Sensitive people believe things can be better and work hard to make it so. It is hard for a sensitive person to see suffering without trying to relieve the pain, to see heartache without expressing love and to see a challenge without problem-solving. The empathetic nature of a sensitive person is often invisible to most, and as such, is often ignored or misunderstood.
Sensitive people are often so giving of their time and energy that they forget to worry about their own lives and the habits that may be overwhelming them. It’s an innate quality that can be difficult to navigate with outside influences establishing the expectations of how you should act.
Sensitive People Should Always Avoid These Twelve Habits
1. Drinking too much caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that increases blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration, and activates your “fight or flight” response. These symptoms can often lead sensitive people into an anxiety attack.
Moderate amounts of caffeine can bring some mental benefits – increased alertness, motivation, concentration, memory, and attention. The key word is moderation; no more than 400 mg for a day. Too much caffeine triggers irritability, nervousness, restlessness, upset stomach, fast heartbeat, and muscle tremors.
As with nearly everything, use caffeine wisely and in moderation. This is certainly advisable if you are a sensitive person.
2. Emotional eating
This habit can be tough to break for sensitive people because food can help them absorb emotion, and it often leads to overeating in stressful situations. If they have a bad day at work, they can come home and make a favorite comfort food to take the day’s stresses away. While the food they eat might make them temporarily happy, it doesn’t solve the underlying issues.
If you’re a sensitive person who feels overwhelmed, try to get at the heart of the problem instead of covering it up with sugary or fattening foods that won’t serve your best interests in the long run. Feel the emotion that makes you want to eat and analyze the triggers, then create a favorable substitute that will actually benefit your mind, body, and spirit.
3. Participation in chaotic social situations
Highly sensitive people react to certain stimuli much more intensely due to the programming in their brains – their frequencies pick up noises, emotions, facial expressions, and energy in much more depth than others might. For example, if they go into a grocery store or mall packed with people, they might instantly feel negative energy permeate their body, which will affect their mood and emotions. When they pick up on the collective energy of certain places, they can become easily overwhelmed by intense emotions and vibrations.
Tip: Try practicing grounding techniques, such as root chakra meditations to help feel secure and connected to source energy at all times.
4. Avoiding your gut instincts
Gut instincts are defined as something you know or sense, and sensitive people can closely tune into their intuition. Or course, this is a natural, unlearned, predictable response to stimuli.
But more than that, gut instincts help people survive. Humans are also thinking beings, and when someone feels something is not just right, instead of taking action based on the feeling, they stop and think about it. It’s this pause that can sometimes work against sensitive people.
5. Not spending time in solitude to recharge and reconnect
Highly sensitive people (empaths) might be seen as loners or outcasts living on the fringes of society, but they know that to cleanse themselves of the energies they take on from others, they must recharge often.They truly enjoy spending time in nature, and while they have an infinite love for other beings, they can only best express when they have time for themselves to decompress.
doing the things important to you – seeing friends and family, taking a vacation, doing work that matters, etc. Continuing to participate in areas of life that you deem important is another big aspect of self-care. When these things are neglected, it can cause problems – from mental (depression) to physical (blood pressure, sickness, etc.)
6. Violent movies or books
Sensitive people should avoid violent movies, televisions shows, or movies. Seeing or hearing violent acts will make you feel physically sick. Some sensitive people actually feel as if the violence is happening to them. Stick to more fun, happy movies that won’t emotionally overload you.
7. Ruminating about negative comments
Criticism is difficult for a highly sensitive person to process. They rehash the conversation and mull over what someone said or didn’t say. Sensitive people want to make other people happy, so when they receive criticism they feel like they’ve failed someone. They may think about this for days or weeks. Sensitive individuals will try to read between the lines of what was said and assume the person doesn’t like them. If you’re a sensitive person, maybe you need to develop tougher skin to accept input without it overwhelming you.
8. Taking too long to decide
Sensitive people think deeply about every decision to the point of not being able to decide. Even things like what to buy at the grocery can become a major challenge. It’s hard for a sensitive person to consider all the possibilities or outcomes regarding their choices. You know how difficult decisions are if you’re one of these people.
9. Deadlines cause extreme stress for sensitive people
Deadlines are extremely stressful for sensitive individuals. They hate time pressure because it overstimulates and makes them feel out of control. They need time to move slowly and get things done at their own pace. Knowing this about yourself should help you choose a career that doesn’t include deadlines or time limitations, including
- Massage therapist
- Occupational or physical therapist
- Dietician
- Tattoo artist
- Astronomer
- Artist
10. Being in loud places
Sensitive people can’t tolerate loudness. They get overwhelmed by sensory noises. It messes with their minds. They hear everything and it can distract them. Noise-canceling headphones are a blessing for these folks. If you react to loud noises at work or school, purchase a pair of headphones that you can put on whenever the volume gets turned up.
11. Not getting enough sleep is typical for sensitive people
Sleep is an important health care component of everyone’s life. But a highly sensitive person needs a good night’s sleep more than most people. Sleep can soothe their senses and help them relax. It helps them adjust their strong emotional needs. If you’re a sensitive person, keep a regular bedtime routine. Wind down before your bedtime so that you’ll be able to fall asleep without your mind racing.
12. Saying “yes” all the time
It’s not just highly sensitive people that fall into the trap of saying “yes” to every request. But sensitive people are especially prone to this. They are empathetic and feel like they want to help everyone. But sensitive people are more prone to exhaustion and burnout than other folks. If you’re a sensitive person, set boundaries for yourself. Ask a good friend or family member to help you set limits on yourself so that you won’t fall prey to trying to help everyone.
