Signs You’re Overly Sensitive, Empath (HSP)

If you find yourself feeling constantly offended or hurt, it may be time to take a step back and assess how you’re reacting. Are you overreacting to simple things? Are people’s actions or words triggering a negative response in you? If so, it might be time to consider whether or not you’re too sensitive. While everyone is sensitive in their own way, being overly sensitive can make life difficult for both you and those around you. If this is something that’s been affecting your quality of life, it might be worth seeking out help from a therapist or counselor who can help guide you on how to manage your sensitivity in a more manageable way.

Being a sensitive person (HSP) or what is known as an empath isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  There are many instances in life which require us to be more in-tune to the feelings of others, a bit more sensitive and less calloused.

Having a nice balance between sensitivity and rationality is healthy.  When our sensitive side is untamed and out of control it has the potential to do more harm than good.

Sensitivity gets its origin in both a genetic and environmental aspect.  Some of us are genetically wired to be overly sensitive.  highly when you couple that with coping mechanisms developed in early childhood, it could be a recipe for disaster if left untouched.

Are You Overly Sensitive (HSP)?

It’s quite easy for someone on the outside to point out someone who might be overly sensitive, however, it’s much harder to recognize it in yourself.  This is who you are!  This is normal for you.  Taking a personal inventory is often helpful, and necessary, as long as your answers are genuine.

To help you get started, take a look at the signs below in each of the three main areas of the overly sensitive:  sensitivity of self, sensitivity about others, and environmental sensitivity.

You might be overly sensitive of self if you:

• Often beat yourself up when you don’t meet your own expectations,
• Are terrified of rejection in any form,
• Get frequent physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, pain, upset stomach, etc.,
•  Can’t quit processing negative thoughts and emotions,
• Form unhealthy eating and sleeping habits depending on what’s happening in your life,
• Get angry or highly annoyed with situations in your life you feel are unjust or unmerited.

You might be overly sensitive about others if you:

• Worry about what others think,
• Take things on a personal level even when clearly unintended,
• Feel others are often judgmental of you and your decisions,
• Often feel surrounded by “drama” and complain about it regularly,
• Inability to just “let it go” when faced with even small amounts of turbulence,
• Get offended and even angry with people providing constructive criticism.

You might be overly environmentally sensitive if you:

• Shy away from bright lights, loud noises, and over-powering smells,
• Get irritated at other’s posts on social media sites,
• Are startled easily,
• Feel extreme anxiety when confronted with violence or fear-invoking situations, even on TV,
• Don’t feel comfortable in large groups,
• Get anxious or irritated when too many things are going on simultaneously.

If these signs and symptoms sound like what you’re dealing with, you are probably overly sensitive.  Again, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.  And it’s not the end of the world, though it may seem that way sometimes.

Dealing with Being Overly Sensitive (HSP)

Because being over sensitive is both, genetic and conditioning, we can’t really just “stop” it.  However, we can learn to minimize the effects by dealing with our emotions on a different level.

There isn’t one foolproof way that works for every single person, but if you give it some time and find the right combination of things, you are sure to find a much happier balance in your emotions and levels of sensitivity.