When You Feel Like You’re “Too Much” for People: Understanding Sensitivity & Self-Protection

Trauma

Jan 27

When You Feel Like a Burden Even When No One Says You Are

Many people secretly believe they are “too much” for others—too emotional, too reactive, too sensitive, too talkative, too complicated. This belief often forms long before adulthood and becomes woven into your identity.

You may apologize excessively, hide your needs, or shrink yourself in relationships. You may even sabotage connections because you assume people will eventually pull away. These patterns rarely come from your present—they come from older internalized messages your system still carries.

Where These Beliefs Begin

If you grew up in an environment where your emotions were minimized, ignored, or mocked, your mind may have learned that expressing yourself was unwelcome. If you learned to self-soothe, overperform, or stay quiet to keep the peace, it makes sense that you continue those patterns now—even if they no longer serve you.

Your mind isn’t trying to harm you; it’s trying to keep you acceptable and safe. But those beliefs can become suffocating, especially when relationships become more intimate or emotionally real.

How ART Helps Rewrite Internal Patterns

ART allows the brain to revisit and reprocess old emotional learnings without reliving them. Through guided visualization and bilateral eye movements, you can shift how your body responds to memories, messages, and past experiences.

As these patterns update, clients often notice: