“You’re Just Too Much.” I Heard It My Whole Life.
Rachel had been called intense, dramatic, sensitive, emotional—even “a lot”—since she was a child.
“You need to calm down.”
“Stop overreacting.”
“You’re too needy.”
“Why do you care so much?”
So she learned to:
Dial it down
Laugh things off
Be the “cool girl” or the “chill friend”
Cry quietly, or not at all
By the time she came to therapy, she wasn’t just holding back emotions—she was holding her entire self back.
She Didn’t Come to Therapy to Be Seen—She Came to Be Fixed
Rachel walked in saying:
“I think I’m too sensitive. I need help being more normal.”
“I’m exhausting my friends. I cry over everything.”
“I think I just need thicker skin.”
She wasn’t looking to be validated. She was looking to be smaller.
But her therapist didn’t give her emotional armor.
She gave her something else:
Permission.
The First Time She Wasn’t Asked to Shrink
In a session where Rachel broke down crying mid-sentence and immediately apologized, her therapist gently stopped her and said:
“You don’t need to get smaller to be here.”
Rachel froze.
No one had ever said that.
Not when she was angry. Not when she was heartbroken. Not when she was deeply excited.
And in that moment, she didn’t feel ashamed—she felt seen.
What Therapy Helped Her Realize
Over time, Rachel uncovered something crucial:
She wasn’t too much. She was just surrounded by people who weren’t equipped to meet her.
Her “too much” was:
The way she loved with her whole heart
The way she noticed things others missed
The way she felt the energy in a room shift like wind
The way she didn’t numb herself to survive
What others labeled “dramatic” or “intense” was actually her emotional intelligence, sensitivity, and depth—qualities she’d learned to view as flaws.
The Sentence That Changed Her Story
One day, after recounting yet another friendship where she was told she was overwhelming, her therapist said:
“You were never too much. You were just never met with enough.”
Rachel sat still for a long time.
Then she said:
“That’s the most comforting—and the saddest—thing I’ve ever heard.”
What Changed When She Stopped Shrinking
Rachel didn’t become louder.
She didn’t start crying more often.
She didn’t even demand more from others.
But she stopped apologizing for her aliveness.
She learned to:
Sit in her emotion without rushing to contain it
Ask herself what she needed, not how to be easier
Seek relationships where depth was welcome, not avoided
Express big joy, big sadness, and big love—without shame
And she realized something radical:
Her bigness wasn’t a burden. It was a gift that needed better containers.
Now, She Doesn’t Filter Herself—She Filters the Room
Rachel doesn’t contort herself anymore to be digestible.
Instead, she watches for how others respond to her truth.
If someone says:
“You’re being too sensitive,”
She now thinks:
“No—I’m being honest. You just don’t have space for it. And that’s okay. But I don’t need to shrink to fit you.”
If You’ve Ever Felt Like Too Much, You’re Not Alone
You might’ve been told:
“You feel things too deeply”
“You love too fast”
“You’re too clingy, too intense, too needy”
But here’s the truth: You were never too much. You were too honest for spaces that rewarded emotional silence.
➡️ And in therapy, you get to take up space. Fully. Loudly. Tenderly. We’re ready when you are.
FAQs About Feeling “Too Much” in Therapy
Q: What if I cry or get emotional in every session?
That’s okay. Therapy is one of the few places where that’s normal—and honored.
Q: What if I feel guilty for how deeply I feel things?
That guilt is often internalized shame. Therapy helps unpack where that message came from—and why it’s no longer yours to carry.
Q: Can therapy help me build relationships where I can be myself?
Absolutely. Therapy can help you set boundaries, recognize emotional safety, and choose connection that nourishes, not depletes.
Q: What if I’ve been hiding parts of myself for so long I don’t know who I really am?
That’s exactly what therapy is for. Reclaiming your whole self starts one safe moment at a time.
Conclusion
You are not too much.
You are not “a lot.”
You are not dramatic, overreactive, or broken.
You are tender. Deep. Awake.
You are built for real connection.
➡️ You don’t need to shrink to be loved. You just need space to be met. Let’s begin.
