How to Stop Being So Sensitive About Everything All the Time

When you learn how to stop being so sensitive about everything, you’ll find it’s easier to be happy and develop better relationships. Here’s how. 

When you’re emotionally sensitive, you often find yourself upset, hurt, angry, and offended, when much of the time you don’t have a real reason to be. People are sometimes offhanded, but it doesn’t mean they have a problem with you or want to upset you. By learning how to stop being so sensitive, you make your life easier by lessening the emotions which swing from one side of the spectrum to another.

Of course, some people are naturally sensitive. When you learn how to stop taking things quite so personally, that doesn’t mean you’re not being yourself anymore. It means you’re hardening up a little.

You’re taking the edge off and learning how to manage those emotions which tend to take over your life from time to time.

If you’re naturally emotional, it’s not a bad thing. It’s part of who you are, and you shouldn’t feel the need to change it.

However, sensitivity is something a little different. You’ll find that when you become less sensitive to everything around you, you’re happier overall.

[Read: How to set personal boundaries and guide other people to respect it]

What does it mean to be sensitive?

When you’re sensitive, it means that you feel everything to a greater degree. That sounds like it should be great, but in reality, it’s not. You don’t tend to feel the good stuff quite as hard as the bad stuff.

So if someone says something to you that could be taken as sarcastic or not, you’ll automatically jump to the sarcastic side and assume that they’re dissing you. Then, you’ll become very upset about it and it will stay with you all day long. That’s just one example of what it means to be a little sensitive.

Some people are very sensitive. In that case, it’s difficult for anyone to say anything around them because they take everything so personally. [Read: How to develop empathy and master the art of growing a real heart]

If you’re often upset by other people, you might want to stop and ask yourself why.

Generally speaking, people aren’t mean. Sure, they say mean things sometimes – you do too, because you’re human.

But, if you find that you’re regularly upset by others, angry, or feeling hurt, you might want to take a step back and think about learning how to stop being so sensitive. You’ll thank yourself for it and you’ll probably realize that it makes you happier. [Read: 15 signs you have really shitty friends and it’s time to find new ones]

After all, it’s a much better life when you’re not always reeling from something a person said to you. You’ll also find that you have better relationships with those around you as a result.

You’re not constantly feeling annoyed at them for looking at you the wrong way or saying the wrong thing. That means you can actually spend quality time together instead of sulking over something they accidentally said, or you misunderstood. [Read: How to have a good relationship that gets better with each day]

How to stop being so sensitive … or quite so sensitive

By learning how to stop being so sensitive, we want you to embrace it but minimize its effects on your life. We don’t want you to change who you are.

Being sensitive isn’t all bad. It means you can show empathy to others and pick up on the subtle cues that perhaps someone isn’t as “fine” as they say they are. But, you shouldn’t feel constantly annoyed, hurt, or down about things because you’re overthinking and assuming that everything is personal.

Here’s how you can embrace your sensitivity, but minimize the negative effects. [Read: Dating a highly sensitive person – 20 things you just can’t ignore]

1. Use a journal to identify your sensitivity triggers

We’re not talking about going back to your old high school journal; although if you want to, go for it! Instead, keep track on a day-to-day basis of how you feel, any situations or thoughts which made you feel a certain way, and note what was happening around the time.

This is all valuable in terms of giving you information on what causes you to be so sensitive in the first place.

It’s highly unlikely that you’re sensitive about everything. But it’s more likely to be certain things or emotional reactions which are more prevalent. Remember, we’re all different! [Read: How to let go of resentment and really start living your life]

2. Explore why your triggers affect you the way they do

Your journal will highlight your triggers. They might even surprise you. From there, do some soul-searching and work out why these triggers are important to you. It’s the best way to learn how to stop being so sensitive. Now, it will likely take time and may be emotionally difficult.

Go slowly and work with what you have. From there, you can learn how to avoid your triggers, unpick them and heal them, or minimize their impact on you. [Read: How to be emotionally available – 17 ways to open up to love and life]

3. Don’t feel bad about yourself for being sensitive

Part and parcel of learning how to stop being so sensitive is to accept that a certain amount of sensitivity is part of your nature. Don’t feel bad about it, and don’t allow it to become a negative part of who you are.

Remember, if you’re sensitive that also means you’re sensitive to positive emotions too, such as love and joy. It’s not all bad! [Read: How to bounce back stronger than ever when you feel worthless]

4. Understand when you’re starting to overthink

Overthinking is the devil’s work in so many ways. When you overthink, everything snowballs into a huge issue. You worry about something that will probably never happen.

Learn to recognize when you might be overthinking by questioning yourself constantly. Ask yourself whether your thought is an actual fact or a fear.

Much of the time, overthinking is driven by fear. Then, snap yourself back into the present moment. Remember to just deal with what is in front of you. [Read: How to stop overthinking – Secrets to go from overthinker to relaxer]

5. Remember that it’s not always personal

When learning how to stop being so sensitive, you should understand one very important thing – often, people don’t mean to upset or hurt you.

If you become upset about what someone has said to you or what someone possibly hasn’t done, e.g. they didn’t call when you thought they might. Remember that nobody is perfect.

You’ve probably told someone you’ll call them and then not done it. You’ve probably lashed out in anger and said something you didn’t mean to someone before. That doesn’t mean that you wanted to hurt that person, it’s just part of being human. Learn to avoid taking things quite so personally, and you’ll find it improves your sensitivity. [Read: How to master positive self-talk and banish negativity]

6. Learn to stop and think before saying or doing anything

Emotions rise very quickly and that can mean they take over your brain too. You can easily say something, do something, or snap in the moment and then when it all subsides, you regret it. Before you do or say anything, learn to take a moment and breathe it out.

Deep breathing exercises are fantastic for avoiding emotional outbursts. When you’re learning how to stop being so sensitive, these tactics will prove invaluable.

You could also try mindfulness, which is ideal for keeping you in the present moment and allowing you to handle difficult situations in a healthier way, rather than allowing your emotions to be in control all the time. [Read: How to be emotionless and stop getting sucked into others’ feelings]

7. Accept that sensitivity is always going to be a part of you. Allow yourself the time to change a little

If you’re an emotionally sensitive person, it’s always going to be a part of who you are. In some ways, it’s wonderful. However, give yourself the time to learn how to handle your emotions in a healthier way. And this change will lessen the impact you feel on a daily basis.

Do not expect results overnight! This is part of rewiring how you think and react, and it will take time. Instead, celebrate every little success along the way. [Read: How to love yourself – The 23 best ways to find self-love and happiness]

8. Challenge your thoughts

If you automatically feel wounded by something a person has said or done, stop and think about it for a second. That doesn’t mean overthinking it, however. It means challenging it.

Ask yourself whether they really meant it in the way you’ve taken it. Could it be that perhaps you’ve jumped to a conclusion? Challenging your thoughts is a good way to start unpicking them.

9. Use positive affirmations

Being very sensitive can sometimes lead to negative thoughts and low self-esteem. A good way to combat that is to try positive affirmations.

Start and end every day with a positive thought.

Come up with an affirmation that really resonates with you and then repeat it three times when you wake up, three times before you sleep, and a few times during the day. You can rely upon your affirmation to lift you up whenever you feel like you’re being personally attacked. [Read: Words of affirmation – How to use them and 20 examples to say it right]

10. Remember that sometimes people just speak before they act

It’s also important to remember that people are human. Sometimes, we all speak first and think later. That means you say things that you don’t really mean and then afterward you want to backtrack. It doesn’t mean it’s personal.

By remembering this fact, you can minimize the effects of quickly spoken words.

Effectively managing your emotions leads to inner peace

Emotions are what make us human. It’s normal to feel worried, scared, fearful, offended, or hurt from time to time. When those negative feelings start to be the ones that are in control, you need to take action and learn how to stop being so sensitive to everything around you.

It could be that you have empath tendencies. That means you soak up the emotions of those around you, and they affect you directly. Or, it could be that you’re simply emotionally sensitive.

Either way, learning how to manage the effects of this is vital to helping you to live a happier and emotionally healthier life. [Read: The 12 signs of an empath – Do you feel deeper than others?]

It’s easy to be carried away on a sea of sensitivity if you allow yourself to be, but you can learn how to pull yourself back and question your thoughts. By doing that, you’ll soon see that there’s no substance behind what you’re thinking and feeling. Instead, you’ve allowed a molehill to turn into a mountain.

Don’t worry! We all do it from time to time, but you do need to take action if this is something that regularly affects you. [Read: 13 avoidable habits that’ll change your life for the worse]

Always remain true to yourself

Despite all of that, if you’re a sensitive soul, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s part of what makes you, you. It’s a beautiful thing to be sensitive but not to a degree that constantly causes you to feel hurt and upset.

You’re not hurting anyone else but yourself. By learning how to handle it all and having tools in your pocket to fix things when they go awry, you can turn the tide and have the good side of sensitivity without the bad.

It’s likely that although people sometimes become frustrated with your sensitivity, they also appreciate it too. You’re probably very quick to pick up on when they’re struggling and they know they can rely upon you.

But, they also have to tread carefully before speaking, in case they upset you. Nobody wants you to change who you are, but if you learn how to be less sensitive, you’ll push yourself towards a much happier and calmer life.

[Read: How to hone and increase your positive emotions in an increasingly negative world]

Learning how to stop being so sensitive takes time and effort, and you’re never going to dull out your emotional sensitivity completely. Embrace it but manage it.

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