Why You Feel Everything So Deeply (and how to survive it) - Dr Sasha Hamdani

RSD is a neurological condition characterized by an intense emotional and sometimes physical response to perceived rejection or criticism. It can feel like a devastating blow, leading to severe distress or even depressive episodes.

Rejection triggers a dysregulation in dopamine and norepinephrine, affecting the brain's ability to manage emotions. The amygdala (threat detector) becomes highly active, while the prefrontal cortex (responsible for judgment) is less responsive, leading to an emotional spiral.

Decreasing estrogen levels can lower dopamine, making emotional regulation harder, especially for women. Testosterone can be protective, but its decline in men can lead to increased emotional sensitivity, which many struggle to manage.

From an evolutionary standpoint, being ostracized from a tribe meant a high risk of death. Therefore, the brain developed a strong sensitivity to criticism and rejection as a survival mechanism to maintain social bonds.

Men are often discouraged from expressing emotions other than anger, leading to suppressed feelings. Women generally have more social allowance to explore emotional sensitivity, making it easier for them to navigate these experiences.

High sensitivity is often linked to high emotional intelligence, enabling a deep understanding of others' emotions. This can make them excellent friends, partners, parents, and professionals in fields like psychiatry.

It can negatively impact self-esteem if negative interpretations are consistently made. However, in supportive environments like therapy, sensitivity is often celebrated and can lead to feelings of being understood and valued.

The uncertainty of delayed responses fuels anxious thoughts about not being valued or considered. The mind might create scenarios of rejection, making the eventual response anticlimactic or even anger-inducing.

Key tools include physical movement to break patterns and oxygenate the brain, delaying reactions to allow the prefrontal cortex to engage, and mindfulness (observing emotions without judgment).

It's crucial to find roles that leverage sensitivity as a strength and to avoid environments that are overly harsh or dismissive of emotions. Adapting career paths or seeking supportive workplaces is key.

Emotional sensitivity involves feeling deeply, while fragility might suggest an inability to process or recover from these feelings without significant distress or a need for external validation.

Social media can exacerbate sensitivity due to constant comparison and a focus on external validation (likes, engagement). For teens with developing prefrontal cortexes, this can be particularly challenging to navigate.