11 things only highly sensitive people will understand

If you don’t know what a highly sensitive person aka HSP is, you’re not alone. A few years ago, I didn’t even know such thing existed.

Basically, being highly sensitive means you are very easily stimulated, therefore overwhelmed. Whether it’s a loud noise, strong smell or a beautiful painting, we don’t react the same way compared to other people.

As a result, some people tend to find our behaviors a bit ‘odd’, or if you’re not aware of it yourself, you might think of yourself as odd. I’m here to tell you, you are not ‘weird’, you are special and most importantly, you are not alone.

So, here are 10 things I noticed about myself, which I’m sure every highly sensitive person can relate to.

1. ZONING OUT IN LOUD PLACES/ AROUND LOUD PEOPLE

In the subway or during breaks between classes, I tend to check out when in a busy setting. It used to startle me how I could filter the noise and just zone out to the point where I lose sense of space and time for a moment. If I don’t do that, I find myself analyzing why that guy pulled his phone or why the girl just sighted… which gets overwhelming.

2. AVOIDING CERTAIN TOPICS

Whether it’s just a random family talk, a group discussion in class or a new book I started, there are certain topics that I radically refuse to talk or even read about and I’m not talking about violence/gore. It’s mainly topics that seem normal to be discussed but to me they are triggering and make me deeply uncomfortable one of them being cheating/infidelity. Without mentioning any titles, I recently purchased a book that I have been planning on reading. A couple of chapters in, one of the main characters started cheating on her husband and for some reason, it triggered me and I couldn’t keep reading it, mind you I have never been cheated on… I just couldn’t keep reading.

3. BEING EASILY STARTELED

This probably annoys me the most. I get startled by the smallest of sounds or sudden move; people think it’s fear but it’s not. As a highly sensitive person, all it takes if for someone to drop a book or a phone to ring to get a reaction from me, which can be described as jumping and searching for the source of the danger, because that’s how my mind processes those abrupt event.

4. ABSORBING OTHER PEOPLE’S FEELINGS

Sometimes, I find it difficult to differentiate my own feelings from that of the person beside me, which is a double-edged sword; It’s an advantage when you get to help the other person (or share their happiness), but it’s a drawback when those feelings are so strong that we end up being overwhelmed.

5. BEING SENSITIVE TO NOISE

And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a loud noise; high pitch voices are more torturous than a loud cry. Noise in general just makes me uncomfortable leading to me zoning out.

6. HAVING A STRONG SENSE OF SMELL

I thought this one was just me, till I read that all HSP share this trait. I noticed a couple of years back that, sometimes, when I’m walking down the street and someone walks by or if I’m speaking to someone, I tend to hold my breath, literally. After searching for a pattern, I realized that the only thing these people had in comment was their sent/perfume. The thing is, more often than not it’s not a bad smell, it’s just so strong to the point of distraction and I have to hold my breath (sometimes even mouth breath if the conversation is getting long).

7. SLEPPING THROUGHT THE PAIN

Whether I’m feeling overwhelmed or have a headache, sleeping through the pain is a thing I did since I was little but never really thought about it since I begin to notice that no one in my friends or family do that (I used to think that everyone sleeps when sad/hurt). Being a highly sensitive person means that when it hurts, it really HURTS, and since we refuse to complain, every one of us finds a way to distance ourselves from it, even for a little bit, and in my case, I sleep…

8. HAVING VIVID INNER WORLD

Highly sensitive people tend to be creative by nature, with the most incredible imagination possible. That’s why a lot of artists are HSP; we feel a lot, and usually we express these feelings through art.

9. SEEKING A DEEPER MEANING IN EVERYTHING

Personally, I refuse to believe that things just happen; for me everything happens for a reason. We might not realize it in the present moment but a month, a year or five years from now, you’ll look back and think so this is why that happened.

10. GETTING FLUSTERED WHEN BEING WATCHED

Class presentations are a nightmare, no matter how much I prepare for them I always end up getting flustered and forget half the things I planned on saying. We are usually the observers and we do that from a distance but being watched is whole new level of uncomfortable. Whether I’m eating, reading or just sitting in class, I hate having eyes on me, it’s nerve wracking and suddenly, just sitting in class starts feeling like a dreaded chore.

11. TEARING UP

It’s misinterpreted as crying but it isn’t, not that it’s wrong to cry. But tearing up is different that crying. As a HPS, it doesn’t take much for me to tear up, could be a song lyric, a small puppy or even a book. Our emotional response to the most mundane things is very different than others, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be a challenge to try and put the tear at bay when we are not alone, but the relief you feel after makes it all worth it.

Fellow HSP, let me know if you relate to these or if you have anything to add to the list…

Till next time…

Heather.