DOSSIER

  05/05/2026 | Céline MAGNANO

You may have already experienced this: a seemingly innocuous remark that lingers in your mind all day, a tense atmosphere you sense immediately without anyone saying a word, or the feeling of being more affected than others, while some seem to move on much more quickly.

If this is the case for you, you're not alone. Some people operate with a heightened sensitivity. They perceive more nuances: in glances, in silences, in unspoken words.

We often talk about hypersensitivity. It's not a weakness; it's a way of absorbing more emotional information and experiencing it more intensely.
The problem, therefore, isn't feeling. The problem is the accumulation. Because when everything affects you more quickly and intensely, you also have to process more information, more often. And eventually, exhaustion sets in. In a demanding professional environment or in complex relationships, a sense of fatigue, of being overwhelmed, can set in, sometimes even for no apparent reason.

Over time, some people develop what could be called an “emotional radar.� It’s not a real radar, of course. It’s simply a way of saying that your brain analyzes many signals simultaneously: reactions, tensions, changes in attitude. And this ability also has its advantages. It often allows you to better understand others, anticipate certain conflicts, or quickly spot when something is wrong.

But by being so attentive to everything, you sometimes end up not being able to breathe.

So how do you cope?
First step: distinguish between what belongs to you and what doesn’t. In other words: what actually happened, and what did you interpret? Going back to the facts already allows you to gain perspective. For example, a colleague might respond curtly to your message simply because they're overwhelmed, not necessarily because they're angry with you. Distinguishing between facts and what we imagine can already ease a lot of tension.

Second point: learn to name what you're feeling. Putting simple words to an emotion—"I feel tense," "I feel overwhelmed"—helps prevent it from completely consuming you.

Third lever: reconnect with your body. When emotions rise, staying solely in your head isn't enough. Breathing, walking, moving, meditating, playing sports… anything that brings you back to the present moment helps to lower the intensity.

Finally, the environment plays a crucial role. Some relationships are calming. Others, on the contrary, amplify the emotional charge. When you're sensitive, surrounding yourself with clearer, simpler, and more secure relationships makes a real difference.

The goal isn't to become less sensitive, but to learn not to absorb everything. Because this sensitivity also has its merits: it allows us to grasp nuances, understand others more deeply, be more attentive, more precise, and more humane in our interactions.
Feeling more intensely is not a flaw. Learning to better understand this sensitivity, however, can change everything.

  Céline MAGNANO

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