{"id":1101,"date":"2012-09-18T05:49:40","date_gmt":"2012-09-18T05:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/areasontosmile\/?p=1101"},"modified":"2012-09-18T05:49:40","modified_gmt":"2012-09-18T05:49:40","slug":"qa-how-to-learn-emotional-self-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2012\/09\/qa-how-to-learn-emotional-self-defense.html","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: How to learn emotional self-defense"},"content":{"rendered":"
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*EVERYONE*<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Question submitted via Formspring<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I be less sensitive?\u00a0 It seems that every little thing that people say or do upsets me.\u00a0 Everyone says I am just \u2018too sensitive\u2019, but I don\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0 Help!\u201d<\/p>\n

The simple answer is: Being \u2018too sensitive\u2019 isn\u2019t the problem; taking things too personally<\/em> is the problem. I have had the honor of talking to literally thousands of people on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and many other places<\/a>; and one thing I can say for certain is: Most of the things people worry about happening, never actually happen!<\/p>\n

For instance, sometimes people feel like other people are working against them, but the fact of the matter is: 99% of the time they aren\u2019t thinking about you at all.\u00a0 Everyone is so busy dealing with their own baggage, issues, and unresolved trauma from the past<\/a>, that they don\u2019t really have time to be plotting against you! Even if they say or do something that hurts you, very rarely is it meant<\/em> to hurt you.<\/p>\n

So, what can you do to defend yourself?\u00a0 In a recent episode of All About You with B. Dave Walters, I explained: How to protect yourself from negativity; what is a ‘psychic attack’, and how to protect yourself from one; and an instant technique for feeling calm and centered.<\/p>\n