Being emotionally sensitive is never a bad thing, so long as you are not over-sensitive and know where to draw the line. It is important to learn how to manage your strong feelings in a way that they become your allies, not enemies. Know that you are oversensitive when you unintentionally misinterpret constructive, everyday interactions. This can greatly affect your ability to stay happy. It is therefore important to learn how to stop being sensitive. It does not have to be very difficult, but you have to be persistent and be willing to use confidence and common sense to balance your sensitivity.
A 9-Step Guide to Help You Manage
Before going any further, you need to realize that you need to make changes to your behavior and take steps to avoid over-reacting to life's everyday events. Here are some tips that will help make it easier to react more positively to upsetting situations.
1. Know Your True Feelings
To be able to overcome your emotional sensitivity, you need to be in a position to identify your real feelings about everything. Know if you are feeling sad, disappointed, angry, or something else. The idea is to label your emotion first and then find out the reason why you feel this way.
2. Discover Why You Have Those Feelings
Once you know your feelings, you have to delve deeper into the details to know exactly why you feel the way you do. Most people set their expectations very high and become upset when the things do not turn out the way they wanted. This could be the reason why you are feeling upset. It is also possible to feel upset when someone has said something offensive.
3. Know When to Address the Problem
To learn how to stop being sensitive, you need to understand when you should address the problem and when to let it go. Some situations do not require any response – you just have to let them go. However, you may want to talk to a friend or family member who has seriously hurt your feelings. Not discussing that problem is only going to result in resentment and anger. But, usually there is no need to be emotional when you are slighted by a co-worker – just learn to let it go and you will feel better.
4. Put You in Place of Your Friend
The idea is to know what you would be saying if your friend would be dealing with the same situation. When you are oversensitive, you are likely to be much kinder to others as compared to yourself. You may not find a situation that upsetting when you would be helping a friend deal with that situation. For instance, if you think that no one at work likes you, just think what you would say if your friend says the same thing to herself.
5. Make Youself Feel Better
Just by changing how you think about different situations, you will notice a huge change in yourself. It is natural to be hard on yourself when you are highly sensitive. While it is never easy, you have to learn how to change the way you think about a particular situation. Just by making a change here, you will be able to change the way you feel. You have to replace your negative thoughts with healthier, more balanced thoughts. Instead of thinking about how someone has treated you, you will be better off thinking more about how natural it is for anyone to make mistake.
6. Distract Your Mind
Want to know how to stop being sensitive? Instead of focusing too much on upsetting situations, do something to distract your mind. You have to think positively and develop other coping skills. Simply going for a walk may work wonders. Participating in a hobby or calling a close friend may also make you feel better and get your mind off things.
7. Do Not Label Yourself
It is common for sensitive people to be labeled as 'whiner' or 'cry-baby' – there are people who will give you other labels too. Understand that you should never let those behaviors affect you. Sometimes, you start putting all your focus on those labels and take it as truth. Even if you cry a lot, that does not mean you should focus only on this aspect of your personality. It is better to take that label as a motivation to do whatever you can to remove it. If they call you a crybaby, do not take it as insult but prove them wrong by showing emotions that are more socially appropriate.
8. Try Meditation
Mindfulness meditation can really help you understand how to stop being sensitive. By practicing meditation, you will be in a better position to accept your emotions without judging them. Just sit in a quiet place where there is no one to distract you. Now, take slow, deep breaths and focus on the sound of your breathing. Do it for a few minutes and then slowly expand your focus. Accept all the sensations and thoughts you experience without judging them as good or bad. If it is hard to focus on other sensations, like sound, smell, etc., begin focusing more on your breathing again.
9. Show Some Compassion
You should show some compassion not only when dealing with others but also when approaching yourself. Do not be too hard on yourself. There is no point in avoiding relationships just because you think that a single mistake will break that relationship. Learn to assume the best about everyone around you. Never assume that someone has tried to hurt you on purpose. Being compassionate will help ignore other people's mistake and that will make it easier to manage your emotions.