It is not only important to point out that this is not a disorder and that it's not something that can be cured, but also that there are both positives and negatives. It's about learning to live with it, and how you feel depends on how you treat yourself. Being aware of HSP is the first step.
To quote wikipedia:
"Highly Sensitive People, who comprise about a fifth of the population, may process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in their nervous systems. (...) Shyness, inhibition, and fearfulness may or may not be acquired by highly sensitive people, depending on environmental challenges. (...) Regular sensory information is processed and analyzed to a greater extent, which contributes to creativity, intuition, sensing implications and attention to detail, but which may also cause quick over-stimulation. (...) The ability to unconsciously or semi-consciously process environmental subtleties often contributes to an HSP seeming "gifted" or possessing a 'sixth sense'. Sensitivity is often confused with shyness, but 30% of HSPs have extroverted personalities."
Basically, it is like having no protective filters. Everything we experience goes straight in. We often have low self-asteem and put high demands on ourselves. We can enjoy complete silence, but still be social. As a HSP, we can get a deeper contact with someone in two hours than others can during a whole evening.
The symptoms that fit me the most are the following:
external:
* naturally creative
* always needs 8 hours of sleep or more
* affected by caffeine more than others
* sensitive to bright lights, distinct tastes and coarse fabrics
* avoids horror movies
* easily exhausted by long meetings
* easily distracted in busy office environments
* cares about the environment
* perfectionist
* do not perform well when observed
* arrange life to avoid upsetting situations
* quality over quantity
internal:
* asks deep and thoughtful questions
* affected by impressions more than usual
* ability to read others' minds and/or spirits
* ability to find errors (in others and oneself)
* have a complex and rich inner dialog
* have a great need of being respected and understood
* have a need to withdraw to a place of privacy and relief
* often feel the need to leave social situations early
* often worries with a tendency of over-thinking
* often frustrated by shallow talk/behaviour
Even if we are usually empathic, we can explode and be very difficult to deal with when we get over-stimulated. This is because it is exhausting to constantly have your senses wide open. You take in way too many impressions from your environment, so the brain then has to work under high pressure with sorting, processing and filtering the information, which drains a lot of psychological power and energy. We have trouble dealing with feeling underestimated or not being taken seriously. There are also situations where feelings cannot be used as a valid argument, which can be frustrating. So unfortunately, HSPs have a higher risk of getting depressions, anxiety and other stress related symptoms. The inability to protect oneself from sensory impression means that we need enough time for recovery.
To be able to feel good and have a sense of balance, it is important to adapt your life after your sensitivity. If we don't create enough space to enjoy the benefits of being an HSP, things will get tough. One solution is to surround ourselves with beauty. Having a neat and tidy home helps a lot. Another thing is to always have a creative outlet! Getting the emotions out of our system will make us more harmonic.
To quote a Swedish HSP blog:
"I've often thought about how happy I'd be if someone asked me how I felt instead of juding me. To have an understanding environment is like mercy - what we all long for."
