How To Stop Believing You’re Too Sensitive

Dylan Moore, Founder Balanced Analysis LLC and Breaking Barriers University

Ever been told, “You’re too sensitive,” or “You take things too personally”? Maybe you’ve heard, “You need to toughen up.”

If so, you’re not alone. Many of us grew up in environments where emotions were dismissed, minimized, or seen as a weakness. Over time, you may have started believing that your feelings are a problem to fix, rather than a strength to honor.

But here’s the truth: You are not “too sensitive.” You are deeply feeling, emotionally aware, and attuned to the world in a way that others may not be. And that is a gift—not a flaw.

If you’ve spent years trying to numb, suppress, or shrink your emotions to fit in, it’s time to rewrite the story. Let’s talk about why sensitivity is not a weakness—and how you can start embracing it instead of apologizing for it.

The Moment I Realized My Sensitivity Wasn’t the Problem

For a long time, I believed something was wrong with me because I felt things so deeply. If someone was upset, I felt their sadness in my bones. If I sensed tension in a room, my body reacted like I was in danger. If someone criticized me, even gently, it felt like a personal failure.

And every time I expressed an emotion, I’d hear things like:

  • “You need to stop overreacting.”
  • “You’re taking this way too seriously.”
  • “You’re being dramatic.”

So, I started pushing my feelings down. I told myself I needed to be stronger. That sensitivity was something to outgrow.

But the more I tried to be “less sensitive,” the more I lost touch with myself. And eventually, I realized: The problem was never my sensitivity—the problem was that I lived in a world that didn’t know how to handle it.

If you’ve ever felt like your emotions were too much, I want you to know: You don’t have to change who you are. You just have to stop believing the lie that sensitivity is something to fix.

The Cost of Suppressing Sensitivity

When you believe you’re too sensitive, you start minimizing and dismissing your own emotional experience. And that comes with a cost.

1. You Start Ignoring Your Own Needs

When you’ve been told your emotions are too much, you learn to push them aside. You might avoid expressing what you really feel because you don’t want to be seen as “dramatic” or “difficult.” But the more you suppress, the more disconnected you become from your own needs.

2. You Internalize Shame for Feeling Deeply

Instead of seeing your sensitivity as a gift, you might feel ashamed of it. You may start believing that your emotions make you weak or that you should just “get over it” like everyone else seems to.

3. You Struggle to Set Boundaries

Highly sensitive people often feel everything—including other people’s pain. If you’re not careful, this can make it easy to put others first at the expense of yourself. You may take on emotional labor that isn’t yours or struggle to say no because you don’t want to disappoint people.

4. You Try to “Toughen Up” (And It Backfires)

At some point, you may have decided to shut down your sensitivity altogether. Maybe you tried to become less emotional, less reactive, less vulnerable. But the thing about sensitivity? It doesn’t just go away—it just gets buried. And when emotions have nowhere to go, they often show up as anxiety, burnout, or resentment.

Suppressing sensitivity doesn’t make you stronger. Owning it does.

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Embracing Your Sensitivity Instead of Fighting It

1. Reframe Sensitivity as a Strength, Not a Weakness

Instead of seeing your sensitivity as a flaw, start recognizing it for what it truly is: A superpower.

Your deep emotions allow you to:

  • Connect with people on a meaningful level.
  • Pick up on subtle cues that others miss.
  • Experience beauty, art, and life in an incredibly rich way.

You don’t need to be “less sensitive.” You just need to learn how to manage your emotions in a way that supports you, rather than drains you.

2. Stop Apologizing for Your Feelings

If you’ve been taught to shrink your emotions, you might say things like:

  • “Sorry for getting emotional.”
  • “I know I’m overreacting, but…”
  • “I shouldn’t be this upset.”

Here’s the truth: Your emotions are valid. You don’t have to justify or apologize for feeling things deeply.

Instead, try saying:

  • “This is important to me, so I’m honoring my emotions.”
  • “I have a right to feel this way.”
  • “My sensitivity is part of what makes me who I am.”

3. Set Boundaries to Protect Your Energy

Just because you can feel everything doesn’t mean you should. If you constantly absorb other people’s emotions, it’s time to create some boundaries.

Try:

  • Limiting time with people who drain you. (Your energy is valuable.)
  • Practicing emotional separation. (Their feelings are not your responsibility.)
  • Creating space for yourself. (You don’t have to be available to everyone, all the time.)

Setting boundaries doesn’t make you selfish—it makes you sustainable.

4. Learn to Regulate Your Nervous System

Highly sensitive people often feel emotions physically—heart racing, stomach tightening, mind spinning. That’s because your nervous system is wired to respond deeply to stress.

Some ways to self-soothe:

  • Deep breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for six.
  • Grounding techniques: Press your feet into the floor, hold something cold, or name five things you see.
  • Self-talk: Remind yourself, I am safe. I am allowed to feel this. My emotions will pass.

Learning how to regulate your emotions doesn’t mean shutting them down—it means creating a sense of safety within yourself.

5. Surround Yourself With People Who Honor Your Sensitivity

Not everyone will understand your depth—and that’s okay. The right people won’t make you feel like you’re “too much.”

Find the people who:

  • Make space for your emotions instead of dismissing them.
  • Value your deep-thinking and empathy.
  • Support you in a way that feels safe and comforting.

You deserve relationships that honor all of you—including your sensitivity.

Rise Fierce and Free

If you’ve spent years believing you’re too sensitive, I want you to hear this: Your emotions are not a weakness. Your depth is not a flaw. And you do not have to shrink yourself to be loved.

You are not “too much.” You are exactly enough.

So here’s my challenge for you: The next time you catch yourself apologizing for feeling deeply, pause and ask—Would I tell a friend their emotions are “too much”? If not, then you don’t need to say it to yourself either.

Because you, my friend, are rising. You are healing. And you are worthy of showing up exactly as you are—sensitivity and all.

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Hi, I’m Dylan Moore — and I’m here to help you move past the pain and the trauma that have stood in the way of your healing.

For over 30 years, I’ve guided women through emotional recovery and personal transformation. As an Author and Cognitive Behavioral Specialist, my mission is to empower you with the tools and support you need to break free from the past.

I founded Balanced Analysis LLC and Breaking Barriers University to make healing practical, approachable, and real. I take complex psychological concepts and turn them into clear, actionable steps—always with compassion and care.

Now, it’s your turn to release the hurt and step into the greatest version of who you were always meant to be. And I’ll be right here to walk that path with you.