Why You Feel So Much (And Why That’s Not a Problem to Fix)

Do you ever feel like you *feel* too much?

Maybe you’re the one who cries at a humane society commercial, feels physically stressed when your teenager is stressed, or can’t stop thinking about that awkward thing you said in front of the grocery cashier in 2014. (Same, friend. Same.)

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive,” or secretly wondered if you’re broken because your emotions feel like a tidal wave instead of a puddle, let me just say: you are not broken. You are a deep feeler. And while that sometimes feels overwhelming, it can also be one of your greatest strengths. 

Why You Feel So Much

Unlike some other folks in your life, for some reason your nervous system is a bit more finely tuned—it picks up on nuances, tone shifts, and the emotional climate of a room before most people even register what’s happening. That’s not a flaw; it’s your body doing its job! Consider this sensitivity as a built-in, natural warning system that is protecting you from things like overwhelm, embarrassment, or danger. Unfortunately, that same system that keeps you safe can sometimes leave you feeling hijacked by emotions that are too big for the moment.

You may have this special gift because you were naturally born with a more intuitive personality type (as an INFJ Myers-Briggs type, this definitely tracks with me personally!). Your nervous system also may have become this fine tuned out of sheer necessity, if you have lived through childhood trauma, toxic relationships, anxiety, or abuse. You may even have a combination of these factors.


The Double-Edged Sword of Sensitivity

Deep feelers often get labeled as “dramatic” or “too much.” You might wonder why you can’t just let things roll off your back, or why walking into a tense family gathering leaves you exhausted for days.

The flip side is that the same depth is why you notice the way your child’s voice trembles before she bursts into tears. It’s why you catch the beauty in a shifting sky or laugh so hard your stomach hurts with people you love. Feeling deeply comes with both the ache and the awe.

But when you’re hyper-sensitive to everything going on around you and people are always telling you to “just get over it”, you might find yourself thinking “why can’t I just be chill like everyone else?”

Deep Feelers, Meet Deep Healing

Here’s where therapy makes a difference. It isn’t about turning down your depth or numbing your emotions. It’s about helping you tune into it and harness it.

Through approaches like IFS (Internal Family Systems), you can finally meet the anxious overthinker and exhausted people-pleaser parts inside you with compassion, not criticism. And with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), your brain can let go of the old pain so it stops flooding your nervous system every time something reminds you of it. There are many ways to get to know your system and make healthy, healing shifts that leave you feeling more grounded and in control of your intense emotions.

Clients often describe the shift like this: instead of drowning in their feelings, they start to recognize those feelings as guides — waves they can ride rather than tsunamis that sweep them under.

When It’s Your Teen, Too

One mom recently shared that her daughter was overwhelmed to the point of panic attacks over school and friendships. She saw her daughter’s big feelings as both her greatest gift and her biggest struggle. With therapy, her teen learned how to sit with her emotions without being consumed by them — and mom learned how to support her without absorbing all of it herself.

Feeling Deeply = Living Fully

Your sensitivity is what lets you connect, empathize, and love in technicolor. Yes, sometimes it means you spiral over the dishwasher beeping wrong, but it’s also what makes you belly laugh, love fiercely, and pause to soak in a perfect sunset.

The goal isn’t to fix you. It’s to help you trust that your depth isn’t a flaw — it’s a strength. Therapy can give you the tools to channel it, set boundaries, and calm the storm when it gets too loud.

Ready to Go Deep?

If you’re a deep feeler — or raising one — you don’t have to white-knuckle through life. Therapy can help you embrace the gift of your sensitivity while giving you the grounding you need to flourish.

👉 Book a free consultation today: https://www.graceandgratitudecounseling.com/contact

You don’t have to do this alone.