On Highly Sensitive People & Overcoming Feeling Misunderstood
Originally written by Gaby Ramos & Kaitlin Kindman; updated and maintained by Kindman & Company in 2026
Have you ever been told you’re 'too sensitive,' 'too emotional,' or 'too easily overwhelmed?' I certainly have. For a long time, I thought it was a flaw. But here’s the shift: 15–20% of us have a unique neurobiology. Our brains literally process sensory information more deeply.
Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) means you're more in tune with beauty and empathy, but it can also feel like an affliction. To help us navigate the 'overwhelm,' I sat down with Gaby Ramos, one of our therapists, to discuss how to turn sensitivity into your greatest strength
Thanks to Gaby Ramos, one of our fabulous therapists, who sat down with me to have a brief chat about some common challenges that HSPs encounter and offer us some quick and easy mindfulness tips to go from feeling overwhelmed and misunderstood to confident and seen.
The HSP Survival Guide: Key Takeaways from Gaby Ramos
KK: Gaby, can you tell us a little bit about working with highly sensitive people and some common challenges?
GR: I identify as a highly sensitive person and I think that across the board, what I hear frequently is that we're often misunderstood.
Our trait is relatively unknown and our experiences can make us feel like we don’t belong. I think that's one of the biggest challenges that highly sensitive people have.
KK: Feeling different or other is incredibly painful. I have definitely heard a lot of stories around a lack of belonging, and know it for myself as an HSP as well. What are one or two tips that you would recommend for how people can find more belonging and navigate the highly sensitive trait?
GR: I think there's a core piece of falling into a self-critical cycle, because of being misunderstood and feeling like we don’t belong. We tend to kind of turn inward and feel really pretty threatened by the environment and unsafe.
And I think that’s where it starts—is trying to find that safety in ourselves. Practicing mindful and grounding techniques has been really helpful for me to continue going inward but in a really safe space. I think that that is, as long as it's something that we practice and that we're mindful about, it can be really, really beneficial for HSPs.
Mindfulness in the Moment
KK: Can you give our readers one example of a helpful mindfulness exercise?
GR: Yeah, I’ve shared this with you. It's helpful for me to tune into some kind of recording or music that's really calming. I find the ocean waves really calming for me. In moments of stress, I find myself kind of going back to those mindful techniques and go ahead and close my eyes.
I think about the ocean waves. I'll think about how calm the waves are and I'll visualize the ocean breeze and the sun hitting my face. It seems really easy and I think it can be, and it can be really helpful when we feel those moments of stress, to go to those safe spaces and close our eyes for five to ten minutes and try to find that inner peace.
KK: Absolutely. That's something that all of us can do, right? We all have some safe space—maybe in nature or at the beach? And to take a moment and visualize it and connect with it with all of our senses to ground and soother our nervous system. And as HSPs our nervous system can easily feel really on fire or feel very wild. So Gaby, you’re gearing up right now to put a group together for HSPs, the HSP Empowerment Group. What would you say one of the key benefits for people who joined your group would be?
GR: I think it's really helpful to be around people who share our temperament and share similar experiences.
I think it's so validating to share in community and in a space where we can feel seen, heard and understood. And I get so excited about this topic because I think it's been really groundbreaking for me to be in environments where I'm really validated, where I feel really seen and heard. We get a chance to not only share our experiences, but to also learn more about our trait and learn other grounding and mindful tips to help regulate and soothe our nervous system when it feels like it's on fire.
get support for feeling misunderstood
As we mentioned, one of the most challenging aspects of being an HSP is feeling like so many people don’t get our experience or misunderstand our intentions.
The first step is to learn more about caring for ourselves and managing our nervous systems to connect more to being in our power. And we need to do this within relationships—as this is what helps you feel more seen and understood.
If these challenges resonate with you and you’re needing support, you may want to learn more about our therapy services for Highly Sensitive People and empaths.
We also recommend reading our Empath’s Guide to Navigating a World in Crisis as a Highly Sensitive Person to get some very helpful tips on how to protect your energy, mind, and heart in an ever-challenging sociopolitical climate.