What does it mean to be a highly sensitive person?
Being a highly sensitive person means having an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. It’s a personality trait that around 20% of all people have. Being an introvert doesn’t necessarily mean you are highly sensitive - although around 70% of HSPs are introverts. If you’re an introvert you need time to recharge by being alone to feel OK. HSPs also need a lot of alone time to destress, but being a HSP is also about emotional, physical, and sensory sensitivity.
Being a HSP is not an illness or a disorder. It’s not anything to be “cured” from. But: if you don’t understand how being highly sensitive impacts the way you experience life, it can easily feel like a burden and get exhausting and overwhelming - in relationships, social situations, at work, in life in general.
If you answer “YES” to many of the below points, chances are you are a highly sensitive person:
You have a complex inner life and tend to “live in your head” a lot
You easily absorb other people’s moods and energies which often leaves you feeling drained
You are deeply moved by beauty, even in the “regular” things that many people don’t even notice
You need a lot of quiet downtime to recharge your batteries
You often have people telling you that you “feel things too” deeply” or are “too sensitive”
You are easily overwhelmed by sensory stimuli like noisy crowds, bright lights, bad smells or uncomfortable clothing
You tend to avoid violent movies or TV shows because they feel too intense
How do I know if I’m a highly sensitive person?
And why does it matter?
The term “highly sensitive person” was first coined by psychologist Dr Elaine Aron in the mid-1990s. Her quick self-test is still one of the best tests out there to find out if you are highly sensitive.
You can take the test at hsperson.com/test
And here you can download my free HSP checklist.
Being a HSP is not something to be cured from or to be ashamed of. But if you don’t fully understand how it impacts your inner and outer world, you are likely to suffer some of the negative aspects of being a HSP: being easily stressed and exhausted after social interaction, feeling overwhelmed by crowds, noises and bright lights, and living with a constant (often negative) inner chatter in your head that never leaves you alone.
Find out more about my 1:1 coaching and mentoring that helps highly sensitive introverts embrace their HSP trait and tap into its power, feel more energised, set stronger boundaries and pursue a meaningful life without burning out:
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