If terms like “highly sensitive person,” “empath” or “people-pleaser” resonate with you, you might be a “deep feeler,” who experiences and processes feelings and emotions with a higher intensity than others. Unfortunately, many individuals who relate to these terms have also grown up being told they’re told they’re “too sensitive,” dramatic or overreacting to things. But some experts are working hard to dismantle the negative associations that follow these sensitivities.
Dr. Sasha Hamdani (known online as @thepsychdoctormd with one million Instagram followers), a renowned board-certified psychiatrist, one of the country’s leading mental health experts and the author of the forthcoming book Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling (released August 25), wants to reframe the way we look at deep feelers, and change the conversation.
She tells Parade how these individuals tend to be highly perceptive, or have a “highly responsive nervous system,” and that isn’t a bad thing. So, if you struggle with overthinking at night, instantly overanalyzing interactions or worrying someone is mad at you, Dr. Hamdani’s insights will likely feel like a breath of fresh air.
Read on to hear what she has to say about the best hobby for sensitive people, along with the key to living out emotional sensitivity as a strength instead of a weakness.
Related: People Who Were Told They Were ‘Too Sensitive’ as Children Usually Develop These 14 Traits as Adults, Psychologists Say
Why It’s Important To Reframe How People Sensitivity and Deep Feelings
So many people grow up thinking that being sensitive and having big, deep feelings is a problem and something they should try to change or tamp down. But experts want individuals, and the general public, to shift their perspective on this. Changing your mindset is essential.
“I think it’s important because so many people have been taught to interpret emotional depth as a flaw, when really it is often a sign of a highly responsive nervous system,” Dr. Hamdani tells Parade. “Sensitivity can mean you notice more, feel more and process emotional information more deeply than the people around you. That can be overwhelming if you do not have tools to regulate it.”
That’s why it can be game-changing to think differently about it.
“When we reframe sensitivity, we move people out of shame and into self-understanding, which is where real change can happen,” she explains.
Related: These 7 ‘Bad’ Habits Actually Signal High Empathy, Psychologist Says
The Best Hobby for Sensitive People, According to a Psychiatrist
When you’re an especially sensitive person, it can feel tricky to know which habits and hobbies are helpful and which ones can actually cause greater stress (ask me how I know). However, there’s one hobby that Dr. Hamdani specifically highlights for these individuals.
“I really like journaling for deep feelers, especially if they have spent years being told they are too much,” she tells Parade. “Journaling gives the emotion somewhere to go before it becomes a text message, an argument, a spiral or a shutdown. It creates a pause between the feeling and the response, which is one of the most important skills in emotional regulation.”
Those short-term wins aren’t the only benefits.
“It also helps people start to see patterns: what hurts, what activates them, what they need and what story their brain is telling in that moment,” she adds.
Related: 8 Things ‘Highly Perceptive’ People Instantly Notice About Others, According to a Psychologist
Flatiron Books
The Key To Living Out Emotional Sensitivity as a Strength Instead of a Weakness
It’s great to read about the importance of reframing how we view deep feelings, but how can we begin to live this out in a practical way?
“The key is learning how to regulate the intensity without rejecting the sensitivity,” Dr. Hamdani explains. “We still want people to feel their feels but just not down in them! The goal is to build enough nervous system safety that your emotions can inform you without overwhelming you. When you can pause, name what is happening, check the facts and choose your response, you can move that emotional sensitivity into emotional intelligence.”
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Related: 7 Habits of Highly Empathetic People Who Easily Get Drained in Crowds
Source:
Brandon Roland
Sasha Hamdani, MD (known online as @thepsychdoctormd), is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in ADHD, RSD and emotional regulation, and the author of Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling DeeplyHence then, the article about psychiatrist says this hobby is best for deep feelers who ve been told they re too sensitive was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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