‘Oh, I feel so hurt’. ‘This doesn’t look like it.’ ‘Why are things so shallow’. ‘Hmm, maybe, this too shall pass.’ ‘He spoke in a raised voice, that shattered me, now that I realise – this seems to linger more than I thought.’

Ever felt this?

I have. Deeply. Immersively. And, achingly.

Well, maybe because I feel things fast. Credits: Doing twice day meditation everyday – kinda purges you on a cellular level.

Convincingly, meditation does make us more sensitive. But, hey, we can’t stop feeling and ‘processing’.

We all have expectations – be it on the work front or our lives. And no matter how much we assume ourselves to ‘look forward to’, we land up expecting, and then when we meet the reality, we feel hurt.

Sensitivity is an emotional strength grounded in spirituality. 

Then why do people still think having a ‘thick skin’ at work and life will let us pass it by?

Sticking in your job, just because you could endure, in my opinion is not the sensible way of processing emotions. Why? Because in the long-term, it gets stored in our cellular memory only to haunt us in unhealthy ways. Bearing with a toxic person, only harms us in the long term. So when we give weak names to sensitivity or how it embodies in the workplace, take a deep look at what will happen when we don’t have sensitive people who pick up emotions and make a workplace more heard, accepted and respected.

Humans are wired for connection, empathy and relatedness. 

And, sensitive people make things easy and comforting for people to be themselves.

Isn’t that sublime and relieving? Especially when we all work to make our ends meet and in that time also make sense of our daily emotions and how we channelize them to create our best work?

Now, this is not to say that sensitive people are not logical.

In fact, sensitive people are sensible emotional processors and help us think logically in the long-term. Over a period of time, we experience the different hues of sensitivity, but in collective, it makes us so much more human, and able, and kind, and giving.

So how can we embrace sensitivity with acceptance, love, and foresight?

  1. Give yourself the permission to not be available for some time in a week. This just means to take some time out for yourself for personal pursuits. It could be writing a blog on mental health, or spending some quality time with your parents, or doing something that nourishes you from within. Being sensitive also makes you sensitive to what time you are giving, and to who. It does make  you picky but in a good way. This restoration helps you become stronger and at the same time more receptive to the people around you.
  2. Observe what it is…to be sensitive and the view it beholds. You see, observation can solve many problems – business and personal – once we don’t get to overthink but to simply welcome it as a part of our larger worldview. After all, aren’t we all observing something at a given point? Say a welcoming sunset, the warm energy of an embrace from our spouse, or a struggling single-mom giving herself the second innings in a deservingly well manner? These miniature moments form our views, so acceptingly diverse and comfortingly human. And slowly, we can sense them in others around us. 
  3. Understand that writing is the sensible listening (yes, you are a writer). Writing shapes an empathic mind and a compassionate thinking. Once you write how you feel, you feel better and heard by yourself. Imbibe a culture of expression at your workplace. This has lasting benefits in your personal life. How?  Say, when you write that gratitude note to your colleague. Or, when you felt like speaking at the Townhall about the mental health benefits of monthly retreats (yes, that can be expensive, but not more than a healthy thought). Or simply asking questions in meetings no matter how stupid they sound on face value. Now, pair this sensitivity with the intention to truly help your coworkers, founders and customers through the power of emoting yourself with a string of words. Don’t worry about the grammar, just think about your intention and let it flow to your world. That’s the underrated power of embracing sensitive people at your workplace.

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash