How To Turn Your Sensitivity Into Your Greatest Strength

According to researcher Elaine Aron, about 15-20 percent of the population are highly sensitive people due to the nature of their nervous system. These people, who generally have an inclination towards overstimulation, emotional reactivity and empathy due to their sensitivity, are not always well received by society

Denial of sensitivity is a problem of our time, as sensitivity is often associated with weakness. That is why most people suppress their sensitivity, not realizing that properly developed and enhanced it is an invaluable virtue.

But denying your own sensitivity and repressing feelings, especially negative ones, only makes them linger and turn into unsolved problems. However, being aware of your own sensitivity and expressing it allows us to release an emotional energy that can be channeled creatively and constructively. 

Sensitivity is a natural thing

Sensitivity is the ability to collect sensory information with the nervous system. It is neutral and is therefore neither good nor bad. It is like a sensitive microphone that picks up the subtlest sounds.

The sensitive nervous system can pick up the emotions of people, the weather, lighting, sounds, smells and much more, and then process the thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions that have been generated within itself.

Accept emotions

To turn sensitivity into a strength it is necessary to accept oneself and know how to put our emotions under control so that they act in our favor and not like a runaway horse.  These reins are not to repress or deny them, but to release emotions in time and in the right way.

The repression or avoidance of emotions often results in what are known as meta-emotions, that is, emotions about emotions, such as being angry about being sad or feeling guilty because you are excited.

Many people treasure a whole series of conscious or unconscious avoidance behaviors that prevent them from feeling both negative and positive emotions. Their sensitivity can make it seem like the experiences are too overwhelming, so they intentionally destroy them.

This can be something as simple as turning on the television after work to avoid reflecting on the day’s problems, or drinking or using certain substances to numb the stimulation of complex social settings. These are some of the ways to ignore or intellectualize emotions, an excuse not to have to deal with them. But they are not the only ones.

To counteract this tendency, you have to recognize an emotion when it is there, accept it for what it is, feel it without making judgments, and accept the physical reactions it provokes in order to let it go.

Sensitivity, passion and creativity

One trait that often comes with being sensitive is being passionate and creative. Sensitive people are often artists, and vice versa, as they are more aware of their emotions and are better able to communicate them to others through their work.

Unfortunately, education tends to value more scientific skills and those related to business from an early age, which distances children from artistic expression, leaving this as a mere complement to the one that is dispensed with when other “more important issues ”Take more time.

However, all of us in our hearts feel passion for something, despite what others think. That is where you have to dump any strong feelings, which will serve as a compass that tells you what you want to do with your time.

Rest and reflect

Sensitive people often tend to be very thoughtful, especially if they spend too much time in intense environments that are potentially overwhelming for them.  A good idea for sensitive people is to find time to do reflective practices, and even put them in writing in the form of a journal, thus allowing more time for the level of saturation by external stimulation to drop.

By taking specific time to stop and think, we can become more aware of our situation and the subtle nuances that impact our day to day, constantly, like the drop of water on the rock.