I was 26 when my therapist at the time ended our session with, you know what, I think you are a highly sensitive person and it might be good to look into what that means for you. This was followed by me googling “what is HSP ” and filling out a ton of questionnaires only to arrive at the conclusion that, well, I don’t think I am. It took me about one more year to understand, yes I actually am highly sensitive. Why was I unsure? The answer to this question is simple and not so simple at the same time. When you push something away long enough, you might not even know it is there. Or also, when enough people tell you to toughen up and not be so sensitive, it makes sense to hide yourself. In short, feeling overwhelmed was normal for me, I thought, life is overwhelming and exhausting for everyone, people are just not showing it. Boy (Girl), was I wrong!
So what does being highly sensitive mean?
Being highly sensitive is more than being annoyed by bright lights and loud sounds. In fact it is a personality trait that has been studied in the field of psychology for several decades. In scientific terms, HSP is defined as a sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). It refers to a heightened sensitivity to external stimuli. Think sound, touch, vision, taste, energy, smell. It basically means that our nervous system is more sensitive and picks up on stimuli more extensively. And the best news, nature intended for it to be that way.
About 15-20 % of all humans are highly sensitive. It is a natural variation of the nervous system made by mother nature to protect us. It shows up not only in humans but also other species as a way of increasing survival chances. Because yes, it does help to be able to pick up on subtleties when you are trying to distinguish a red berry from a lookalike poisonous red berry.
So I am highly sensitive, now what?
As you can see, being highly sensitive is a part of your personality, it is a part of who you are. It is something we can’t change, just as much as we can’t change the colour of our eyes. And in fact, it doesn’t need changing. So what do we need?
What do we need? What do I need? What a great question to ask, but before that I encourage you to ask yourself something else. To observe something else. What do you see, hear, taste and feel? After all, being HSP is closely connected to our senses.
Let’s go from there.