How to navigate the world as a sensitive soul
I didn’t really know I was sensitive until this year (yes the year 2023 at the grand old age of 34).
For a long time I was out of alignment with who I was, not listening to myself closely and understanding the intricacies that make me who I am. What I realised is that I am sensitive, gentle and soft, and that it’s safe to let that part of me be seen.
Yet, we all wear masks, like a wall between us and the world, we are protected when encased in the mask that hides our true feelings. We think this keeps us safe yet it actually keeps people away because they can never get close to the wonder of who we truly are.
I have four 7’s in my soul contract which is all about coming out of hiding and becoming one unified person, which is why my mask has taken me so long to slowly let go of, but it is coming off.
I also see the masks of people around me slowly slipping and it’s a beautiful thing to witness. I see it in my brother when he confides in me, I see it in my best friend sharing her fears and I see it in the tears of someone who I haven’t seen cry before. Vulnerability is so powerful yet we’ve been taught it’s a weakness.
Sometimes it can cause unnecessary pain and suffering as our natural empathy means we feel things too deeply. But in so many other moments it can be truly beautiful, allowing us to feel the wonder and magnificence of this world.
We’re human beings after all and emotions are a part of us whether we want them to be or not. So, how do we navigate this world as a sensitive soul?
Finding the balance of sensitivity
The trick is to find the balance between being overly sensitive and not sensitive at all.
There are those who bury their sensitivity down so they seem like nothing can shake them, yet it’s these people who are often the most sensitive, who have the hardest exteriors that they’ve built, layer upon layer, to hide the deep pain that they carry around.
It’s like they’ve become numb, to both the joy and the horror of this world, unable to tune into the empathy that helps them connect to those and the world around them.
And, just like there are those who are desensitised to the world, there are those who are overly sensitive.
Usually this comes from a traumatic experience. It can also just be a part of what makes you who you are. Yet, either way, being overly sensitive carries its own issues and can make life much more painful than it really is.
The trick is, as with all things, is to find the sweet spot between allowing yourself to feel but not to the point that it overwhelms you. This is the golden point of balance; physically, emotionally and spiritually that will allow you to gracefully move through life.
In either extreme, whether under sensitive or over sensitive, there is work to be done on the inner plane to heal from the traumatic experiences that caused you to either shut down the gentle, sensitive side of yourself, or force you into a state of hypersensitivity.
Learning to feel your emotions
The world is where we come to feel things. It’s known as the earth school of emotions.
In my experience through Kinesiology, if we avoid feeling our experiences and acknowledging our pain, then our unmet emotional needs often manifest as physical symptoms, prompting us to address the emotions that we haven’t processed.
Our mind and body are one unit and cannot be separated, so if we don’t address our inner world of emotions then the external terrain of our physical bodies bears the consequences (and here’s where the emotional stress often goes).
If you’re a sensitive soul then you’re likely going to fall into one of two categories; either you’ll feel all the feelings very strongly or you’ll know you’re feeling something but you can’t put your finger on what it is or are reluctant to explore it.
It’s ironic that often the most sensitive souls amongst us are the most disconnected to our inner well of emotions (and I speak from experience here). In a soul contract these people often have 8’s in a karmic position, like me, meaning that they’re very sensitive to the feelings of others yet can’t always understand the feelings within themselves.
It’s almost like a defence mechanism; to avoid going inwards we feel too much outwardly.
We have a fear of journeying inwards because we think it will make us even more sensitive, even more fragile and even more susceptible to drowning under the weight of emotions, but that’s not the case.
Feeling is healing and makes us stronger, more empowered and more capable of compassion, for ourselves and for those around us.
So, if you’re sensitive and you’re avoiding your feelings then perhaps you can start looking inwards so you can start to use your sensitivity as a strength.
The importance of boundaries for sensitive souls
Sensitive people need boundaries and not just with others, they really need them with themselves too.
It could look like resting when you feel tired, commiting to something you promised yourself or saying no when something doesn’t serve you. Personal boundaries keep us connected to our truth and on track with our sense of self.
If you’re a sensitive soul you also become an easy target for energy vampires and emotional manipulators who want to control you to feed their own fragile sense of self-worth. So, establishing boundaries is a powerful way to avoid your gentleness and sensitivity being used against you.
I’ve had lots of not-so-fun experiences with these types of people and I’ve learnt the hard way that you need to be extra careful, more so than other people, of these people creeping into your life.
This doesn’t mean you need to be scared or wary of people, you just need to have good systems in place to help you understand when your sensitivity is letting people in who don’t have your highest and best interests at heart.
It’s knowing your red flags, it’s sense checking situations with people you trust, it’s tuning into your gut feelings that kick in far more innately than your brain, and using your sensitivity as a guide to help you know what’s true and what’s not.
Look after your mind, body and soul
We all need to be careful of the information we consume, the people we spend time with, the things that we watch and the environments that we live in, but even more so if we’re sensitive.
Because, if you’re sensitive, then you probably pick up on a lot more than other people do. You’re more highly attuned to feeling things physically, energetically and emotionally, which is why it’s important to safeguard yourself to stay balanced, grounded and healthy and avoid exhausting yourself or reaching the point of burnout.
I find that I have to balance my sensitivity by grounding in nature, getting enough rest, not spending too much time with people, being careful of the Netflix shows I watch and making sure my home is energetically clean. I want all of these things to nourish me, rather than deplete me.
Only you know what feels balancing and grounding for you so I invite you to tune into what feels good in your life and to gently start noticing what feels good and what causes strain and stress, then start doing more of what feels good and less of what doesn’t.
Listen to your body, it knows what you need, and let go of any shame for needing to live at a different pace to someone else. Allow yourself to be guided by your own unique needs.
Being sensitive is a strength, but only when you truly acknowledge it instead of letting it overwhelm you or seeing it as a weakness you have to fix.
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