Struggling with Hypersensitivity?
A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Emotions and Staying in Your Lane
Struggling with hypersensitivity? I am right there with you. This has been my “flaw” ever since I can remember. I use quotes because I question if it is a flaw, recognizing that my sensitivity has allowed me a strong sense of empathy in my career as well as in my personal life. But there is also an aspect of this trait that causes a lot of pain and unnecessary inner turmoil. Below is a 5 step guide to regulating your emotional reactions so that you can remain socially engaged, but not fall down the rabbit hole of insecurity and self-doubt.
- Step 1: Thank yourself for being a perceptive and attuned individual, either in recognizing your own feelings or the energies around you.
- Step 2: Identify the button that has been pushed. Is it your fears of not being good enough? What specifically do you believe you lack? A good job? A good body? A good mind? An interesting life? This is our private inner world that we work feverishly to overcome or deny, and we hope that no one notices. So when this button is pushed, we spiral into a thought pattern that convinces us we are unsafe and unlovable.
- Step 3: Ground yourself in the belief that you are safe and lovable. Before we can do this, we must first determine if the person who made the statement did it intentionally. If so, this becomes an interpersonal issue, that is best handled through effective communication or through mindful detachment from this person.
But if you have determined no ill will on behalf of the other person, then having your button pushed is illuminating the false belief you have about yourself and this becomes an opportunity towards cultivating unwavering self-love.
- Step 4: *two options here*
A. See that having your button pushed is fuel for your journey towards rectifying what it is you believe you lack. Today is the first day of attacking your goal.
B. Or let go of someone else’s perception of you and your desire for approval, and instead work to approve of yourself. If you find this hard, take time to examine the origin of your beliefs. Who’s values are you living up to? Your parents? Your friends? Society? Why are you playing the comparison game? It is up to you to unfollow, unsubscribe, and delete the material that is hampering your inner peace.
Use this time to sit quietly and reflect if this is time for movement or self-acceptance.
- Step 5: Get going or get talking. If you decided that there is room for improvement, then make a plan. Write down small daily and weekly goals that will get you where you want to be. If you chose the road of self-acceptance, then talk to yourself. Tell yourself how much you love and approve of your job, your body, your mind, and your life.
“Feed your mind faith. Feed it truth. Feed it with love.”
“The more I work on loving myself, the more I attract people who love themselves too.”
