Sensitive Is the New Strong

The Power of Empaths in an Increasingly Harsh World

By: Anita Moorjani

Narrated by: Anita Moorjani

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

The New York Times best-selling author of Dying to Be Me returns with “a gorgeous and powerful field guide to the empath living in today’s wild world” (Laura Berman, PhD, author of Quantum Love) and how they can fully embrace their gifts of intuition and empathy.

Empaths not only sense other people’s emotions, but also absorb them - sometimes to their own disadvantage, often leading to overwhelming sensory overload and feelings of confusion or low self-esteem. Their willingness to help and please others might make them prey to opportunists or cause them to give away more energy than they can afford.

But Anita Moorjani argues that it’s possible to turn this onslaught of emotional burden into a powerful tool. In a time when traits like sensitivity, kindness, and compassion are sorely undervalued, Moorjani helps empaths - whether emerging or acknowledged - navigate obstacles they may face and identify what makes them unique. She teaches them how to claim their true powers as empaths and to be their most authentic selves. 

“Sensitive is the New Strong is a book that provides you with groundbreaking information, tools, and exercises in understanding the challenges faced by empaths. You can learn how to protect your energy and thrive. A definite must-read for empaths and their loved ones” (Nick Ortner, New York Times best-selling author).

©2021 Anita Moorjani. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Don't accept all her assumptions

Moorjani does a good job narrating her own book and bringing to light the problems of being a sensitive empath. But her reasons for why empaths have trouble functioning in our chaotic and often insensitive environment felt too personal to me. And thus her advice might tend to lead some readers down a wrong path.

Not all of us think the way she does, project meaning and interpretations in her way, or take on the energies around us in the same way. Nor should we suddenly feel compelled to become activists or speak out the way she advises without exercising our own considered discretion.

So I found this book a bit too narrow in its approach and capable of producing unfortunate distorted results in its readers if they totally buy into all it espouses.

Of particular value, however, are the chapters on tools and ego. Her exact reasons and methods in them do not need to be accepted fully as long as the sensitive reader takes away the point that healthy self care and attitude will help one live comfortably in one's own skin and life while functioning more effectively.

A must for empaths!

I purchased the audio version which I enjoyed hearing the actual author narrate because it felt like she was speaking to me. I'm an empath and the world is a very overwhelming place most of the time. The suggestions and guidance given by Anita are going to be my go-to place when I feel out of my center and need to recharge my energy. She is coming from a place of love, authenticity and experience, and you can feel it.

A Great Introduction

I love Anita Moorjani. I love her down-to-earth authenticity, her humility, and her eagerness to help others. Her NDE (Near Death Experience) makes her a respected authority on the subject of how to live fully, but she also understands from her own life experience how hard it is to change, how consensus reality-generated fear can creep in. She is open about her own failures in this regard, even post-NDE, and I always appreciate her willingness to hold herself to account.

Sometimes it's great to hear what you already know repeated in different ways because it helps the message sink in, and I got a few helpful nuggets from this book, such as some ways of thinking differently about money and a very helpful anecdote about how Moorjani asserted herself in a work situation where she felt she was being taken advantage of and how that turned out far better than she could have imagined.

But really, this book isn't as much for people like me who have been on the spiritual awakening path for many years and already know a fair amount on the topic as it is for people who are at the start of their awakening and self-discovery as empaths/HSPs (Highly Sensitive Persons). Despite the fact that it didn't fully deliver for me, I didn't reduce my star rating because it's a good book and could be very helpful to someone who hasn't already learned a lot about topics like setting boundaries, self-nurture, knowing what you need and asserting those needs, and not working for or helping others out of a sense of obligation. And like I said, it might still offer some helpful nuggets for those already in the know.

I continue to be inspired by Anita Moorjiani

If you read only one book this year, read this one. Your eyes will be open. The world is waking up.

I've been waiting for this book!

I can't tell you how important this book is for empaths! Anita's articulation around this subject is things I've felt for years but didn't hear anyone else talking about AND I didn't have the language for it. I listened to the audio, but I am going to buy teh hardback book too because I will always use it as a reference book. Anita's voice was calm and soothing the entire book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is highly sensitive or an empath. Thank you Anita!

More from Anita on her amazing journey

I have read all of Anita’s books. Her story is amazing and she has made use of that story to help others. While I enjoyed hearing more from Anita in this book, I felt she didn’t sufficiently explain how being an empath can lead to one being strong. This is a very difficult thing to explain, because it is only through the paradigm shift in how you look at the world that can cause any such monumental change. Easy to say, very hard to do. I don’t hold Anita responsible for that herself, but the title may lead to some feeling disappointed. I also feel Anita’s description / characterization of the ego is not consistent with much of the technical psychological or even spiritual authority. Good for her to take a stab at a different take on things, I don’t have any issues with that. But it may be hard for some readers to reconcile Anita’s perspective with what they’ve learned elsewhere. For example, the idea of the ego as good or bad, while very common in self help books, misses what I believe is the key point, in that the ego just is. Our perception of good and bad too often leads to judgement, instead of knowledge. Also, there seems to be some confusion between those not having sufficient ego with those suffering from low self esteem. Perhaps the confusion is only mine! But in the end, I’m grateful for Anita’s teachings on what it means to be an empath and what an empath’s world is like. The survey was very helpful to put this in context for myself and I appreciate Anita’s effort to put all of this together.

OMG. I'm home.

Thank you, Anita.
What a blessing. I feel so, you know, validated.
OMG. I'm home.

A must read for empaths❤️

I absolutely LOVED this book! I could relate to it in such a deep way that I literally cried. I don’t feel so alone or “weird” because of how I’ve been my whole life. I’ve been and STILL continue to get laughed at, eyes rolled at me, called crazy and told to “keep it to myself” EVEN though I continue to prove myself time and time again that I actually KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT.
My own husband even does and says these things to me even after being together for 31 yrs, married for 27 of them. He has seen for himself time and time again WHO I am. I even till this day continue to shock him and even render him speechless at times with my insights. Yet, he still laughs at the empath I tell him I know I am. He doesn’t believe in “that stuff”. It hurts and it’s very difficult at times not being able to turn to him, to talk to him when things arise. I DEEPLY ADMIRE THE RELATIONSHIP THE AUTHOR HAS WITH HER HUSBAND❤️She touches my heart when she talks about him/them throughout the book❤️

I always felt “different” growing up and it was lonely to have no one understand how DEEP I was, how emotional I was, how in tune to others I was, how I felt others pain to the depths of my soul… Ever since childhood and till this day I’m called “the therapist” to not only MY friends and some family members but to my childrens friends as well. My daughter tells people I was born with a special ability to read people and to help people and that warms my heart❤️

I LOVE the quiz in this book to answer if you’re an empath or not lol… I answered yes to every question but two…The author is someone I want to HUG, to say “THANK YOU” to for helping me to understand myself in a way I never had before. To help me feel Im NOT ALONE, IM NOT “WEIRD”, IM NOT “CRAZY” to feel as I feel, to know what I know…..and most importantly, NOT to feel the need to apologize for WHO I AM anymore. (I’m still working on that bad habit lol!) To help guide me, to help me meditate when need be the way an empath NEEDS to. I LOVE her mantras to tell ourselves throughout the book as well❤️

At times I feel as if I can’t live in THIS world anymore because of how UNBEARABLE it is to FEEL SO MUCH PAIN, especially living through a pandemic, along with the basic fact that there are SO MANY CRUEL and HEARTLESS PEOPLE out there saying and doing such CRUEL and HEARTLESS THINGS to other people, to animals and to our planet💔
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR GIFT WITH US BY WRITING ABOUT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES AS AN EMPATH❤️

Horrible could be summed up in 3 pages

The number of times she says empaths, NDE or tells people who they are with her excessive use of labels and letters is appalling. That they are special points to her lack of evolution. Being singled out by a shaman? They pick those that fall prey to neediness and feeling special so to perpetuate their control
Over you.. She is simply trying out her NDE for every scrap she can and buy scrap I’m referring to this book

She shares her experiences brilliantly..I relate

LOVED IT....my newly realized life being an empath and the reality spoke to me 100%. Thank you for sharing...it's meant a WORLD of difference to me.