For a HSP, feeling drained and exhausted emotionally, mentally, and physically, is a constant struggle.
Because they can get easily overwhelmed, HSPs may need more sleep than others. Sleep restores our bodies and minds and readies us for the other two thirds of our lives.
Being highly sensitive can make your muscles tight, put your skin receptors on alert, and give you headaches and even stomach pain. But that doesn't mean being highly sensitive is a bad thing.
HSP burnout can feel like your emotions are bubbling up inside, like a volcano, about to erupt. Here's how to recognize it — and what to do about it. Sometimes, a highly sensitive person's (HSP's) life is filled with stressful events that wear them down and leave them feeling depleted.
The psychologist says overwhelmed HSPs also may feel even more sensitive to external stimuli like bright lights and loud noises and they may feel “irritable, on edge and overcome with anxiety”. “It's also very common for HSPs to feel physically unwell when they are stressed,” she adds.
For the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) who understands and embraces the unique trait of High Sensitivity (HS), life can be gloriously lived. For the HSP who still lives in the dark with regard to the trait of High Sensitivity, life can be a constant struggle to fit in.
Sights, sounds, smells, and other forms of sensory input may cause a heightened experience for HSPs. A sound that is barely perceptible to most people may be very noticeable, and possibly even painful, to an HSP. There's more to being a highly sensitive person than just being sensitive to stimuli.
Similar to feeling irritable, when our HSP minds and bodies experience too much stimulation, we may struggle to tolerate everyday situations. As a result, we may find we cry more easily. Whereas a commercial for The Humane Society may have brought tears to our eyes before, now we're experiencing a downpour of tears.
Trauma is our mind and body's response to any distressing event or events that overwhelm our ability to cope. While a highly sensitive person (HSP) is no more likely to experience distressing events than a non-HSP, they may be more likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result.
Most highly sensitive people display rare strengths in key areas of emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ) — the ability to recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others. These strengths including self-awareness and social-awareness.
And it's important to know that being a highly sensitive person isn't considered a mental health disorder — and that there's no official way to diagnose someone as HSP and there's no official highly sensitive person test (though there's this quiz from the doctor who coined the term “highly sensitive person.”)
Highly sensitive people are more reactive physiologically, that is, their body systems are more reactive to stress. Thus, they can have highly sensitive person health issues related to chronic stress.
In the DSM sensory processing sensitivity (the formal name for HSP) it is not associated with autism at all. Another major difference is that HSP don't struggle with 'social' issues like eye contact, recognizing faces, social cues, and knowing the intentions of others.
From spending time in nature to getting some alone time, it's all about the little things that make highly sensitive people happy. Being a highly sensitive person (HSP) involves soaking up all the good, as well as the bad, around us.
The truth is, friendships are not about quantity: they're about quality. An HSP can be fulfilled in their relationships even if they have only a few close friends, so long as those friends are a good match for the HSP's unique needs. An ideal friendship for an HSP is a truly meaningful one.
Bjelland noted a belief that all empaths are HSPs, but not all HSPs are empaths. Dr. Orloff said that an empath indeed carries all of the attributes of an HSP but with more developed intuition and a sponge-like ability for absorbing emotions.
Being an HSP comes with both advantages and challenges. It is possible to be too easily offended by people who mean no harm or who are trying their best to be kind.
Two of the traits that align with high sensitivity – Intuitive and Feeling – are indicative of the Diplomat Role. Of the four Diplomat personality types, Introverted Advocates (INFJs) and Mediators (INFPs) may be among the most likely to have HSP qualities.
With practice, a highly sensitive person can learn to express their needs and frustration healthily and gracefully without resorting to outbursts and violence. A highly sensitive person may mistake anger as the opposite of love and affection. The assumption is that if we love someone, we should not get angry at them.
They don't know that their emotions are personal expressions of who they are. Instead, they learn that they are different, damaged, weak, and wrong. They will probably grow up feeling, deep inside, a sense of shame about who they really are.
They're more empathic: Sensitive in general, HSPs are particularly perceptive to emotions. They feel emotions more acutely, both for themselves and on the behalf of others, and notice more emotional subtleties. Not surprisingly, they are more attentive and show more concern for others.
Even looking at the nightly news can be difficult for a highly sensitive person. Violence and horror affect you deeply and may even make you feel physically ill. If you can, avoid or minimize those things that rattle you, like violent media or high-intensity action films. Your nervous system will thank you.