I Thought I Was Too Sensitive—Turns Out, I Was Just Misunderstood

For most of my life, I thought something was wrong with me. I cried way too easily. I got overwhelmed in loud places. I hated tags on my clothes, certain textures in food, the buzz of fluorescent lights. I’d flinch at sudden noises. I would overthink every single sentence for hours. I needed days to recover from social events that everyone seemed to love. It’s exhausting.

I was told that I was too sensitive, too emotional, or my personal favorite too much. So, I learned to hide it. I masked. I shrunk myself. Taught myself how to toughen up, even when everything inside me was begging for calmness.

When I finally had a name for my neurodivergence, everything began to make sense. The confusion and burnout that I carried for so long weren’t signs of something wrong with me. They were signs that I’d simply been misunderstood.

I feel things very fully and deeply. It’s sometimes more than I know how to express. I feel like I experience the world in high-definition. Every sound, smell, and emotion arrives louder and more intense. My senses are raw, vivid, and alive. They dance near the edges of overwhelm, and that sensitivity is a lot to carry. But it allows me to notice the finer details that others might miss. To live with a depth that brings color to even the quietest moments.

Now, instead of shaming my sensitivity, I honor it. I’ve started making space for the sensory joys that bring me peace. They kind of things that help regulate my nervous system, soothe my mind, and reconnect me to the present moment.

My Sensory Joys

Here are just a few things that bring my nervous system comfort and delight:

Textures:

Soft fleece blankets
Putting on an oversized hoodie
Fuzzy socks
Cotton clothing
My hand gliding over the top of water

Smells:

Rain on warm concrete
Fresh basil from the garden
Chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven
Pumpkin spice in the fall
Vanilla or coconut body wash

🎧 Sounds:

Italian music while cooking
Distant ocean waves or soft rain sounds
A fan blowing
The coffee being poured into my cup
The quiet hum of morning before the world wakes up

🍲 Foods:

Creamy mashed potatoes
Warm soup on an overstimulated day
Buttered toast and jam
Fluffy pancakes with maple syrup
Crunchy rustic bread with a soft center

These little joys have become a part of my sensory toolkit. They help me regulate and remind me that I don’t have to be less sensitive. I just have to honor the way move through the world.

So, if you’ve ever been called too sensitive, maybe you’re not. Maybe you’re just tuned in. Like me, perhaps you’re learning how to amplify the parts of yourself that were never broken. They were only buried.