Some humans are sensitive, and some humans are highly sensitive. There is no issue with being sensitive or showing your emotions so outwardly. However, different people take this trait differently. So, while it is good to accept yourself emotionally and show it to people, it is also important to select which people deserve to see that soft side of yours.
So if you think why am I sensitive, let’s see the potential reasons and how to manage it effectively.
What is a Highly Sensitive Person?
A highly sensitive person is someone who has a tendency to get sensitive in large crowds and takes their time to understand an environment and the people they usually interact with. HSP is not a disorder but it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
How to understand if your thoughts on why am I sensitive are true:
- You are sensitive to loud noises and crowds, which can often lead to anxiety and feelings of nervousness.
- You always doubt yourself and your capability to do a certain task properly.
- Taking other people’s opinions and thoughts too seriously
- Engaging in people-pleasing behaviour
- You do not trust when others genuinely want to befriend you or compliment you.
- You have imposter syndrome and are not able to believe in yourself, even if you are made for amazing things.
10 Reasons Why am I so Sensitive?
There can be a variety of reasons for your thoughts on whether am I too sensitive or why am I sensitive; there is not one explanation for it. However, you can understand the reason for this by reading below the possible explanations.
1. Genetics
At times, our genetics make up our core personality and being overly sensitive can be a part of it. Someone in your family might be as sensitive as you are and that might be the reason why you are so overly sensitive.
2. Past trauma
Our emotional conflicts and experiences shape our personalities and help us become who we are. So if you have been through something deeply traumatic or emotional, it can make you sensitive to your emotions and others.
3. Underlying mental health disorders
Being overly sensitive can also connote something serious. It can be a sign of an underlying mental health disorder like autism, depression, anxiety, or something along these lines. It is important to seek professional help if you feel it might mean something more than what it actually is.
4. Unhealthy lifestyle
Not having a balanced lifestyle where you have an ample amount of water, eat healthy food, and get proper sleep can also lead to you becoming overly sensitive. When you do not care enough about your body and mind, your body starts to signal you by getting emotional, getting tired, or going through fatigue.
5. Grief
Being overly sensitive can also be a sign of losing someone you loved at a very young age and having a fear that everyone might leave you one day. This fear and hurt can last for a long time and make your personality overly sensitive.
6. Stress
Going through a huge amount of stress or burnout can make you highly sensitive. This might just happen because of adulting stress, financial stress, or general life stress. So introspecting, checking where this is coming from and seeing how it has impacted your sensitivity levels will help you.
7. Going through a transition
You tend to become overly sensitive when you are going through a major life transition, like moving out of a house, changing houses, moving out of your home city, becoming a mother or father, or even going through a breakup.
8. Hormones
A major sign of being overly sensitive is hormones. Some people tend to have more hormonal changes than others in particular or some people’s hormones can get easily triggered, which can lead to being overly sensitive. You can keep this in check by opting for a holistic approach to well-being.
9. Isolation or loneliness
You are also prone to becoming overly sensitive if you feel isolated or lonely from the inside. These feelings can lead to constant breakdowns and make you an overly sensitive person.
10. Low self-esteem
A major sign of being overly sensitive is low self-esteem wherein you are not able to trust yourself or are always demeaning yourself. Not thinking highly of yourself can lead to wanting external approval or validation, which in turn can make you overly sensitive.
What if Others Think I am Overly Sensitive When I am Not?
A lot of people wouldn’t be as empathetic as you are and might just call you sensitive, even if you are showing slight emotions. People who are not in tune with their feelings or emotions won’t understand when you try to be vulnerable or just simply show your emotions. They might gaslight you into believing that you are overly sensitive or probably make you believe you show your emotions to the maximum degree when you don’t.
So if you think you are being treated like this, understand that it is simply a projection of that person because they are not open to accepting their feelings and properly showing them; therefore, you should not stick yourself in the loop of wondering why am i so sensitive.
Advantages of Being Sensitive
While people tend to mock sensitive people, they have their own advantages that make them stand out from the crowd. They are:
1. Empathetic
Sensitive people are deeply empathetic and understand other people’s feelings and emotions. They know how and when to talk to people and can start a conversation by guessing the atmosphere of the environment.
2. Caring
Sensitive people are deeply caring about others and offer compassion through small gestures.
3. Compromising
Sensitive people are also very compromising and can read when that is required. Although they can become overly compromising at times, disregarding their own feelings, they also know when a situation calls for it, and they blend themselves into it.
4. Deep affectionate bonds
Sensitive people cherish their bonds and never fail to show their loved ones how much they mean to them, which makes their bonds last a long time and is based on a foundation of trust and understanding.
5. Loyal
Sensitive people are loyal because they value their relationships and know the consequences of hurting people and betraying someone’s trust.
Disadvantages of Being Sensitive
While there are positives to being sensitive, there are also disadvantages to being sensitive. Let’s see what they are:
1. People take you for granted
There are times when sensitive people are taken for granted because of their sweet and kind nature, which can cause them hurt and pain.
2. Mocking behavior
Not everyone understands the depth of sensitive people, and because of this, some people end up mocking them or making jokes about their sensitive nature.
3. Not taking them seriously
Sensitive people are not taken seriously, as their nature can be different from that of people who are more on the lines of pranking others or making their fun. So to get away from sensitive people, those kinds of people end up making fun of them as well.
4. Not being empathetic enough
Not everyone understands sensitive people or has the emotional intelligence to form a relationship with them. To understand them, people might misinterpret certain things, which can trigger sensitive people.
5. Not understanding the depth of emotions
Sensitive people are emotional so it can be hard for some people to understand emotions the way they do, which can hinder forming relationships.
How to Manage Being So Sensitive
It can be difficult to understand and manage your emotions when you are overly sensitive. But it is not impossible and can be done by following the below-mentioned pointers:
1. Self-observant
You can manage your sensitivity by observing when and what triggers you to release this particular emotion and if you feel it is something that negatively affects you, you can make conscious efforts to work on it.
2. Introspect and work on yourself
You can work on your sensitivity by introspecting it, looking at the intricate details of it and working on yourself accordingly.
3. Seek professional help
You can understand yourself and your sensitivity with the help of a professional expert. They can help you get to the root cause of it and determine if there are any major reasons for your high sensitivity.
4. Take help from loved ones
You can ask your loved ones to help you when they see you reacting to a situation with a trigger response rather than with your true self. This will help you figure out what led to that particular response and work on it properly.
5. Look at the root cause
You can even work on your sensitivity by deeply looking at the root cause of those responses and figuring out why those emotions are coming out in such a way.
When to Seek Professional Support
If you feel you are not able to understand the root cause of your sensitivity, how to manage it effectively, or if it is really hindering your personal growth, it is best to seek the guidance of a professional. It can be hard to navigate through this alone when you have always been like this. A professional will ask you the right questions, which will help you understand yourself with much more clarity and empathy.
You may get questions like – why am I so sensitive and cry easily, why am I so sensitive emotionally, why am I so sensitive to what others say, why am I so sensitive to criticism, why am I so sensitive when someone yells at me, why am I so sensitive to insults, why am I so sensitive mentally, which can deeply hinder you and make you doubt yourself a whole.
So if you feel like you are at a crossroads where you cannot understand yourself and need professional help, it is best to get the right therapist and feel better.
How Can Now&Me Help?
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The Bottom Line
Being a sensitive soul can have its own share of pros and cons. However, it is important to remember that, as a human, there is nothing that can be in complete balance. You will have traits that might negatively affect you at times, but that doesn’t mean they do not help you in times of need. Being overly sensitive is not bad; it can affect you at times but if you understand how to manage it and work around it, you can make this trait your best armor. So, embrace your sensitivity and let go of the thought, “Why am I so sensitive?” because the world needs more people like you.
