The term highly sensitive person was first coined by psychologists Elaine Aron and Arthur Aron in the mid-1990s.
How Do You Know If You’re an HSP?
You may be a highly sensitive person, or HSP.
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“While neither is automatically bad, high empathy can be exhausting.
Being an HSP does not mean that you have a mental illness.
High sensitivity is a personality trait that involves increased responsiveness to both positive and negative influences.
High sensitivity applies across a few different categories.
It is known asArons Highly Sensitive Persons Scale(HSPS).
You aren’t defined by other people’s perception of you, and your experience is valid!
How Common Are HSPs?
Highly sensitive people are thought to make up roughly 20% of the general population.
Highly sensitive people may benefit from finding ways to cope with the stresses they often face.
What Causes High Sensitivity?
High sensitivity exists in at least 100 other species aside from humans.
Genetics may contribute to high sensitivity.
Specifically, thedopaminesystem may play a role.
There is a higher chance that you will be highly sensitive if high sensitivity runs in your family.
A doctor can help you navigate these distinctions.
Impact of Being an HSP
Being an HSP comes with both advantages and challenges.
However, being an HSP doesnt necessarily mean that you imagine negative motives when they are not there.
It is more that you perceive them more easily.
Or, you may be affected more deeply by negative experiences, which is not necessarily a weakness.
Empathy is a tool that can promote strong relationships and a deeply fulfilling emotional life.
Of course, it’s important to differentiate between your feelings and others' feelings.
All of us experience examples from the above list from time to time.
HSPs may feel a lot of the same things as everyone elseonly more so.
They may also be stressed by things that may roll off of other peoples backs.
Social stress is perceived as more taxing to most people than other types of stress.
Expectations of Others
Highly sensitive people tend to pick up on the needs and feelings of others.
They hate letting people down.
Highly sensitive people tend to be their own worst critics.
Conflicts
HSPs may be more susceptible to beingstressed by conflict.
This can also lead to misinterpreting unrelated signals as signs of conflict or anger.
Social Comparison
Highly sensitive people can be prone to thestress of social comparisonas well.
The highly sensitive may feel the loss of a relationship more acutely as well and engage inrumination.
Highly sensitive people are more easily startled by surprises.
They get hangry when hungrythey dont tolerate it well.
In this way, lifes daily stressors often add up to more frustration for the highly sensitive.
Much of your stress relief plan as a highly sensitive person can involve insulating yourself from too many stimuli.
Put a barrier between you and sensory stimuli that feel overwhelming.
Know what triggers stress in you, and learn to avoid these things.
Remember that your needs are important too!
Many HSPs tend to push down their own emotions because other people’s emotions overwhelm them.
Your feelings matter too.
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