Sensitivity is a Strength

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If you’ve ever been told that you are “too sensitive,” this post is for you. Sensitivity is actually a gift! If you’re a highly sensitive person (HSP), you are highly aware of your senses, surroundings, intuition, emotions, and the needs of other people.

Some of you might be thinking – wait a minute. Isn’t being “too sensitive” a bad thing? Not at all. However, if your sensitive nature affects you in detrimental ways, you will need to learn how to establish strong boundaries and protect yourself. That will be the subject of a future post. For now, know that while being highly sensitive and intuitive is a gift, it’s important not to let the opinions of others shape how you feel about yourself, and to not let the needs of other people supersede your own needs. Take care of you, first and foremost.

Why is sensitivity a strength? I’ll give you some of the reasons, and these are drawn from my own experience. I am a highly sensitive person, and have known this since a young age. As a young girl, I had strong emotions, and an appreciation for writing, art, music, and anything creative. I’ve always been drawn to nature and animals, and have a need for solitude and quiet time to recharge. I also have, at times, become too enmeshed with other people’s lives, needs, and desires, to my detriment.

So, why is sensitivity a gift and a strength, and not a weakness?

As a highly sensitive person (HSP):

1. You have enormous empathy for others.

Empathy means you can easily step into other people’s shoes and see things from their perspective. When someone is hurting, for example, you feel their pain. Some HSPs are also empaths. That’s a subject for another post, but, while strong empathy is a gift, it’s easy to fall victim to narcissists, sociopaths, and scam-artists. These individuals absolutely lack empathy and resent the light that lies inside of you. Basically, they want to “drain” the empathy from you, because it’s something they can never have. Be empathetic, but protect that precious gift.

2. You are probably highly creative.

Being sensitive means that you are in tune with the creative “source.” It’s probably easy for you to either write stories, paint, create new things, or express your creativity through your personal style. Channel this gift as much as you can and have fun with it.

3. Your intuition is strong.

I mention intuition a lot on here – it’s a gift that all of us have access to. It can help us gain insight into decisions we need to make, people to approach (or avoid!), and what path to take when offered options. As a HSP, your intuition is probably highly developed. Use it as much as possible. It won’t steer you wrong.

4. You feel things deeply.

You probably have higher highs – and lower lows – than many people. Even little moments can bring you great joy!

5. You have heightened perception and are spiritual.

Your perception helps you pick up on subtleties that other people might miss. This can help you anticipate what someone might want, which can help at work, and with friendships and relationships. You’re also spiritual, and feel strongly connected to animals and nature.

6. You’re a natural healer.

As an HSP, you are probably drawn to healing arts like reiki, or to medicine and related health fields. Your empathy for others and distaste for human suffering makes you a natural fit for these roles. Be careful, though, as these industries can also attract covert narcissists, who prey on the giving nature of the HSPs and empaths in the field.

Weaknesses:

Wait, I thought you said sensitivity is a strength? It is. However, it can be a weakness when your boundaries are not strong enough, when you don’t trust your intuition and give the wrong people the benefit of the doubt, and when you take things personally.

Trust me – I’ve done all of the above many times, and will probably do them again. I’ve allowed my boundaries to become too porous. I’ve ignored my intuition and allowed narcissistic individuals to take advantage of me – and bully me! There have been times when I’ve taken criticism to heart. I’ve allowed my emotions to have too much control over me, and said things I’ve regretted. This is all part of the learning process when developing HSP and empathetic gifts. Watch this space for information about boundaries, being an empath, and more.

Are you a highly sensitive person? What have you done to develop this gift?