So sensitivity is actually lost when you're reactive, and true sensitivity comes when you are absolutely present in a situation and see, "This is how it is," and you totally face the situation as it is.

Several empathic and sensitive readers have shared that they struggle with knowing when they're experiencing their own feelings versus feelings they have "picked up" from someone else.

* Have you allowed another person to behave in a fashion or say things around you that you find offensive or repulsive? * Have you not reflected outwardly what matters so much to you inwardly? * Have you not taken time to set up your world to work for you in every way? You are not the only one. In fact, most people do these things, but it is especially prominent among inner-directed individuals because one major way we cope is to sacrifice ourselves to accommodate others.

Overwhelm is a physiological, mental, and emotional state that drowns out any clear signals that might otherwise come through. No matter how hard you try, when you are in a state of overwhelm, you can't see or hear what you most need to see and hear: the very next step.

As a sensitive soul, it's easy to get overstimulated. With stimulation all around, it's not surprising. Our urgency-addicted culture and mainstream work ethic is overstimulating. Sound bites, billboards, spam, and constant advertisements surround us. ... On top of all of this, our own negative internal dialogues can overstimulate as well. On the other hand, positive excitement can also be overstimulating.

The term "inner-directed" is likely new to you. It is the behavioral term I'm pioneering that unites "those who focus inward to restore." It refers to the common behaviors of introverts and highly sensitive people (HSPs) and how they relate to the world. Why it matters that you know whether you are (or someone you know is) inner-directed is because it impacts how you deal with the world and the choices you make each day.

Personality types make fascinating discussion and can cause unnecessary misunderstandings. Perhaps the most misunderstood personality is the introvert: quiet, timid, keeping to themselves.

I would bet that a lot of us were fully prepared for our own funerals by about age seven, figuring that we were soon going to die from sensory overload. From the very beginning, the world was stirring me like a whisk.

As a sensitive soul, good energy-management skills are a must. This means tuning in to yourself on a regular basis and continually reassessing and adjusting what you take on.

In the kinds of self-injury cases I am concerned with here, there frequently is some very hurtful and disturbing condition in which the tendency to self-injure develops. You don't usually start with a method to hurt yourself; you start off with horrible circumstances and psychologically painful thoughts.