What Every Sensitive Person Needs to Know

Dear all,

I hope everyone is doing great :) It's been a long weekend for the Chinese New Year here in Kuala Lumpur and I am enjoying these endless holidays :)

Today I would like to write a motivational topic that probably many of you can relate. I read an article recently that 1 in 5 people are highly sensitive compared to others. Also, recently as I am getting older, I realised that people are getting more and more easily offended. If you are offended by someone or something, then continue reading, this blogpost is for you. Chances are all of us have experienced an offensive situation, be it a shopkeeper, a family member, a friend, a distant relative, a colleague or a random person you don't know. Something to realise in this situation is that each person has a different reaction to offensive situations and people have different levels of sensitivity. Being a pretty sensitive person myself, I try myself to be careful with what I say or do to avoid offending others. Even that, sometimes people can be offended by what we do not intend. So, whether you are the person being offended or the person offending others, I will share a few things about sensitive people so that hopefully if you are a sensitive person, you will realise that you are not alone. Or if the other way around, you will be able to understand better these people who get offended so easily.

First and foremost, let me introduce to you the characteristics of highly sensitive people (if you can relate to at least 15 of these, you can be a pretty sensitive person and that is OK, there are many benefits of being a sensitive person). Bear in mind that each and every person is unique, so you may not relate to all of the below and there could be more additional points but these are the most common ones. Here we go:

• You easily feel a lot of feelings, happy, sad, upset, angry, disappointed and your feelings are all vivid. 
• You are very expressive. You can cry easily when watching a sad movie or reading the heartbreaking news. 
• You are very polite.
• You are worried about offending others.
• You can tell if someone's mood is off or if there is something bothering them.
• You like to please people and it is hard to say 'no'.
• You like doing things on your own.
• You find it hard to make a decision like choosing an item when going shopping.
• You are extremely observant. 
• You are very detail-oriented and pay attention to every small detail.
• You can be a perfectionist.
• You get scared easily.
• You have lower pain tolerance.
• You are more sensitive to noise, lights and smell.
• You are very creative. You enjoy and are good at art, music, writing or anything creative like makeup/fashion.
• You work well in team environments.
• You get easily upset if you make a 'wrong' or 'bad' decision.
• High chances are that some parts of your body like your skin are sensitive as well.
• You have a good memory.
• You expect people to be nice and polite like how you are.
• You are a deep thinker, you tend to overthink in certain situations.
• You can have some difficulty dealing with criticism because you often try your best to please others and give your best in all situations.
• You have a higher understanding of people, considerate of other people's feelings and have a high intuition.

These are some characteristics of sensitive people that I researched on before writing this. You may not relate with all of them but many of these are what you feel now or experienced once upon a time before. People can change over time, your senstivity can increase or decrease as you grow older. However, being sensitive is mostly inherited so you are sensitive at heart but you may portray a strong character. So, be true to yourself. If you are sensitive, it is important to acknowledge this and realise that you are not alone. Around 15 to 20% of the world's population is highly sensitive. This means that most people (80% of the population) are not as sensitive as you which makes it even more tricky to thrive in a world of people who do not understand your emotions fully. They do not understand that you are born with that nature. However, I am going to share with you ways on how you can overcome this. Since most of the world's population is not sensitive, it is important that you know how to deal with people of all sensitivities so you do not get easily hurt. Here are some ways which I hope you find helpful if you are a sensitive person:

• Be professional with people you are not very close with or colleagues. Do not be emotional or easily sensitive. Put feelings aside and try not to take anything they say or do too personally.
• With people you are close with, it is highly important to communicate what makes you offended. Try not being too fussy and only highlight the important things. You want to be a tolerant person as well.
• Have a diary to write down your feelings or someone you trust whom you can share the deepest thoughts.
• Be careful of the people around you especially those you do not know well. You are vulnerable so you do not want people to take advantage of that or hurt you intentionally. 
• Realise your capabilities and do not put too much pressure on yourself. Yes, you try your best to be polite but if someone is rude, do not worry about speaking up and telling them off.
• Do what you can, do not overstress.
• Never think that what you are doing is not enough. Some people would not even do a fraction of what you are doing.
• Be kind to yourself.
• Alone time is highly important for people who are sensitive because that is when they recharge themselves. If you are dealing with a sensitive person, do not question their alone time.
• Socialise more. The more you socialise, the more you realise that people do not mean things personally. Relax and try to be more accepting.
• Since you are very observant, observe how non-sensitive people take criticism. They are very light-hearted and often just laugh it off.
• Realise that there are many advantages of being a sensitive person.

If you are naturally not a sensitive person, it is time you be cautious of how you treat people around you. Chances are you are dealing with the 20% of highly sensitive people in the world. Even if you are not dealing with a sensitive person, everyone has feelings so be considerate. What goes around, comes around so be careful of not offending others intentionally. At some point later in your life, you may experience it for yourself. If you are a sensitive person, try not to be too sensitive. It is not good for your wellbeing to feel easily hurt all of the time, I know that sometimes you cannot control the natural feelings but try. Put those feelings aside and try to build a stronger character. It will help you a lot in your personal and professional life. There is nothing wrong being sensitive because each and every person is unique in their own way, but dealing with your sensitivity well and not being over-sensitive will help you a lot in the long run.

Take care everyone, have a great week ahead xxxxx