Living well as a highly sensitive person
Finding out that I test as a highly sensitive person (HSP) greatly enlarged my capacity to understand, accept, and embrace myself. As I learned that this scientifically-identifiable trait comes with beautiful gifts as well as its persistent challenges, I was able to let go of my long-standing sense of being flawed.
As a child, just the sound of a siren jangled my nervous system and made me feel sad and worried. I remember hearing adults say about me, "She doesn't have the strongest constitution." Change, even positive change, was and still is stressful for me. I startle easily, feel deeply, cry regularly, and become overstimulated and overwhelmed by a schedule and pace that seem to feel fine to the majority of those around me. I belong to the 20-30% of the population who test as highly sensitive.
Now that I understand that my brain processes stimuli in a unique way and that we HSPs have gifts to offer -- great depth of feeling and creativity; courage for honest exploration of our inner worlds; capacity to help others feel seen, heard, and understood; wisdom and insight that make us good guides , I have a more balanced view of myself. I don't have a defect, and I'm not "less than" those without the HSP trait. Neither am I "more than" a non-HSP. I simply have "sensory processing sensitivity" (the scientific name for the HSP trait). If you are wondering if you, too, may be an HSP, it's easy to find out.
Start with an assessment.
Are you a highly sensitive person? Find out in just a few minutes with one or both of these simple tests.
If you tested as an HSP, move on to this book:
Elaine Aron is the researcher who put high sensitivity on the map. In this book, Dr. Aron helps you understand what high sensitivity is, along with the science that backs up its reality. She tells stories and offers general health and lifestyle advice for HSPs, along with information and counsel on more specific topics such as relationships, work, healing of wounds, medical matters, and spirituality. Each chapter ends with suggested ways of working with what you have learned. A gem of a book, written by a very wise highly sensitive person for other HSPs.
Now you’re ready to expand your exploration.
You could continue to read.
For feeling understood, you probably can't beat the most popular posts at the Highly Sensitive Refuge website.
To learn how to manage your increased sensitivity to both physical and emotional stimulation, check out The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide by Ted Zeff.
If you are the parent of a highly sensitive child, you may want to read The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine Aron.
If you prefer to listen or watch rather than read, you're in luck.
If you're an HSP who struggles to see or remember your strengths, don't miss this eight-minute video -- 10 Strengths of a Highly Sensitive Person from Psych2Go.
This eight-minute interview with Dr. Elaine Aron includes fascinating lifestyle advice for HSPs.
The one-hour documentary Sensitive--The Untold Story features singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette and author-psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron. Watch the trailer here.