Advantages and Disadvantages
People vary in their sensitivity levels and this is at least in part genetic. Babies who are fussy react so because they are very sensitive to stimuli and remain so as they grow and develop. Babies who are more placid (and easier to take care of) develop as more mellow individuals. It might seem that it's better to be a mellow person, but is there any downside? Is there any advantage to being highly sensitive?
The Disadvantages
When you are very sensitive, stimuli such as feelings, ideas, and interactions with others impact you strongly, and you need to deal with the overstimulation to gradually regain a comfortable stimulus level. I have a friend (I'll call him Jim) who, when excited or upset about something, handles the overstimulation by stamping his feet and talking about the issue repetitively until the overstimulation wanes. This takes effort and energy.
There are times when others may hurt you. They may disagree with an idea you express, criticize you for a habit or even a physical characteristic (such as weight) that they disapprove of, or even insult you if they are angry at you. The more sensitive you are, the longer it will take you to process this event and regain your equanimity. You may replay a response in your mind (e.g. "I'm not overweight") over and over until new stimuli draw your attention away from it.
The Advantages
A highly sensitive person is more strongly impacted by positive stimuli and therefore enjoys pleasurable experiences longer and more intensely. With both external stimuli such as music, art, food, or the company of friends, or internal stimuli, such as one's own good ideas, the enjoyment is more powerful and protracted. I think again of Jim. When he hears a joke, he laughs longer and more heartily than those around him.
Highly sensitive people have the potential to pick up on the feelings of others and therefore understand them better. They may be better able to empathize with those who are important to them and provide more meaningful support.
The Inner Guide
An Inner Guide is very sensitive, because it has no mental static getting in the way of its perceptions. But it doesn't have any of the disadvantages that come with that sensitivity because, by definition, it feels only comfort. So it is optimally positioned to help you with your discomforts, whatever they may be. It has access to your entire memory bank, so it can look into your past and learn how your discomforts and problems originated. Once it has accessed the origins of your discomforts, it searches for, and finds, new solutions for these problems. It then works to bring them into your awareness.
If you don't yet have an Inner Guide, you can acquire one here: https://emotionalcomfort.com/blog/post/you-can-acquire-an-inner-guide-part-4
