Are you too sensitive?

[migimortis]

The slightest things cause me intense emotional turmoil and I have no idea why. I'm consciously aware of my sensitivity but I have no idea how to cure it. It could be as benign as someone could say something and I feel like killing myself. It makes it impossible to function when the emotions are this intense but I have no way to stop it. It's even led to me developing an alcohol addiction because I have no other way of coping emotionally. I feel like an utterly pathetic weakling. I would like to overcome this anguish but as time goes on I lose more and more hope. How do you overcome/deal with this issue?

Is anyone else too emotionally sensitive? What is your experience with it?

 

[soulkitty]

Yes I've been very sensitive for all of my life, I resonate so much with what you said Even the slightest thing can trigger such powerful emotions, it's like my emotions have an exposed nerve ending. It makes things that normal people can just shrug off very damaging to me mentally. It's really hard to navigate the world like this, especially when everything affects you so much differently, reality can feel so overwhelming. I've also had addictions because the emotions are so heavy and crushing, I definitely understand what you mean. It's hard not to turn to substances to numb the excruciating pain that we experience from even the tiniest things

My experience is it can make relationships hard to maintain because I get hurt easily, I also feel way too much for people and tend to have very strong sentimental value towards them, even if I haven't known them for long. When I was little I would cry if someone even looked at me wrong haha, or if someone tone was slightly off. Sometimes I still do lmao although it's more rare I'm not really sure how to overcome this issue, I'm sorry you have to deal with it too :( it's nice to know though that I'm not alone in it. I think as time goes on it has gotten a bit better, but very very slowly. Something that kind of works for me is immediately distract myself anyway I can until I'm in a better state to handle whatever triggered the volatile amount of emotions, I wish I could think of more ways to cope with it

 

[migimortis]

Yes I've been very sensitive for all of my life, I resonate so much with what you said Even the slightest thing can trigger such powerful emotions, it's like my emotions have an exposed nerve ending. It makes things that normal people can just shrug off very damaging to me mentally. It's really hard to navigate the world like this, especially when everything affects you so much differently, reality can feel so overwhelming. I've also had addictions because the emotions are so heavy and crushing, I definitely understand what you mean. It's hard not to turn to substances to numb the excruciating pain that we experience from even the tiniest things

My experience is it can make relationships hard to maintain because I get hurt easily, I also feel way too much for people and tend to have very strong sentimental value towards them, even if I haven't known them for long. When I was little I would cry if someone even looked at me wrong haha, or if someone tone was slightly off. Sometimes I still do lmao although it's more rare I'm not really sure how to overcome this issue, I'm sorry you have to deal with it too :( it's nice to know though that I'm not alone in it. I think as time goes on it has gotten a bit better, but very very slowly. Something that kind of works for me is immediately distract myself anyway I can until I'm in a better state to handle whatever triggered the volatile amount of emotions, I wish I could think of more ways to cope with it

This has been my entire life, I just learned to hide it due to being a male (I would be bullied otherwise). It's so unbelievably soul crushing not being able to function because of my own sensitivity. I've entertained the idea it could be BPD because I can't think of what else it could be, but I've always stayed away from relationships due to being emotionally unable to deal with them. My sensitivity caused me to develop agoraphobia and anxiety as I developed an extreme fear of social interaction due to getting hurt all the time. Yes I also developed that coping strategy of distracting myself until I calm down it's the only way I know how to slow down the emotional turmoil before it gets too unbearable. I just wish there was a solution. I really can't live like this any longer. Thank you for sharing though it helps.

 

[soulkitty]

This has been my entire life, I just learned to hide it due to being a male (I would be bullied otherwise). It's so unbelievably soul crushing not being able to function because of my own sensitivity. I've entertained the idea it could be BPD because I can't think of what else it could be, but I've always stayed away from relationships due to being emotionally unable to deal with them. My sensitivity caused me to develop agoraphobia and anxiety as I developed an extreme fear of social interaction due to getting hurt all the time. Yes I also developed that coping strategy of distracting myself until I calm down it's the only way I know how to slow down the emotional turmoil before it gets too unbearable. I just wish there was a solution. I really can't live like this any longer. Thank you for sharing though it helps.

Its horrible that society made it so you have to hide it just because you're a male, I hate when people say men shouldn't cry or feel emotional it's such bullshit, I'm so sorry. Damn it's like you read my mind, I couldn't relate more. I also have entertained the idea that its BPD. It made me develop agoraphobia and anxiety as well, sometimes I'm too terrified to even leave my room for days on end because I'm scared to interact with people in any way. I feel that, it's extremely hard to live this way, it's almost made me CTB so many times. I hope you find someway to overcome this eventually, I really hate that you have to go through this pain too I'm glad my reply helped a bit!

 

[Ares]

Yes. It's always illogical. It's so easy to blame others and hate them. I know I shouldn't sometimes. Other times it's warranted. It doesn't take much to hurt me. But once it's done the first time, I don't make that same mistake. That sticks with me, it becomes a part of me. I carry that pain, suffering, and futility with me. I will close myself off entirely to all vulnurability and emotional instability, that person will have no place in my heart beyond that as motivation to surpass them as a person who has looked down on me. I take everything as a slight. Yet, when I truly understand that I am in the right to think as much, that my hate is for once actually justified? I will not hesitate to abandon any such individual. I won't be taken advantage of again.

 

[theboy]

yes

 

[Jorms_McGander]

Yeah; people have different levels of sensitivity from birth. It's not something that's usually talked about. I don't think I am "too" sensitive, cuz that suggests I'm in the wrong for existing. So, here's an invitation to just be a sensitive person. Some people aren't, some people are. I have to be careful about what I expose myself to because emotional stamina is willpower is a finite resource that I will run out of much faster than others.

People don't understand, and I don't ask them to anymore. Those who cannot be compassionate to me cannot be in my life because they drain my emotional stamina.

 

[eatantz]

I take everything personally, nothing in my life is casual. Of course there's the sad and negative emotions but people don't speak on the 'positive' feelings. Being emotionally sensitive makes life so taxing since at the smallest acts of kindness I take it to another level. I've been in many toxic friendships were I'm basically a slave to that person because I love them so much for just talking to me.

Not to mention I fall in love so easily and obsess over people for just sticking by me. The reason I dropped out of normal school was because my friend wanted to hang out with other people, I cried constantly for a week I skipped school and died inside. My autism does have a big factor in this, I just cant stand caring so much about everything. I cried for 4 hours in school once because my friend moved a row Infront of me, I had such a big meltdown the headteacher had to call my mum and try to calm me down.

Honestly this site has been a struggle for me, every time I read peoples posts I get overcome with sadness and take their pain like it was mine. I find myself crying a lot while reading posts and I take everyone's opinions like their law. I idolise people so easily too its no wonder I've been manipulated so many times :/
Not sure how I'm going to cope at uni

 

[crystal_meth97]

Way too sensitive. I have BPD and Asperger's, so that explains it. I can empathize with your coping mechanism, as I'm a recovering alcoholic, going on 6 months of sobriety. Just be careful with alcohol - if abused, it can make your life more miserable at best and ruin it at worst. How do I manage being too sensitive? I'm in therapy, learning skills to help me manage my intense emotions and over-the-top emotional responses, and I try to talk myself out of extreme reactions when something triggers me, I'm doing my best to apply what I learn in therapy IRL. Other than that, I just try to make my life as stress-free as possible and avoid unnecessary triggers. The world will not change to accommodate me and my needs, I'm aware, but I'm trying to use whatever I can to my benefit.