You Can Easily Spot A Highly Sensitive Person By 9 Phrases They Usually Say In Casual Conversation
Vladimir Vladimirov from Getty Images Signature via CanvaSensitive people feel things deeply. Their worlds are crafted not only by other people and experiences, but also by their rich inner feelings and emotions. While this often means they have colorful imaginations and creativity, they may also struggle with overthinking and exhaustion when they have too much going on inside.
That's usually why you can easily spot a highly sensitive person by the phrases they say in casual conversation. They're warning signs brimming just below the surface, indicating that they're grappling with a lot more than other people's eyes can see.
Highly sensitive people often say these phrases in casual conversations
1. 'I'm still upset about yesterday'
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Many sensitive people struggle to solve and move on from complex emotions and conflicts. When they experience an argument at work or feel judged by someone, it tends to linger for a lot longer than it might in the average person.
That's why they tend to go back to the same issues, usually to the dismay of their loved ones and peers in everyday conversations. "I'm still upset about yesterday" or "I'm sorry I keep bringing this up" are just a few prime examples of them coping with the lingering frustration or shame.
2. 'It's not a good day for me'
When one small trigger or worry about someone else's judgments lingers in your brain forever, affecting how you think and navigate through the world, it's easy to spiral into a bad day.
The average person may not let other people's emotions or thoughts completely throw them off, but for sensitive people wired to take things personally, it's hard not to. There are certainly days where everything compounds together, whether it's arguments or even minor inconveniences.
3. 'Are you sure?'
Constantly coping with fears of rejection or abandonment, a highly sensitive person may find it difficult to not overthink the most basic interactions. If someone bats an eye the wrong way or seems even a little bit annoyed, a sensitive person has to find some form of inner security by asking questions like, "Are you sure?" and "Are you mad at me?"
Their minds hold onto worries that can be debilitating, hence the constant need for external validation and reassurance.
4. 'Sorry, I'm so dumb'
When conflict and hard conversations require some form of self-assuredness, the most sensitive people speak more negatively about themselves. Instead of being an advocate for themselves and opening up these difficult interactions, they do the opposite.
If they can get ahead of what they perceive everyone else to be judging them for, and do it themselves instead, it helps manage the anxiety. However, the sad fact is that most people aren't judging them as harshly as they believe, if at all.
Unfortunately, when we tell ourselves we're dumb or unworthy and then hear it from other people, it reaffirms those beliefs in a weirdly comforting way, especially when we're insecure. However, highly sensitive people are just putting their own well-being at stake by criticizing themselves constantly.
5. 'That's just not fair'
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Instead of having the hard conversations and leaning into the challenging growth of discomfort, sensitive people tend to internalize a lot of their problems. They feel worldly issues and justice problems in society deeply, but overthinking and holding onto these feelings also becomes somewhat of a coping mechanism.
Instead of managing their own complex emotions as they are, these things become a breeding ground for feeling emotions and contextualizing them. They get incredibly invested, usually at their own expense.
6. 'What did I do to deserve this?'
When you're constantly dealing with a million emotions at all times and feeling things a lot deeper than the average person, you're almost innately set up to take things personally. Everything is more intense and meaningful than it is for others, which is why things feel personal.
How could they not be? Even if someone's intention wasn't to hurt them, it's possible the intensity of their emotions makes it feel like the biggest betrayal on the planet. So, regardless of the context, questions like "What did I do to deserve this?" are quite common.
7. 'I'm drained'
As a study from Scientific Reports explains, the most sensitive people are also the most at risk for overstimulation. Even amid everyday life, subtle sounds or being in a group with too many people can be overwhelming, because they're already feeling emotions with such intensity.
That's why you'll often hear "I'm drained" or "I need a break" more often during unsuspecting, casual conversations. Their introverted tendencies show when it's busy and stimulating, because they're constantly absorbing that information as their own.
8. 'I'll deal with it later'
When they don't have a safe space to express the full spectrum of their emotions with other people and are dealing with a ton internally, sometimes suppressing complex feelings in the moment is all they have the room for. That's why you'll hear "I'll deal with it later" constantly in casual conversations.
They may dismiss their feelings in the moment, but it's obvious that even the most minor arguments and inconveniences are truly affecting their well-being.
9. 'I feel like everyone's judging me'
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Many emotionally sensitive people feel their own emotions strongly, but they also can't help but tap into the collective energy of others. Even if it's not always accurate, but a projection of their own internal worries, they worry constantly about what other people think of them and if they're being judged.
Whether or not someone actually is, their energy holds all that worry, even in casual conversations.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
