If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much”… welcome. You’re in the right place.
Maybe you feel things deeply, cry at the crescendo in music (yes, that’s the word), or feel the weight of the world settle into your chest when you hear the news. Maybe you can’t help but move snails off footpaths so they don’t get squashed — and you feel awful when you see roadkill. Or maybe your body feels the world more intensely than others — the lights are too bright, the smells too strong, the emotions too everything.
That’s sensitivity.
But what is sensitivity, really?
Sensitivity Isn’t Weakness — It’s a Nervous System Thing
Sensitivity isn’t just about being a bit teary at a sad film or easily offended. It’s a whole way of moving through the world. Whether you’re an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), neurodivergent (like autistic or ADHD), living with chronic illness, or someone who’s been through trauma — you may have what I often describe as a sensitive nervous system.
What that means is: your brain and body process things more deeply. Sensory information, emotional experiences, even physical sensations — they all register more acutely. Your system might be more finely tuned… but that also means it gets overwhelmed more easily.
It’s not just “in your head.” It’s in your whole system.
Inherent and Acquired Sensitivity
Some of us are born with this. We were the quiet, observant children. The deep thinkers. The ones who got upset when others were hurting. I’ve been that way my whole life — a little sponge soaking up beauty, pain, atmosphere, and suffering, often all at once. I was the child who needed to leave the room when the music swelled, who noticed the dying bee on the pavement when no one else did. I still do.
Others develop sensitivity over time. Trauma, for example, can prime your nervous system to be on high alert. Chronic illness can make your body more reactive, your capacity lower, and your thresholds narrower. Life does things to people. And if you’re already someone who feels a lot, the impact hits even harder.
The truth is, many of the people I work with — and let’s be honest, myself included — carry both: we were always sensitive, and then life added more layers.
Deeply Caring, Deeply Tired
Sensitive people often care a lot. About the world. About doing well. About others’ feelings. About getting it “right.” This depth of care is beautiful — but exhausting. And when you don’t feel safe, seen, or understood growing up, it’s common to cope by over-functioning.
That’s why so many of my clients are perfectionists or high achievers. They’ve learnt to do in order to be enough. If you can just get the A*, the promotion, the validation — then maybe you’ll feel okay. Except… the bar keeps moving. I remember sitting at my Master’s graduation — third time at uni, distinction in the bag — and feeling not proud, but inadequate. Because the PhD students walked on stage, and I thought, “That should be me.”
I realised then that I’d never feel enough if I kept chasing worth outside myself.
Burnout: The Sensitive Person’s Warning Light
If you relate to any of this, there’s a good chance you also know burnout. It’s not just about being tired — it’s full-body, soul-deep exhaustion. For years, I burned out like clockwork every 12–18 months. I blamed the job, found a new one, told myself this time would be different. I went through 11 nursing jobs in 10 years before retraining as a therapist.
These days, I manage it better — but I still have to stay mindful of it. Sensitive people don’t always notice they’re running on fumes until they crash. The world isn’t really built with us in mind.
Anxiety Is the Smoke, Not the Fire
Another common thread in sensitive folks? Anxiety.
Not necessarily the racing thoughts 24/7 kind (though that too), but the anticipatory “What if I can’t cope?” anxiety. The pre-emptive panic about potential struggle. I’ve lived that. I’ve worried about how I’d cope in future hard times, even with a history that shows I do cope. But when you’ve had a life full of hurdles — and you’re tired of constantly climbing them — it makes sense your body goes, “Please, not another one.”
This is why anxiety isn’t a flaw. It’s a nervous system trying to protect you. It’s saying, “I’ve been through a lot. Please be gentle.”
Why I Do This Work
I created my therapy practice — and this blog — for people like you. The too much-ers. The emotionally intense. The deeply feeling, deeply tired, deeply thoughtful humans who are often praised for their achievements but rarely supported in their tenderness.
The ones who are used to coping… but don’t want to just “cope” anymore.
Working with sensitivity means understanding all its threads — from sensory overwhelm and social struggles, to trauma recovery, health conditions, perfectionism, and shame. It means recognising how all of it can be held in the body and gently unravelled with care.
And it means reminding you that sensitivity isn’t something to fix. It’s something to understand, support, and sometimes reclaim.
You’re not too much — you’ve just been carrying too much, often for too long, without the right kind of help.
Welcome to a space where your sensitivity is not only accepted but honoured. If you resonated with this post, you’re not alone. Sensitivity isn’t a flaw—it’s a different way of moving through the world. If you’d like to explore support for your own sensitive nervous system, check out my services page for a full list of free and paid ways we can work together.