How to Be Less Sensitive: Embrace Your Gift

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If you’re someone like me, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Stop being so sensitive”, or some variation of it. And if you’re anything like me, then you got irritated anytime someone said it to you and you may wonder how to be less sensitive. 

I am a sensitive person and I have learned to embrace my sensitivity, but I’ve also learned to ignore people’s rude comments about me being sensitive. I’ve learned that being a sensitive person is part of my makeup and no person should be forced to change what’s in their DNA. 

As I’ve gone through my journey of self love and started discovering different facets of myself, I have learned so much about who I am. I’ve learned that being a sensitive person means I’m a person of discernment, empathy, compassion, and caring. 

In this article, I want to share what it means to be a sensitive person, how to be less sensitive, but also how to embrace being a sensitive person. 

What Does It Mean to Be Sensitive?

Often when you hear someone being called sensitive it is done negatively. Usually, the person calling someone else sensitive is trying to tell the person they are weak or something is wrong with them. 

I used to be so hurt when people called me sensitive because it felt like a weakness. It felt like I wasn’t being understood as an individual and also that something was wrong with me. I thought I had to toughen up or be hard. 

What I’ve learned is that being sensitive means feeling things that others don’t. I realized that I was able to discern others’ emotions a lot easier than other people. When someone was having a bad day, I could feel it when I was around them. 

The closer a relationship I was with people, the easier it was to sense their emotions. Being sensitive wasn’t a weakness, but it was a gift. Recognizing and acknowledging when people were feeling down helped them to feel understood and cared for. 

The Problem With Being Sensitive

I know I shared how being sensitive is a gift, but there are also some challenges to being sensitive. Those of us who are more sensitive can be more easily hurt by others. We care about others so deeply that harsh words or criticism can be felt in a very strong way.

I know there is a saying that most of us learned as children that sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt us. The truth is that words hurt a lot more than sticks and stones. The words that people use towards others can be very hurtful, especially if that person is a close friend or family member. 

If you know someone that is considered a sensitive person, then I want you to be more considerate of the words you use towards that person. Even words used in a joking manner can be felt at a deep level.

Please think about what you say before you say it. Although you are not responsible for how another person feels or responds to something said, it is important to at least think before you speak. 

A person being sensitive does not mean that they are weak or insecure or lacking confidence. It means that they can feel things that not everyone else can. They can sense the feelings and emotions of others at a deeper level.

Think about the people in your life that you consider to be sensitive. What are they passionate about? What type of career do they have? What do they care about? How do they respond when others are hurting? These people are more often in career fields that take care of the needs of others. 

How to Be Less Sensitive

DON’T!

You should not be trying to force yourself to be someone that you are not. While so many people view being sensitive as a negative trait, I am encouraging you to embrace who you are and embrace the gift inside of you. 

God created each one of us fearfully and wonderfully and we each have a different assignment here on earth. Everything you need for the calling of your life is already inside of you, so stop trying to change parts of who you are.

If you are someone who is considered to be sensitive, then there is a reason for that gift. If you don’t know what that reason is then you need to stop and spend time with God asking Him about the purpose of the gift. 

Take time getting to know who you are and look to see how all of the pieces of you fit together so perfectly. I’m talking about the real you, the one you may not fully see or understand yet, the one you need to acknowledge and fall in love with.

Check out these great notebooks to take notes as you learn about who you are.

The next time someone calls you sensitive change how you internalize that remark. You don’t have to say anything out loud to the person. Understand that you are a kind, caring, compassionate person, who can sense how others are truly feeling.

Embrace the loving person that you are and know that the person who said it is probably speaking from a place of hurt. Instead of being angry with them, try to see them as a person who is hurting and needs someone to love them but doesn’t know how to ask.

You are a gift to world so embrace who you are and move forward in life loving other’s the way you love yourself.