Channeling Anger, Pain and Injustice Into Action: A Sensitive Person’s Guide By Julie Bjelland, LMFT
There is so much pain in the world right now. So much injustice, cruelty, and abandonment of compassion. And if you feel like it’s been breaking your heart open, you are not alone.
Many of us are carrying a deep ache. We feel the weight of everything, often more than we know what to do with. And while that can feel overwhelming, I want to offer you a truth that has helped me come back to center again and again:
You feel deeply on purpose.
You are sensitive because we need people to care deeply. It has always been the people who care the most who can make the most significant difference. To notice what hurts. To hold tenderness in a world where many leaders don’t. You feel the most pain because you are attuned to what’s missing—justice, safety, love, compassion—and that sensitivity is not a flaw. It is a compass.
When Big Feelings Need a Place to Go
Many sensitive people are carrying enormous emotional energy right now. Heartbreak, helplessness, and anger, which, without a clear outlet, can feel like they are breaking us down.
That energy should not be suppressed. It needs to move.
Pain can be fuel. It can become purpose.
You do not have to push yourself beyond your limits.
But when you are ready, aligned action can help transform emotion into meaningful direction.
Start with an intentional plan.
🫗 If Your Cup Is Empty, Fill It First
If you are burned out, overwhelmed, or feeling frozen, your first action might be building your resilience. It might be pausing to rest and refill your cup.
That might look like:
Turning off the news
Letting yourself cry
Breathing slowly with your hand on your chest
Letting something on your to-do list wait
Seeking out moments of comfort in nature
Creating art or writing that gives voice to what hurts
Setting boundaries to preserve your energy
This is not avoidance. This is care. This is healing.
Rest helps you build strength so you can rise when you are ready.
✨ If Your Cup Has a Little in It...
Once you have rested and feel even a flicker of energy, that may be the time to rise. Not all at once. Not in ways that overwhelm. Just small steps in alignment with your truth.
Here are examples of what rising can look like:
Supporting someone directly impacted by injustice
Voting, volunteering, or sharing resources in ways that feel sustainable
Donating to a cause that protects what you care about
Joining community aligned with your values
Educating yourself and others using trusted sources
Amplifying marginalized voices through sharing their work, stories, or platforms
Writing to your representatives about an issue that moves you
Offering mutual aid or supplies to those in crisis
Planting a tree or caring for the earth as an act of environmental justice
Practicing acts of kindness in your community
Supporting ethical, small, or disabled-owned businesses
Speaking up when it feels safe and aligned to do so—even quietly
Each small action matters. Together, these acts become movements.
This is how change begins. Not with force, but with steady compassion.
🌿 Sensitive People Are the Answer
It is those of us who feel the deepest pain from injustice, cruelty, and separation who often hold the vision for something better.
Not because we are louder, but because we listen.
Not because we are fearless, but because we care through the fear.
Not because we have all the answers, but because we refuse to abandon our values.
Your sensitivity is needed.
Your emotional truth is part of what this world is missing.
When sensitive people rise—softly, intentionally, and together—we change the world.
🌱 You Do Not Have to Do It Alone
Even when we know our sensitivity is needed, it can feel isolating, especially in a world that often does not reflect our values back to us.
That is why connection matters. Being in community with others who feel deeply, like you do, can remind you of your strength, help regulate your nervous system, and build the resilience needed to keep going.
Throughout history, it has always been communities that have sparked change. Movements are born in living rooms, across kitchen tables, in healing circles, and online in aligned spaces. It is people coming together—sharing pain, hope, and vision—who rise up and reshape the world.
We rise higher when we rise together.
Join a space that feels aligned with what you need right now—whether that is a local in-person group or an online space created with sensitivity in mind.
If you are looking for a soft place to land, I invite you to explore the Sensitive Empowerment Community. It is a space I’ve created for sensitive and neurodivergent people who want to heal, grow, and rise together through grounded care and meaningful connection.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead
Tend to your nervous system with care. Let rest be part of your rhythm. And when the time feels right, rise in the way that’s right for you.
With care,
Julie
P.S. 💛 Did you find this helpful? Consider sharing it with someone who might also need it. Sensitive hearts are stronger together.
About the Author
Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is a licensed psychotherapist, author, and the Founder of Sensitive Empowerment. She specializes in supporting sensitive and neurodivergent individuals, and her work centers on nervous system care, self-compassion, and empowering sensitive people to thrive in a world that often feels overwhelming. Her global offerings include courses, consultations, a top-ranked podcast, and the Sensitive Empowerment Community—a healing space for connection, growth, and resilience.
Learn more at JulieBjelland.com