If you feel things more intensely than others, try this hobby

Some people feel things more intensely than others. A small comment sticks in their mind for a long time, a conversation gets analyzed several times after it ends, and emotions can be stronger than they look from the outside. Often, these people grow up hearing phrases like “you’re too sensitive,” “you’re overreacting” or “you take things too personally.”

But psychiatrist Sasha Hamdani says this sensitivity shouldn’t automatically be seen as a weakness. According to her, people who feel and process emotions more deeply may have a more reactive nervous system and be highly perceptive of what’s happening around them. That can be exhausting, especially when they don’t know ways to manage their emotions.

That’s precisely why Hamdani recommends a very simple habit: keeping a journal.

Why a journal, of all things? According to the psychiatrist, a journal gives the emotion a place to “go” before it turns into a hasty message, an argument, a spiral of thoughts or a complete withdrawal from the situation. In other words, it creates a little distance between what you feel and how you react.

That pause can be useful for people who overanalyze a conversation, spend a long time wondering whether someone is upset with them, or react strongly to rejection and criticism. Writing also helps you spot patterns you might not see in the moment. What affects you most? What triggers you emotionally? What do you actually need in that situation? And, perhaps most importantly, what story is your mind telling you about what just happened? When you see these things written down, it becomes easier to separate facts from interpretations.

The goal isn’t to become “less sensitive”

Hamdani stresses that the idea isn’t to suppress emotions or try to become someone who “doesn’t overthink.” On the contrary, the goal is to learn how to regulate the experience of emotion without denying sensitivity. In practice, that means pausing for a moment, naming what’s happening, checking the facts, and then choosing your response — instead of letting the emotion choose for you.

So if you’ve spent years hearing that you’re “too sensitive,” the answer isn’t to feel less, but to find a better way to process everything you feel.