1) "Why do you take everything personally? Learn to take a joke."

Sometimes a joke isn't just a joke to us. You might be poking on our insecurities. We know it's a bit little silly to be upset, but what else are we supposed to do with all of our feelings? Telling us not to take things so personally is like telling us, "it wouldn't affect you if you didn't let it."  

2) "Stop blaming yourself for everything that happens around you."

We just happen to be an empath, and rather than controversy, We take the burden. Empathy can make us feel responsible for people's emotions around us and even for the problems that have nothing to do with us. Honestly, we don't have control over that. You see, we tend to absorb other people's emotions, sometimes taking them on as our own.

3) "Come on, don't cry. You really need to toughen up."

Being a teenager, I have had many friends and cousins who used to pick on me because I was a bit dusky back then. They would say, "We are making you strong to face the world." Seriously it made me more insecure about myself. You see, we are not weak, and we don't need any "toughness training." What we require is understanding. Being respectful towards people's mental and emotional dispositions is always a good idea; you do understand that different people process things differently, right? We often want to control our emotional responses, but we are sorry; we can't.

4) "Once you stop overthinking, everything will fall into its place."

We already know that we think too much, but you see, our brain doesn't turn off. Once we encounter a problem, our mind thinks of all the what-ifs, all the possible outcomes of our following action. Decision-making is the worst part. You see, I even get nervous when it comes to deciding on what food I should eat at a restaurant, 'cause what if the item I chose turns out to be bad?

5) "I have been through this, I know exactly how you feel."

Honestly, you don't, but it is better to agree rather than explaining how we actually feel. We feel things so intensely compared to others that it is not possible to compare levels of feelings.

Now all those who skimmed through this post might have a question "Can't they just stop being highly sensitive?"

The simple answer is No, but many are trying to "Toughen up" with retreats and therapy. Chill, being HSP is not a disease or a mental condition. I am sure that you might have at least one friend to who you can relate. You see, many even struggle to love themselves because they possess these traits. But I tell you accepting who you really is would be the first step. You are not a misfit, trust me. There are many HSP celebrities around us; you can find out many with just a click on Google.  

A 2014 study published in the journal Brain and Behavior found that highly sensitive people experienced more activity in regions of the brain associated with empathy and awareness when exposed to pictures of emotional individuals than the average person. In other words, we're neurologically wired to behave the way that we do.