Have you ever felt that you were too sensitive for this world?
Have you thought that you were bothered by too many things to live a peaceful life?
And, have you been angry with yourself for feeling this way?
If you said yes to the above questions, you are not alone.
You feel deeply and you feel the pain of the world.
This sounds all great and noble, but try living a single day feeling so much pain?
But what if there was a great answer to the why am I so sensitive emotionally question?
But what if there was a different way to look at it? What if instead of a curse this is a great gift that we were given to use to change the world.
Be the change you want to see in the world – Mahatma Gandhi
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I’m Sensitive Emotionally – What it Means?
I just saw a hawk chase a little bird that I feed in my backyard. I chased the hawk away and the little bird seems to have escaped a fatal ending to its existence today. But now I’m very sad because I know that the hawk is hungry too and it needs to eat. For the rest of the day, my mind seems to be going in circles trying to make a sense out of the dilemma. I’m glad I saved the bird but I also feel sorry for the hawk. Now, I’m not able to enjoy the beautiful weather, or the birds singing, or the beautiful green grass because I am stuck in my head preoccupied with an unsolvable dilemma.
Me being very sensitive emotionally also means that I have hard time having simple conversations without crying or controlling my emotions. Most disagreements or even hints of disapproval or criticism (real or imagined), make my voice quiver and I’m usually not able to continue the conversation without bursting into tears.
My being highly sensitive means that I notice things that others don’t. I question things that others don’t. My being so sensitive emotionally means that I feel pain and suffering that others do not. Being sensitive means that I am aware of the depth and intensity of my emotions and feelings but don’t understand the reasons.
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Reasons For Being so Sensitive Emotionally
How often have we wondered why am I so sensitive emotionally? How often have we searched for the reasons for that?
Helthline.com lists 15 reasons for being overly sensitive emotionally. They include things like genetics, hormones, stress, diet, lack of exercise, trauma, etc. At a first glance, the reasons they provided make total sense, but I think the real reasons for being so emotionally sensitive go way deeper than that.
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Am I Too Sensitive Emotionally For This World?
There are many days when I truly believe that I am too sensitive for this world. Everywhere I look, I see pain and suffering. The things I see don’t make me angry, they just make me feel sad and hopeless. I don’t even know what the solution is. For example if I happen to see a very disturbing picture on Facebook about a person abusing an animal, like most people I feel extreme pain and sadness for the animal. But being too sensitive also means that I do not feel anger towards the person inflicting the pain on the animal. Instead, I feel extreme sadness and compassion for that person. This seems ok, but it leaves me with no one to blame (the abuser). And where do I go from there?
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How to Live Being Sensitive Emotionally
I wish I had a simple solution for you that would make you not feel so much. I do not, as there is not a simple fix to who you are. To ease the pain of being so sensitive emotionally, you must find a way to accept who you are. Once you are able to accept that this is who you are and there is a grand reason for it, you can learn to work with this. You choose to look at the benefits of being so sensitive emotionally:
- You are highly insightful, because you feel the pain of others you can easily see the other persons point of view
- You feel deeply the positive emotions as well (love, caring, beauty)
- You notice subtle things that others miss
- You are compassionate and have high level of empathy
- You are highly intuitive
“We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.” – Alan Watts
Sometimes not being able to continue with conversations at the risk of bursting into tears is really a blessing in disguise. When you really think about it, those conversation don not usually go anywhere. They end up being very unproductive. So maybe not being able to continue with a useless conversation, is really a good thing. Our pride might disagree but if you look at the bigger picture, you just walked away from a futile conversation.
I know we have the tendency to try to explain our point of view but if we can get past that urge, we can focus on more important things.
Also, when wishing for this sensitivity to be taken away from us, keep in mind what is on the other side. Becoming cold, distant, intolerant, sceptic, is that what we would really want?
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New Angle – New Life
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Rumi
Finding a new perspective on being so emotionally sensitive will literally change your life. If you can find a way to embrace who you are and look on the positive aspects of being that way, you will be able to turn your life around and use this aspect of yourself to your advantage.
Trusting the universe and the grand design will ease the discomfort and pain. If you are able to stop wasting time and energy on asking why you and wishing you could be different, your life will change automatically.
Learn to treat this as a gift, a skill that was given you for a reason, and dedicate your life to finding that reason, or just focus on using your gift to love and help others.
You were given a gift that allows you to feel what others feel. A gift that gives you more insights and wisdom than others.
What could be more noble than that? What could be more important than that?
This world is old and tired, and it needs us to spread more love. We were given a gift to be able to see where we are needed most and to use it there.
So, the next time you feel pain, and are tempted to ask again why am I so sensitive emotionally, remember you are a hero of the world. You are here to heal the world and help to save it. No one said that being a hero will be easy, but what an honor it is.
“You were born to be among the advisors and thinkers, the spiritual and moral leaders for your society. There is every reason for pride.” ― Elaine N. Aron, The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
I hope you have enjoyed the article. I also hope you have found some comfort and release in it. I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
That is very thought provoking. Sometimes I too feel bad and sad for the one inflicting the pain. I like your exclamation though of how to look at yourself in a different light. Rather than always questioning why, you suggest there is a purpose for you being this way. That’s a great way to look at it and it also helps the people feeling this way. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nina, thank you so much for your comment. Yes, very often in life, when it comes to challenges that we face, finding a new perspective or a new way to look at it is the only way to feel some comfort and a sense of relief.
Of course, if we can change things easily, then that might be the easiest approach but usually the challenges that we have are not easily changeable and we are forced to look for other options or live in pain and discomfort.
Quite interesting read. Why I can’t relate to being emotionally sensitive. I can understand better now why someone I am close with is, and hopefully that will give me more tolerance.
I believe that irrespective of our personality and sensitivity we can to some extent get help in coping with the those traits that limit our enjoyment of this world, such as the frequent emotional toll you described here.
Thanks for the brilliant article.
Hello Solomon, thank you for your comment on the article. I’m really glad that you understand that we all experience the world in a slightly different ways. As long as we keep that in mind, we can help others and also be helped when needed. Being tolerant and willing to help is a step in the right direction to build a new, better world. Thank you for sharing your opinion.
You have good valid points to make when you discuss why am I so sensitively emotional? The way you go into detail in this article on tips to think about. I know that we see the world for what it is and live life the best we can, there are always bumps in the road, it’s how we deal with them.
Reading this makes me feel better that I’m not the only one that feels the emotional pain of the universe.
We are going to pass this on one of our fellow friends will enjoy this read as well.
Cheers,
Mathew&Deloris
Thank you Mathew&Deloris, I’m glad you liked the article. Very often we are ashamed of feeling too much and don’t really want to talk about it. It is hard to show your vulnerabilities, but if no one talks about it, we will all suffer alone. WE all have issues to deal with. Being compassionate and helping each other is what can get us through it.
What a great article. Thanks for sharing this. I’ve certainly been in a few situations where I couldn’t control my emotions when I was younger. But as I grow older (wiser), I noticed that the environment has absolutely no control over our throughs and emotions. It’s us who have the power to accept or reject the information from the outside world and thus, keep our emotions under the control. In my experience, meditation is a great way to control your thought/emotion process. Sports and exercise are great as well. Reading and writing too! Anyways, I just wanted to say, great post, and keep up the good work. Like your site a lot!
Hello Ivan,
Thank you for your comment and thanks for sharing your point of view. Some people learn how to control their emotions as they get older, but for some, that is not the case. I guess the important thing is to remember that we are all different and be tolerant and compassionate toward people that are different from you.
You have mentioned sports, exercising, and reading and writing. Those are excellent activities to deal with your emotions, thank you for suggesting.
Hi Anna
I am very high on the empathy scale too. It is so crazy. Someone can be telling me their problem – I am crying and they are okay. You can actually feel MORE than the person you have empathy for which is not healthy.
On the one hand, it’s great to be able to connect with people in this way but not if it’s to the detriment of your own mental health.
The answer is not to dwell on these feelings but bring yourself into the present moment. Meditation is great for this. Also asking yourself right now, in this moment, what problem do you have? The answer is usually none!
I read a really good book about how to ignore the voice in your head. It’s called The Untethered Soul by Michael Sealey. Being able to observe your thoughts rather than following them is really helpful. It is possible!
Thanks for reminding me that I am not alone with these sorts of thoughts.
Best,
Jean
Hello Jean,
Thank you very much for your beautiful comment.
Yes, I have read The Untethered Soul few times now. A truly beautiful book.
I really like your suggestion of asking yourself the questions in the moment of intensive feelings – what problems do I have right now?
I think it was Eckhart Tolle that speaks about that method in his videos.
I like that method, it is very effective because if we actually take the time to ask those questions we will realize that right this moment there is nothing threatening happening, we are ok, and it’s just our minds going insane.
I’m glad you made the point that very often we feel more than the person that is telling you of their misfortunes.
I always wondered, after having conversations with some people where we were discussion some of his/her issues or problems, they seem to go on with their lives as if nothing happened while I sit there feeling very bad or sad for them.
Jean, again thank you for your great suggestions. They are much appreciated. and it’s great to know that we are not alone.
Sincerely,
Anna
Hi Anna,
I believe that irrespective of our personality and sensitivity we can to some extent get help in coping with those traits that limit our enjoyment of this world, such as the frequent emotional toll you described here.
Reading this makes me feel better that I’m not the only one that feels the emotional pain of the universe. It’s us who have the power to accept or reject the information from the outside world and thus, keep our emotions under the control.
In my experience, meditation is a great way to control your thought/emotion process. Sports and exercise are great as well.
We are going to pass this on one of our fellow friends will enjoy this read as well.
Thanks
Cheers!
Hi Samantha, thank you for your comment. Yes, learning the trick of rejecting some of the information form the outside world is the key. Thank you for reminding me and everyone else that we do have that power. A power of focus, a power of concentration, and a power of ignoring certain things.
Meditation is a great tool to deal with those painful emotions. It takes time to learn how to do it, but once you try, you have learned a very powerful skill for life.