16 Signs You're Highly Sensitive
About 20% of the population is made up of highly sensitive people. Find out if you are part of this not-so-exclusive club… 20% is not a small number at all!
Highly sensitive people see the world differently, thanks to a biological difference from the other 80% or so of people. But what does it mean to be a highly sensitive person? It can be compared to the characteristics of a super-developed radar for nuance and the habit of thinking deeply about everything, which leads to unconventional creativity and extraordinary insights. But beware, there is a downside: this type of “deluxe” processing can lead to anxiety, stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed more easily.
Who Are Highly Sensitive Persons (HSP)?
We are talking about those people who process all types of information - emotions, thoughts, sensory input - in a profound way, as if they had an internal amplifier. This increased sensitivity makes them more receptive both physically and emotionally.
Being highly sensitive is considered a normal and healthy trait, although, like any personality trait, it has its pros and cons. It’s a matter of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) , environmental sensitivity or differential susceptibility, and it brings with it both challenges and superpowers, such as often enviable creativity, empathy to spare (literally) and a hawk’s eye for details that others miss. The less pleasant side? The sensitive mind can easily go haywire, making highly sensitive people feel more exposed to emotional overload.
Sensitivity is often seen as a weakness, but surprise: it’s not. Sure, there are challenges, but superpowers like creativity and empathy make all the difference. And, as it turns out, sensitivity is also linked to having hidden talents. The price to pay for these gifts is a greater tendency to feel overwhelmed.
Science and Highly Sensitive People
Although highly sensitive is not a medical condition or disorder, it is often misunderstood, with recent studies starting to show that less than a third of the population shares this trait. This can make highly sensitive people feel like a bit of a unicorn among normal horses, especially in a society, particularly Western, that tends to undervalue sensitivity and instead celebrates much more aggressive personalities.
How to Recognize a Highly Sensitive Person
If you often find yourself labeled as “ too sensitive ” or feel easily overwhelmed in noisy, chaotic situations, you may be a member of the highly sensitive person club.
Other signs? Here are 16:
- Avoid violence: It’s not just that you don’t like violence; violent scenes or news affect you deeply, leaving you disturbed to an unimaginable degree. It’s as if your being vibrates on emotional frequencies that others simply don’t perceive.
- Emotional Exhaustion and the Need to Withdraw : Absorbing the emotions of others often leaves you feeling drained, almost like an emotional sponge in a crowd. Regardless of whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, you often seek refuge in quiet places to recharge.
- Deadline Anxiety: The pressure of tight deadlines and last-minute commitments can make you feel more overwhelmed than they do with other non-HSPs.
- Deep reflection, “overthinking” as the English and Americans would say: You spend a lot of time reflecting on events, more than others do, sometimes ending up ruminating in a negative way.
- Common Misunderstandings: You often feel mislabeled as shy or anxious, due to a misinterpretation of your sensitivity. Or your sensitivity leads you to negatively amplify situations that are normal for non-HSPs.
- You have an effervescent inner universe: Your internal world is an exploring universe, vibrant with fantasies, dreams and deep reflections, fueled by your incessant processing of information at extraordinary levels.
- You avoid conflict like the plague: Disagreements hit you on a visceral level, turning every tension into an emotional battle that you try to avoid at all costs, almost as if your being twists at the mere thought.
- Criticism hurts you deeply: Words have a big impact on you, and criticism can hurt you deeply.
- Conscientiousness: You consistently strive to avoid mistakes at work or school, always doing your best.
- Sensitivity to clothing: Your clothing is not just a matter of style, but of survival. Irritating fabrics, labels and constricting clothing are your enemy, forcing you to select your wardrobe with the precision of a surgeon.
- Acute Perception: You notice details that others miss, making you perceived as perceptive and intuitive. When you enter a room, you don't first notice the physical details, but rather the energy of the people.
- Common Misunderstandings: The world labels you – shy, anxious – but the truth is that you simply vibrate on a different frequency, often misunderstood by those who do not know the melody of sensitivity.
- Moved by beauty and art: Aesthetics and the world of art and music move you deeply, much more than they do with most people.
- Low pain tolerance: You feel pain more acutely than others, whether it's from headaches or injuries.
- Difficulty with change: Change, even positive change, is more unsettling to you than it is to others.
- Sensitivity to stimulants and alcohol: You react intensely to caffeine and alcohol, more than others do.
Embrace your sensitivity
Did you recognize yourself in most of the signs? Hey, you are not alone, welcome to a well-nourished community of highly sensitive people like you!
Navigating the world as a highly sensitive person is a unique journey, full of challenges and wonders. It is a journey woven with an emotional and sensorial richness that requires courage and understanding to be truly appreciated. If you see yourself in these signs , know that your sensitivity is a gift, an invitation to explore life with a depth and connection that few can truly understand. Celebrate it, embrace it, and let it guide you toward a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.
Tips for a Radiant Existence as a Highly Sensitive Person
Let me tell you a secret: you can build your own sanctuary by learning to know yourself and anticipating pitfalls along the way. Here are some strategies you can always try to keep the onslaught of the outside world at bay and navigate life peacefully:
- The Art of No: Make no your mantra. Whether it’s to extra commitments, last-minute invitations, or overly demanding personal expectations, learn to say this powerful little word with the grace of a dancer. There’s nothing wrong with embracing your boundaries and protecting your emotional space. It’s not easy, but as with all things, practice will gradually make it much easier than you might imagine.
- Avoid the Pitfalls and Keep Your Distance from Stress: If a high-pressure day leaves you drained of energy, delicately weave into the fabric of your schedule moments of pause, small oases of tranquility. Spread out your commitments like stars in a night sky, giving each one the space to shine without suffocating you. Repel vampire activities or people who suck your life energy. We all have them, recognize them and set boundaries!
- Learn to know your personal little joys: for us highly sensitive people, it doesn't take much to feel strong emotions, for better or for worse. Recognize which are the little things, tricks, daily rituals that work to regain energy and good mood when needed, as if they were your bag to breathe in when you hyperventilate. It could be reading a few pages of a book, listening to a particular piece of music, taking a walk in nature, drawing. Everything is fine, as long as it is easily available to you.
- Build Your Own Magic Corner: Transform your home, or at least a corner of it, into a haven where the chaos of the outside world dissolves like fog in the sun. Let pillows, blankets, books, and movies create a nest of serenity, a place where every object whispers, "you're safe here."
Incorporate these little rituals into your life and watch the world around you begin to dance to the rhythm of your inner tranquility. Remember, your sensitivity is not an obstacle , but a bridge to a deeper understanding of existence, a compass that guides you through life with keen perception and a big heart.
Izy Life!
The point here is exactly this: embracing your comfort zone, being yourself fully, because telling yourself "I'm fine the way I am" is always fundamental. Of course, with a bit of self-irony and above all a lot of lightness, the kind we crave and seek with the live-and-let-live style, and which we must defend tooth and nail.
Sources for further reading on the topic
Books:
Highly Sensitive People - Elaine Aron
Sensitive people have an edge - Rolf Sellin
Online: