Streaming Tears

Sensitive And Strong

Can We Really Be Both?

Have you ever noticed that some of the most sensitive people are also the strongest? When it comes to inner strength, or resilience – the ability to cope with difficult situations, deal with stress, and overcome the odds – highly sensitive people seem to have some kind of secret ability to weather life’s storms. Think about Princess Diana, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt. They don’t just survive adversity either, they thrive, learning from their experiences, developing their skills and becoming even stronger through the process. What’s more, they don’t get through hard times by toughing it out, burying their feelings or adopting a stoic persona. They get through it by being completely themselves and using their highly sensitive traits to the fullest.

Sensitivity is often seen as a weakness in our culture, especially when an HSP is under stress. Easily overwhelmed by too much sensory stimulation, too much to do, or too many people, we tend to get emotional and overwhelmed and need to escape the stressful environment. We often show our feelings, both good and bad, leaving others to think we’re overreacting and the intensity of our feelings can convince them we’re just not coping well.

What’s worse, however, is that we often view ourselves the same way. High sensitivity can make every day life feel like a drama in which every scene is set to high definition. It can be overwhelming and our own intense and emotional way of being can lead us to believe that we’re not as tough as everyone else, that we’re soft and weak and need someone else to be in charge, a dangerous and self-defeating concept that can easily lower our self-esteem and set us up for a life of victimhood.

The truth is that high sensitivity gives us the ability to be strong, capable and thriving, even in the face of adversity. In fact, the very traits that make us highly sensitive are the qualities that can give us enormous inner strength. The key to developing inner strength, therefore, is not in trying to be less sensitive, but recognising that sensitivity is strength:

Awareness: Because HSPs are more aware of our surroundings and our own feelings than other people, we tend to have a better understanding of when we are stressed, overwhelmed and what we need to feel calmer, allowing us to face difficult situations rather than pushing them away.

Creativity: Creative pursuits give us the channel through which our energies can flow in positive ways. When we’re facing hard times, the ability to express ourselves in a work of art can give us the outlet for our intense feelings in a way that can benefit others as well as ourselves.