Stop Living in Emotional Pain
Emotional Sensitivity
Sometimes called “highly sensitive person” or “empath” some of us feel things very intensely. When you are emotionally sensitive, people often tell you that you’re “too sensitive” or “overreact.”
They might even accuse you of being “over dramatic” because they don’t understand that when your feelings are BIG so are your reactions. You may have spent your whole life believing there’s something wrong with you because of how you feel.
The emotions of other people also influence your own. When someone you care about his happy, you feel even happier but when someone you care about is angry or sad it can feel like it’s ripping your heart out.
Fear of Abandonment
Being afraid that people will stop caring about you or leave you often accompanies emotional sensitivity. Because people don’t understand the intensity of your emotions and accuse you of being “over-sensitive” or “dramatic” they may also think that your reactions are a manipulation. If people have left in the past or rejected you because of your feelings, you may be afraid that anyone who gets to know you will leave you.
You might try to hide your emotional sensitivity at the beginning of the relationship in hopes that the person you care about won’t leave, but this can make you more afraid the more you begin to care for them. You may even push friends or romantic partners away so that they go ahead and leave like you know they will.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD for short) is a combination of emotional sensitivity, fear of abandonment, and growing up in an invalidating environment. Many people who have been diagnosed with BPD in the past – a diagnosis which is still stigmatized and wildly misunderstood by both professionals and loved ones – may actually have Complex PTSD. Up to 60% of people diagnosed with BPD also have C-PTSD.
If you read about BPD online people who have been hurt by those that they believe have BPD will make them sound like evil supervillains! The truth is that people BPD and/or C-PTSD live in excruciating emotional pain that makes it difficult to function. That does not have to be the case! Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an evidence based therapy originally created to treat BPD but that is now used for many other mental health issues.
Self-harm and Suicidal ideation
People with BPD often engage in some form of self-harm. These could be overt self-harm like cutting, burning, or scratching one’s self but they can also be things like impulsively drinking and using drugs or engaging in risky sexual activity with people you do not know well.
If you are questioning whether or not you should seek professional help, you can likely benefit from talking with a therapist! Contact us today to set up an appointment. You can use the contact page to send a message, schedule a consultation call , or call the Inspired Happiness Therapy and Wellness office directly 769-224-4234.
If you are currently having suicidal thoughts and/or you have a plan to end your life please contact a suicide hotline RIGHT NOW. The National suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255 and they also offer text and chat help on their website!
You can call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room for assessment.
Want to read more?
Here are some blog posts about anxiety you might find useful!
THE DANGER OF EMOTIONAL REASONINg
Believing something is true because it FEELS true is emotional reasoning. People with emotional sensitivity and BPD are prone to emotional reasoning.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DBT
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy has helped countless people stop living in severe emotional pain. You don’t have to suffer anymore. Learn about DBT!