Have you ever described yourself as shy, introverted, inhibited or timid?
Have people said to you “you’re far too sensitive, harden up?”
Do you feel completely overwhelmed and need to retreat in highly stimulating environments: those that are loud, bright, busy, full on?
Ever said…
‘I can’t cope in public’
‘I feel odd, it’s as if I don’t belong’
‘Being around lots of people is too much, I just want to run’
Yes?
Here’s something that might interest you…
Have you heard of HSP (Highly Sensitive Person)?
I’m not a DR, an expert of HSP, or psychotherapist, and I’m not saying you should nip away and diagnose yourself. There are links at the end of the post to find out more from people more equipped than me.
A little background…
I’ve just finished reading The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive & Survive When the World Overwhelms You by Dr Elaine Aron as a few weeks ago I had a friend come to visit who told me they were an HSP.
I’d heard of it, but never really dug deep,until now…
After listening to my chummy, nodding along and being really intrigued by what they were describing, I nipped online and completed Arons’ self test.
My score was high, v-e-r-y high. 22 out of 27 high!
According to Aron (Dr of Clinical Psychology) HSP is a personality trait and it’s a person with a very sensitive nervous system, people with HSP are simply more aware of and easily aroused by their surroundings.
HSP can also include: sensitivity to pain, easily startled, overwhelmed by loud, harsh, sudden sensory input i.e. bright lights, strong smells and scents. Aron described people with HSP as cautious and highly conscientious, extremely empathic (can pick up moods of others easily and knows what to do to change a mood), more cooperative rather than competitive.
40 Years On and a Little Light
According to Aron people with the HSP personality trait are wrongly labelled shy, introvert, inhibited, timid.
In the self test (link at end), Aron asks you to ‘tick those that are true or are somewhat true for you’, such as:
- Do you get easily overwhelmed with sensory input?
- Do you need to remove yourself or private and relief from over stimulating environments and surroundings?
- Do you get overwhelmed with strong smells, course fabrics, bright lights, noise?
- Does loud noise make you uncomfortable?
- Do you avoid violent TV shows and films?
- Have people described you as shy and an introvert?
- Are you conscientous?
- When with people, do you know what needs to be done to make them more comfortable in the surroundings?
Even in that little lot big learnings for yours truly: I cannot stand violence of any sort. I walked out of Reservoir Dogs and a pile of other movies at the cinema, switch off the TV at any violence, crikey I used to hide behind pillows at ER!
Big lights in living spaces, are a serious no no for me. In fact any bright light, loud music, which would explain my refusal to go clubbing in my 20’s. Nature is important to HSP, being outdoors, space, which would explain this.
Certain materials on my skin make be feel sick, too much noise makes me retreat. I can even remember events where I deliberately removed myself out of social gatherings for half an hour, to get some space and return. Empathy, so much empathy it overflows, heck, I’m never done talking about empathy.
The arts are my past, having studied Drama and the Community Arts!
The biggest doubt to all this was I’d label myself an extrovert over introvert. Then in the book Aron states that 30% of HSPs are extroverts. Go figure.
Remember it’s not anything to do with being shy or inhibited, it’s sensory input and how it affects you.
So What, Why Care, Is it Worth You Digging More?
Well think about your career, have you ever experienced working in environment that really did leave you overwhelmed at the end of a day? All those people, no space or respite.
What if you network or attend conferences as part of your business, how do you feel when mingling and meeting so many people? Do you get to the point you just have to get out?
In the book Aron gives excellent advice for HSP on how to cope, manage and live with the overwhelm. So, I wanted to share it with you and I’ll let you decide if it’s useful or not.
I’m digging deeper, could this help someone who has all there life felt as if their was something wrong with them? Maybe.
If this has made sense to you and want to find out more, here’s a few links.
For Elaine Arons website click here
Peter Townsends Hub on Hubpages – this is a great hub on HSP and he also has a blog here
Here’s a recent article on Psychology Today article on Sense and Sensitivity by Andrea Bartz
And if you just do a Google search on HSP or Highly Sensitive Person, you’ll get returned a pile of sites to check, including a few forums. I haven’t found much negative response, but remember to make up your own mind, stay open and ask your own questions.
Oh, and if you fancy taking the test here’s the link http://www.hsperson.com/test/
Your Turn
What do you know about HSP?
Do you know anyone with the diagnosis?
Are you an HSP? Feel free to share below, I’d really love to hear your view, opinion, knowledge or experience on this one. Oh, and if you know any great resources, let me know.
like to know more about HSP
Hey Henry — if you can get your hands on the book mentioned in the post (and visit the website) well worth a read. It is really interesting ‘stuff’ for want of a better word. Dawn x
I am a highly sensitive person although I don’t have a problem with bright lights and loud sounds usually. I am not highly sensitive to pain, but I feel other people’s pain, emotional pain and discomfort. My granddaughter, who people say is like me, has been diagnosed with Hyper Sensitivity Disorder, and she has struggled all through school, running and hiding when singled out and yelled at by a teacher, and she can’t stand sirens, too much stimulation, balloons popping, pants with hard seams, etc. As she got to her teen years and sometimes had a good counselor, she has become able to cope and adjust to fit in without having a melt down. I am glad that I grew up in a small town/small school where it was easier to be accepted because we all knew each other so well. She is in very large schools and moved a few times and she has dyslexia also so life has been hard for her. People usually see sensitivity as a fault whereas I have always seen it as a blessing.