People who are way too easily offended have these 8 traits

Does This Sound Familiar?

A woman with medium-length dark hair and wearing a black and white checkered shirt angrily points at a smartphone in her other hand. Her facial expression shows frustration and anger as she looks at the phone's screen.

“I’m offended by that!”

And you know what? That’s okay.

There are some things that we really should be offended about…

You should be offended by someone mistreating you. You should be offended by someone trying to take advantage of or coerce you. You should be offended by toxic behavior or the mistreatment of others.

That burst of anger and hurt response is your brain telling you that this is a potentially harmful situation that needs to be changed.

But…and it is a BIG BUT…

To be continually offended is to live with a steady stream of anger that will undermine your mental and emotional health. That anger can cause depression, aggravate anxiety, negatively affect your physical health, and damage relationships.

People who are easily offended in this way often display these 8 traits and habits. If you recognize them, chances are it’s doing more harm than good.

1. They are closed minded.

A woman with blonde hair, wearing a white shirt and a beaded necklace, has her eyes closed and is grimacing. She is covering her ears with both index fingers. The background is a solid teal color.

People who are easily offended are often unwilling or unable to take the time to understand the perceptions, intentions, and backgrounds of others. They are resistant to researching and learning more about others, even though it fosters empathy, which reduces miscommunication.

We need to be able to accept that people with different backgrounds will have diverse experiences and beliefs, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Developing empathy and compassion improves your communication skills because you’re more apt to listen to others’ perspectives if you feel you can understand and relate to them.

2. They lack emotional intelligence.

A woman with long brown hair, dressed in a black blazer, is conversing with a man in a dark blue suit. They are seated at a table with a bright, blurred background visible through large windows. The woman is gesturing with her right hand while holding a pen in her left hand.

Emotional intelligence includes the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively use your own emotions while being considerate of others.

People with developed emotional intelligence are more self-aware, empathetic, better communicators, and in better control of their impulses. Those who lack emotional intelligence are the opposite, and the result is taking offense easily and unneccessarily.

3. They can’t look beyond the statement that caused offense.

A bearded man in a plaid shirt is yelling into a landline phone. He appears frustrated or angry. The background is an indoor office setting with shelves and binders.

To remember the person behind a statement is to keep in mind that there is a human being delivering a message or statement. People who take offense easily seem to forget that the message or statement itself is not a standalone thing that can only be taken at face value. The person behind the statement provides additional context that should be examined and considered before you react.

They may have a different background or experiences than you that would explain their statement or actions that you can learn from.

4. They lack communication skills.

An elderly man and woman sit at a wooden table in a brightly lit room with a large window and plants in the background. The man, gesturing with his hands, appears to be speaking to the woman, who is looking thoughtfully out the window, her glasses on the table.

Effective communication involves some important skills that help with conflict resolution and stop people from getting so easily offended.

Active listening allows you to better hear and apply context to a statement. Many people are thinking of what they want to say next instead of just listening to the other person. This leads to a lack of clarity, and clarity matters because offense may be taken due to a lack of comprehension.

Effective communication also allows you to provide feedback or discuss sensitive topics without being offensive which could easily kick off another argument.

So if you’re lacking these skills, you’re going to end up more likely to take a person’s words personally.

5. They don’t pick their battles.

Four men in a bar are engaged in a heated argument. Two men, one in a plaid shirt and the other in a light blue shirt, are being held back by their friends. Glasses of beer are on the table in the foreground, and the scene is tense, with dramatic lighting.

Emotional energy is a finite resource. You only have so much to expend before you get tired and burnt out.

An easily offended person is often putting out so much emotional energy that they get burnt out quickly, which makes it harder to be resilient.

The best way to conserve your energy is to be selective about which battles you decide to fight. Not all of them are worth it. In fact, a lot of them aren’t worth it because they make no sense.

If you can figure out what’s important to you, then you can stop letting things bother you, choose the right battles, defend the truth, and disengage from the rest.

6. They lack emotional resilience.

Two women are seated at a wooden table in a modern café with large windows. The woman on the left is wearing a red sweater and smiling, while the woman on the right, in a brown jacket, is gesturing with her hands as she speaks.

Emotional resilience is a powerful shield for deflecting offense. Resilience allows you to maintain perspective and not overly personalize offensive comments.

People lacking emotional resilience are more likely to interpret comments and actions as personal attacks because of low self-esteem and self-worth. They don’t understand that their self-worth does not need validation from others.

Their lack of coping skills means they can’t take a step back, examine a situation, and then step back into it if they so choose.

7. They’re stubborn about change.

Two women are in a brightly lit room. One, with curly blonde hair and wearing a yellow shirt, is standing and pointing, appearing angry. The other, with straight dark hair and wearing a white shirt, is sitting on a bed looking confused and defensive.

Some people fight self-improvement. They know they need to grow or change but they won’t allow themselves to do it.

Instead, they cling to their old way of doing things because it’s comfortable and familiar. They may also believe these older habits are correct, even if unhealthy, just because they’ve been doing them for a long time.

If you want to stop being so easily offended you’ll need to be brave and accept the path ahead of you.

8. They may be struggling with their mental health.

A man lying in bed is looking at an alarm clock with a confused expression. He is holding his glasses with one hand and the clock with the other. There are white pillows and a blue upholstered headboard behind him. A plant is visible in the background.

Different mental health concerns can affect the way you emotionally respond to a situation.

If depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, or other mental illnesses are part of your life, your emotional regulation may not be properly tuned.

It is always worthwhile to consult with a mental health professional to help you examine what you’re thinking and feeling, and why.

Finally…

A woman with long red hair, wearing a grey dress, is indoors near a window with plants in the background. She holds a phone to her ear, looking surprised and gesturing with her other hand. Sunlight filters through the window and illuminates the scene.

Being easily offended is a habit that can be broken with self-awareness and effort. By developing empathy, improving communication skills, and building emotional resilience, you can learn to respond more constructively to potentially offensive situations. Remember, it’s not about suppressing your feelings, but rather about choosing your battles wisely and maintaining a healthier perspective. With practice and patience, you can cultivate a more balanced approach to life’s challenges and enjoy more positive interactions with others.