Embracing Your Sensitive Soul

"Never apologise for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you have a big heart and aren't afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength." Brigitte Nicole

You are a unique individual made up of many parts. Your innate sensitivity is an integral part of who you are as a person. You cannot change it. It is part of what makes you you. You can either choose to embrace it or you can choose to resist it. Fighting your sensitive nature will consume much valuable energy and create endless inner conflict for you. It will also lower your self-esteem in the process. When you reject, repress or deny parts of yourself that you dislike or that you view as flawed by refusing to acknowledge them, then you will also lack integrity as a person. That is, you will not be true to yourself which will create constant disharmony within.

It does not matter what others think of you. What matters is what you think of yourself. After all, you're the one you have to live with 100 percent of the time. Just as you will not like and accept everybody you meet for who they are, other people will not always like and accept you for who you are. It is unrealistic to think that you can please everybody all of the time. Knowing this is important in order for you to accept yourself for who you are. When you resist your sensitivity in order to hide your true self from the world, for fear of rejection or whatever, then it will be more challenging for you to manage. However, when you do choose to acknowledge and accept it as an integral part of who you are, it will be easier for you to manage. Doing so will also help you to experience greater levels of inner peace.

So how did you come to be so sensitive? More likely than not, you were born that way. As to what degree, that will vary between individuals. Some of you will be more sensitive than others. It is possible that the sensitive soul has a higher than usual reactive sympathetic nervous system making you more sensitive than most other people to all forms of environmental stimuli. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for alerting you to any real or perceived danger in order to protect you, whereas the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for calming your nervous system down after the threat has gone, thereby returning you to a state of balance and harmony. Ideally, you will embrace activities that you know will relax your nervous system rather than have it remain in a state of constant arousal. Alternatively, you may have inherited your sensitive nature from your family or you were born with a sensitive soul in order to bring healing, peace, compassion and understanding to the world.

As a child, being sensitive may have been embraced by those around you or it may have been squashed as it was considered unacceptable. If the latter, it will most likely take a little longer for you to embrace being sensitive as an adult. You may also find that your level of sensitivity will increase with age, for whatever reason, as has been my experience. Whether this increase is the result of an accumulation of unresolved emotional baggage, due to a reduction in tolerance or naturally occurs, it is something to be aware of.

So what attributes determine that you are a sensitive soul? If you find yourself identifying with most of the following traits, then you can consider yourself to be a sensitive soul.

Chances are, if you are still reading this book, you have identified with being a sensitive soul. Alternatively, you are a therapist who seeks to understand in order to help your clients, or you know someone close to you that displays these attributes. You may, however, view some of the previous attributes as negative, but on the flip side, there are also many positive qualities that the sensitive soul possesses.

Hopefully, you can now see that you have many positive qualities in which to share with the world; you are not such a flawed person after all. There is nothing wrong with you; you do not need fixing. Just like everybody else, you too, have strengths and weaknesses, perceived or otherwise. And no, you are not perfect, but neither is anybody else. Besides, what you may view as a weakness can always be worked on to lessen its impact on your daily life.

In hindsight, what you may perceive to be a weakness can often turn out to be your greatest strength in disguise. In the overall scheme of things, there could be far worse traits that you could possess. You may at times view being sensitive as a curse. However, your purpose in life is to shine a light on what may sometimes seem like a cruel, dark world by showing compassion and understanding to those who are troubled. Although some aspects of being a sensitive soul may be rather challenging at times, where possible, try and focus on your positive qualities and what you have to offer.

Throughout the following chapters, we will explore various strategies and therapies that may assist you in managing and integrating all aspects of being a sensitive soul. Developing a better understanding of yourself by learning what it means to be sensitive will not only improve your ability to cope but also increase your level of self-acceptance. As energy levels and managing emotions, whether they are yours or others, are the most challenging aspects of being a sensitive soul, they will be the main focus on this particular journey.

Recognising Energy Drains

"May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know its' beauty all the days of your life." Apache Blessing

By being very sensitive to your environment and having limited reserves of energy, it is vital for your wellbeing to recognise what or who drains your energy. Your energy levels will...