and detail of who or what triggers your sensitivity.
What is the trigger of your emotional sensitivity
Often, sensitivity is based on specific areas that have triggering factors. For the most part these triggers are generated through one of our five senses following the perception of an image, a color, a smell, a sound or simply a memory from an event or person from the past. However, the trigger may also be more direct, like being in a certain place, like a cemetery, hospital, school, open space, someone's house, etc.
Other triggers can be patterns or habits you have developed over time to deal with the work or relationships that you find challenging, without questioning whether this pattern is healthy. In the case of a pattern or habit, this can make it difficult to discern the impact on your sensitivity as the habit is probably a prevention strategy to calm your sensitivity.
Writing up your sensitivity triggers on a daily basis can be useful, this will allow you to transfer your abstract thoughts about alleged sensitivity into specific ideas you should write on paper. Sometimes just by doing this you will begin to see your preconceptions on your own sensitivity change and be replaced by a more realistic view of the situation that trigger these emotions.
Triggers are of an individual nature. Even if someone you know shares a trigger on a given subject, do not assume it affects you both in the same way. It really is a coincidence, not a universal situation.
Be brave
Start to decompress sensitivity. Study it carefully with dedication and passion. Only when you can truly say that you do not understand how a given sensitivity helps you mentally, can you begin to see that it is better to not be so sensitive.
Ask yourself every time sensitivity becomes present:
- What is the benefit of this?
- How is this chain of feelings or thoughts helping me?.
If you need more help record the process in your diary, but it is recommended that you get used to questioning sensitivity wherever you are, wherever it appears, even in places where you do not have the opportunity to write things down.
The resistance of the others
Often a very sensitive person will be defensive and assume that others are insensitive and shallow, when the reality is that the people that seem to better adapt are more emotionally resilient as they have reflected on these issues and remain strong in the face of adversity.
Remember that medals are not won by the most dramatic emotional breakdown, people are more likely to admire a tough fighting spirit.
Emotional balance
Learn to balance feelings and stop letting emotional tenderness dominate your life. By all means use your emotional intelligence to create and maintain large and empathetic relationships with others, but also do not let these relationships drain your energy and time simply because you find everything very emotional.
Note that there is a place for emotional sensitivity in your life. This article is not about getting rid of the desire to alleviate suffering, understanding of your own or someone else's pain and the need to be compassionate with yourself and others. However, there is a very big difference between being sensitive to unhappiness, or an unjust situation, and looking forward to helping remedy the situation.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to How To Overcome Emotional Sensitivity Effectively, we recommend you visit our Mental health category.