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How To Be Less Sensitive And Navigate Life Easier

There are times when we overreact and become more sensitive than we need to be…

Researched, written by Amber & The Team
Updated on July 9, 2023

// Related to Mental Health Resilience

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Images via depositphotos

Being sensitive can cause us stress, but just don’t rush to feel bad about it – being sensitive is good quality and there is nothing wrong with that.

However, there are times when we can overreact and become more sensitive than we need to be.

Sooner or later, it causes us negative emotions and distress.

Now, being less sensitive means that you can handle tough situations better.

You can also be more confident and less sensitive to how others are feeling.

The only thing you need to do is learn how to manage your emotions so that you don’t feel negatively attached to things, situations, or to what someone is saying or doing.

Learning to manage stress also helps.

We can find ways to deal with stress by changing our behavior – and it’s extremely important to do that for our mental, physical and spiritual health.

In this article, I’m going to share with you some ideas on how to be less sensitive and navigate this life a bit easier.

How To Be Less Sensitive: What’s Behind Sensitivity And Best Ways To Help Yourself

IMAGES VIA DEPOSITPHOTOS

What Does It Mean To Be Sensitive?

The definition of a very sensitive person is a person who experiences intense personal, physical, emotional, or even psychological reactions to different stimuli.

This could include both external stimuli, such as your environment and the people around you, and internal ones, such as your own emotions, thoughts, and realizations.

It could also mean being very reactive when something doesn’t seem right, having great difficulty in accepting criticism, and interpreting body language and speech incorrectly.

Being sensitive can also mean that you are easily upset, hurt, and annoyed by what you don’t like or what you think is not right.

When looking at what does it mean to be highly sensitive people, it’s important to consider that this trait can come in various forms.

Some individuals can be highly sensitive to noises and the actions of other people, while others can be highly sensitive to changes in their environment.

Other individuals can be highly sensitive to specific types of tastes or smells, such as foods or perfumes.

Others may be highly sensitive to life changes and various negative situations.

How To Be Less Sensitive: 4 Essential Stones To Turn

1. Learn To Be Mindful Of Your Emotions

This is a psychological approach.

If you want to be less sensitive, start with emotional self-regulation.

You need to figure out how to manage your emotions so that you don’t let yourself get too caught up in them. The best way to do that is to be mindful of your emotions by:

• Noticing your emotions;
• Observing them without judgment;
• Feeling them;
• Accepting them;
• Letting them pass.

For example, if you feel anger coming up, try to stay present and take note of the emotions as they arise, rather than trying to stop them.

Observe your anger as if you were a watcher.

Do not judge it, or yourself – just let the anger pass through you, or wait it out until it dissolves.

Accept that you feel anger right now.

Remember – all emotions are normal and it’s okay to have them, even the negative ones.

With a mindful approach, sensitive people can handle emotional experiences better. You can be less sensitive to your feelings and be much more mindful.

Whether you have responded to a recent traumatic event, or have been through difficult times in your personal relationships, dealing with those emotions effectively is a choice you make. If you give the effort to be mindful of your emotions and feel them instead of trying to fight them, you’ll be able to respond to life’s changes, people, and situations better (instead of stewing endlessly in disappointment).

2. Practice Being Present

Being present helps to distract you from the sensations you feel.

It’s especially important when your life situation or other people are hurtful.

It also keeps you grounded in reality and can take a significant amount of anxiety, guilt, and other unpleasant emotions away.

If you’re used to regretting your past or worrying about your future, this is a must for you.

Learning how to be less sensitive takes a lot less time once you start paying attention to the present moment.

You know, this exact moment!

Because when you think well, this exact moment is the only reality that really exists.

Anything else (the past, the future) either doesn’t exist anymore or doesn’t exist yet.

The present moment is all we really have.

So stay in this moment.

Focus on it.

Even if it’s unpleasant, it’s a part of life, and you can deal with it (and no, you don’t have to solve a myriad of imaginary scenarios that make you anxious about the future).

How do you practice being present in your daily life?

You can do that by doing things by fully immersing in them.

Here’s an example of a mindful eating process:

3. Criticism?

Just Accept It

Criticism is oftentimes very difficult to handle, especially if it’s coming from someone you value and admire.

Overreacting to negative feedback is one of the biggest causes of low self-esteem and stress.

So, how to be less sensitive when facing criticism?

By practicing mindfulness (yes, again!).

Mindfulness is very useful because it helps you to build your self-esteem and gives you the ability to let go of any expectations that may have been created by what you hear or see.

Mindfulness can also help you to get used to negative emotions, so you can be less scared of them.

If you’re not allowing yourself to experience feelings of embarrassment, disappointment, or even shame due to criticisms, you shut down your ability to be thoughtful and flexible.

Instead of feeling bad about how you’re responding to someone else’s negative criticism, you could learn to welcome it – and even embrace it!

4. See Your Sensitivity As a Benefit

Being highly sensitive is advantageous because it allows you to be more creative and resourceful.

Highly sensitive people get a lot accomplished because they allow their ideas and creativity to surface.

You should consider using sensitivity as a skill because it can be a tool to make progress on your path to success!

It’s important to note that sensitive people are able to process information at a faster rate than others can.

Sensitives can also remember things better, analyze things better, and think about things in more detail than other people.

It would be a shame to not make use of these fantastic abilities.

Final Thoughts

Being sensitive is just one of the many different personality traits that we have.

There are also empathy, creativity, emotional awareness, and imagination.

It just so happens sensitive people tend to be ultra-susceptible to various physical and emotional stimuli.

It’s not necessarily bad, but it could help you to learn how to be less sensitive just for the sake of your emotional, physical and psychological wellness.

Like these tips?

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Amber & The Team

Co-authors at ShineSheets.com

"We love to research problems, examine studies, analyze solutions, and present to you the best ideas that make life healthier. You can learn about our editorial standards here.

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