Have you been called too sensitive?

My entire life I have felt too sensitive. It has felt both like a magical gift and a heavy burden to carry.

With time I learned to accept that I am different and therefore need to nurture myself differently. Each one of us is unique and has special gifts to share with the world, however, it can be difficult to share our gifts when we have always been taught that we “shouldn’t” be this way. That there must be something wrong with us or that if we change ourselves, it will be easier.

Being a Sensitive Person

The truth is we don’t have to change ourselves, on the contrary we need to accept our uniqueness and tend to our own needs. 

The first and most important part of taking care of yourself is having the awareness to know that you are sensitive or an empath. Sensitivity means you are more susceptible to the outside world. You feel deeply when a friend is upset or if the music is too loud.

It can be easy for you to get overwhelmed. You may feel “under attack” by all the activity, including the unseen activity like emotions or energy going on around you. 

Does any of this feel true for you?

If so, you are more than likely a highly sensitive person and an empath. If you tend to be emotional or suffer from anxiety, you probably have always wanted to get rid of this trait. You may have believed that it is a weakness, however, it is the biggest strength.

In order to process all of this, we must have incredible courage to feel our feelings and allow the emotions to move through us. This is not a simple task. We are deep feelers and when we allow ourselves to feel deeply we are truly living.

Here are a few tools to nurture yourself if you are highly sensitive.

9 Ways to Tend to Your Sensitive Nature

1. Take Breaks

If you are someone that gets overwhelmed or feels overly stimulated often, you might want to retreat from the world (hide in your house), however, if you learn to take breaks and spend even 5 minutes in quiet/down time you will be able to recharge and face the day. 

2. Spend time in nature

Nature is cooling to our nervous system. It gives us the ability to slow down, breathe and trust the process. It is the easiest way to calm down and cleanse ourselves from everything going on in our heads.

3. Journal

Start a writing process to release all the tension and energy. This is a great way to clear your head and let go of trapped energy.

4. Exercise

Anything that helps you to move your energy will help you to relax and let go of what is happening around you. This can mean 20 mins a day of any kind of movement.

5. Awareness

Start to notice when you feel most emotional, overwhelmed, or drained. Was it after a long conversation with a friend, when you went out to a crowded mall, after a long day in the office?

This can give you hints as to where you can make changes in your day-to-day routine in order to feel better.

6. Boundaries

This is most important tool for you. It is also the most challenging because as sensitive people we often want to people please, or nurture others more than we want to take care of ourselves. Start by saying no more often and by getting clear on what you need and what you want. You must come first before others to nurture yourself.

7. Honor Your Needs

Like boundaries, honoring your needs is having boundaries with yourself. This one is challenging because it takes a lot of honesty on your part. Do you need a nap? Have you eaten enough today? Are you communicating clearly with your partner? What are your needs moment to moment?

8. Triggers

Whenever something triggers you (makes you feel like having a BIG reaction) take a moment to get clear on what happened. Did your blood sugar drop? Did something remind you of a traumatic past event? Were you feeling afraid? Once you have this knowledge for yourself you can work though it, learn from it and move on.

9. Stop Comparing

This is one of the easiest ways to accept our sensitive nature. We are not meant to be like anyone else and no one else needs to fully understand what we experience. This means we need to embrace ourselves and stop trying to fit into the box. 

Being sensitive is your greatest gift and it comes with the important task of tending to your own needs. In order to live a happy and fulfilling life we cannot overlook the steps to care for ourselves. Wishing you love and kindness on your journey.

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