Increased sensitivity
Though I’m often labeled as an idealist, I also like to take a pragmatic approach toward meditation – to look at the good side, the bad, and everything between. I love talking about all the aspects of my meditation and spiritual journey in the hope that it might help others.
Today’s topic? Feeling a sense of increased sensitivity.
Meditation vitamins
Let me start out by saying that meditation should be treated like a vitamin. It’s not a cure-all, but it is a great daily supplement to enhance well-being and overall life satisfaction.
Meditation, as a practice, is widely recognized to increase awareness. You get in touch with yourself. You get better at empathizing with others. There are numerous health benefits. There are also plenty of emotional and mental benefits to boot.
And, y’all, I’m on a journey of awakening. I’m just being real here.
Increased awareness
While getting in touch with your awareness – what you think, what you feel, more connection, living in the moment – it’s also worthwhile to mention that this results in increased sensitivity.
I’m already highly sensitive and empathic. I have been throughout my life, though I didn’t know this until I was a fully-fledged adult. I sense the energy in a room, and I sense people’s moods.
In recent months, I am sensing increased emotions within myself. Some of it is the political climate in which I bear witness to in the US. I think about the plight of immigrant children. The suffering of the downtrodden.
I seem to be feeling the emotions of others around me, and those that arise within me, to a higher degree.
This awareness of emotion is common when you meditate a lot.
Negative emotions
I am not as easily able to shake negative emotions. When someone is negative around me, I have noticed that I don’t recover to my normal, more “bubbly” state as quite as easily, at least lately.
Recently, I know I should have stopped a negative conversation from continuing. But, I let the person vent. Days later, I still feel weird, sad, anxious, and even guilt-ridden.
I know now that I must stop these kinds of conversations from happening in the first place. I just wanted to be “a friend” and let this person say their peace. But I had no idea how much it would disturb my own peace.
Life is too short for my own well-being to be off-kilter for days like that.
Empathy
A meditation practice will create a sense of connectedness.
I feel more connected to those around me. I am developing a true sense of empathy for all beings – even the “bad” people out there. They’re just people.
They’re people who might have made a bad decision in the past. Or perhaps they had a terrible childhood. Maybe they have a terrible chemical imbalance. Still, they might be suffering from a health ailment. Who knows? Insecure and hurting people tend to do irrational things.
These things go through my mind now at the moment I might feel a need to vent about someone. And I might even be justified in feeling like I was wronged! Still, even just talking about anyone in a negative light – even the 45th president of the US – makes me feel terrible.
And I don’t get over it for days. DAYS!
The good, the bad and…the awesome!
The fact that I sometimes can’t let emotions go, especially negative ones, is interesting. Is that good? Bad?
It depends on your perspective.
Not talking about people or disparaging them can sure help create a more peaceful planet. That is good.
Feeling terrible and out of balance after even witnessing a negative conversation? Bad for me and for those who are putting out or absorbing that negative energy. It keeps me more honest, though. I’m also more willing to stop bad things from happening in the future.
What’s awesome is that I understand that feeling the full range of emotions allows me to acutely see the consequences of my actions. It allows me to experience the fullness of life. To be present. Here and now.
“Meditation helps me experience the fullness of life. To be present. Here and now.” -Cynthia Sageleaf
Giving to others makes me deliriously happy. Smiling. Sending out good vibes. I need to do these as much as possible. Harboring anger or resentment cannot stay in my sensitive heart for long. Feeling like I’m in a depressed mood? I have a need to get back to the light as soon as I can.
How to handle it
I sometimes forget about all the tools at my disposal to navigate these emotions:
- getting out in nature
- meditating on a protective aura of light surrounding me
- smoke-cleansing (smudging)
- deep breathing
- loving-kindness meditation
Getting out in nature
The last week I was feeling a bit of leftover negative energy as a result of encountering an acquaintance. Then I worked on the computer all day. Late in the afternoon I still had work to do, but I decided to shut down my computer and head for the woods.
For nearly an hour, I did some trail running. I left there feeling euphoric, connected to the earth, and ecstatic. I was ready to face life once again.
White light
Meditating on all my chakras and creating white light all around me – and this can be in the last few minutes of regular daily meditation. It’s a wonderful way to have negative energy bounce off of me and not come through me leaving a messy trail of despair behind.
Smoke cleansing
Using sage to banish negative energy and sweet grass to bring in positive energy is another of my favorite things to do.
Deep breathing
Deep breathing – counting breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth – is another powerful way to calm my soul.
Loving-Kindness
One of my favorite kinds of meditation is loving-kindness. (If you don’t know a lot about that, or would like to know more, or even have me write a guided meditation on that, let me know in the comments.)
I have found that to be so powerful. You send positive thoughts to your closest relatives, to neutral people, and to ones that you have conflicts with. People around you can’t help but absorb your positive energy.
Having increased emotions and sensitivity is a good thing. It really means that you’re on a path to becoming your highest self.
Dear Cynthia,
This post was tailor-made for me these days. I have started a new assignment with a different hospital. The students are my light – time and time
again, which makes me ‘usually’ head out to work with a smile in my heart.
I need a ‘loving kindness’ guided meditation more than ever – I have lots of positive energy that needs sending to someone who is in dire need.
In the meanwhile, I’m embracing my sensitivity as positively as I can.
Have a peaceful week.
Love and thanks,
Maria
Sweet Mar – that is so good to know. I can’t wait to write up a guided meditation on loving kindness now. 🙂 It might be just after I get back from the retreat but that’s something I’d love to do. You’ve been busy! Getting a new assignment at another hospital is like a new job! But you are just incredible and they are incredibly lucky to have you. That meditation is so good for sending out the good vibes. 🙂 And it WORKS! So, yes! I’ll do it. 🙂 Sending you big hugs and wishes for a wonderful week!
You, Lil Sis, are a fascinating human being. Do me a favor, would you please, and move to Olympia. I’d like you for a next door neighbor. You would be a huge improvement over the neighbor we currently have. A little quiet meditation would be lovely when he has friends over for a party.
All joking aside, it would be lovely to meet my Lil Sis in person one day. It gives me something very special to look forward to.
Hugs from Olympia
bill
Big Bro, you’re awesome! Perhaps one day I could end up there. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. Hehe. And I DO plan on going on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest within the next couple of years. So hang on Big Bro – I’ll be in the neighborhood soon enough. Ha! I hope all is well on your end. Sending you hugs from Cackalack.
Hi Cynthia, thank you for sharing your learned insights. I think there are a lot of people who go through their whole life never realizing they have the gift of an empath and suffer not knowing how to protect themselves. The last couple of years I have been slowly transitioning to being spiritual and learning what will help me be the best me and evolve past being an ego centred being to a loving being that will help the rest find their way too. I work in the public and deal with a lot of people in a day and came to the realization I need to learn to find a way to shield myself from their energy as well as the ones that take energy, (I seem to be a magnet for them) I found that having a high vibrational crystal with me helps and I have been trying the technique you mentioned of a protective light orb, I try to visualize a purple one and it seems to help but takes some concentration!
Lalainia – thank you for coming by! 🙂 I didn’t know I was an empath for the first three decades of my life! LOL…and sometimes it was hard to push through those sensitive feelings. But yeah, now that I know – or when other empaths find out – I can take precautions. I can also relate to your journey: I grew up in the Catholic church, but have been forging a spiritual path since I was about 23 years old. It’s been an incredible journey. One that’s not always understood, but well worth the effort – for our own hearts and minds. The ego, however, can be a powerful influence. This is where meditation is good: it can really help to temper the ego…and Eckhart Tolle talks about the idea of the ego lots in his books. I used to work in customer service and I also worked in a big high school once – it was during these times that I figured out that I needed to walk and bathe in the evenings to decompress and “wash off” the day. I often carry amethyst with me during the day, as well as tiger’s eye to help keep me grounded. The visualization piece does take some concentration, but definitely worth it. Loved your comment. Thank you! 🙂
Dearest Cynthia.. This journey we are upon is not without its days of feeling blue.. We can often find ourselves being swamped by allowing our chakra’s to remain open to absorb the tail ends of other peoples emotions..
So many of us a feeling the need to release right now.. You have named some of my favourite methods of clearing and cleansing.. I also go into my spare bedroom and Drum.. Now that is another powerful tool..
So so enjoyed my time here reading your journey Cynthia.. I know you are travelling right now.. EnJOY your time away.
Seems a few of us a choosing right now to be absent..
Brad I see is also taking time off from blog land to find his deeper self..
Much love and continued Blessings your way dear friend..
Sue <3
Sue – so true (ha, that rhymes). There are days when the blues are all that I see, hear, and feel. I am learning to shield myself more often – I’m needing to do this more than I ever have, I think. But yes, clearing and cleansing are two things I love to do. As for drumming. You’ve really caught my attention. Ever since I went to my reiki practitioner, who also did some shamanic drumming with me, I have been thinking about it. I feel like perhaps I need to look more into that. I’ve never been that into drumming, but in rhythmic music, I “crave” the drumming. I love bass and drums in music and when the reiki healer used it on me, I saw colors and went into one of the deepest meditations I ever had. I’m starting to think there’s a place for drumming in my future…
And yes, I leave on Wednesday. I have been a bit caught up with visiting my mother-in-law and relieving my sisters-in-law so that they get some time away, and doing extra work for the school…and yet I’m so glad that I will be able to not only unplug, but also to refill my energy and heart over the next couple of weeks.
I will let you know more when I respond to your beautiful email, but in the meantime, yes, I’m just beyond thrilled. 🙂 Sending you big hugs and wishes for an incredible week! xoxo -C
Your posts are always interesting. Makes me ask lots of questions. The negativity is always hard to shield oneself from. Donna Eden has some great exercises for clearing negative energy from our physical being. This is quite the journey.
Marlene – hehe, thank you. That’s such a sweet compliment. I am always asking questions and thinking. It’s a good thing I meditate! lol. I’ll have to take a look at Donna Eden. I haven’t heard of her. But I like the sound of what you say here. 🙂 It is quite the journey, no? I love, love discovering these things in my life. Thank you for your kind thoughts as always! Sending you big hugs!