A highly-sensitive person has acentral nervous systemthat is sensitive to physical, social, and emotional stimuli.
They often need quiet and relaxing atmospheres to recharge after an outing or a particularly draining experience.
They take more time making decisions and can feel overwhelmed when asked to make a particularly tough one.
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SPS varies by individual and measures the sensitivity of the central nervous system.
It affects how someone responds to physical, social, and emotional stimuli.
Due to their high sensory processing sensitivity levels, HSPs' brains process information differently.
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Highly sensitive people react intensely to external and internal stimuli.
Flooding is very similar tosensory overload, when one or more of the five senses get overstimulated.
Processing information can become difficult, and an HSP might withdraw mentally.
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Stressful World Events Complicate Decisions
Decision-making is about assessing the balance between risk and reward.
Our brains consider consequences, rewards, and any potential risks.
On top of that, recent world events have made that balance between risk and reward harder to determine.
The pandemic, for example, complicated our decision making and risk analysis.
Things that werent considered “risky” before suddenly are, and the stakes are higher.
In the pandemic, we’ve also been swamped with information, opinions, and emotions.
This flood of stimulation can overwhelm anyone, but HSPs may be especially vulnerable," Cangilla says.
With the added stressors of a pandemic, decisions have new consequences for people to consider.
Is your health at risk?
Are others health at risk?
How do we go about making daily decisions with limitations?
A decision made in haste may lead to moreregret.
you could even try asking for some extra time to think on a decision.
Click below to listen now.
Sacrificing your own needs can lead to unhappiness, and balancing your needs with others' needs is key.
The good thing is, for the most part, that isnt true.
HSPs should have a go at remind themselves of that fact, advises Khan.
Talk It Out
Carrying the burden of making a tough decision can be heavy and tiring.
Highly-sensitive people canoverthinkthings, so it can be helpful to get another perspective.
Approach someone you trust and talk about what is making it difficult to decide on something.
2022;32(4):344-358. doi:10.1080/10508422.2021.1906247
American Psychological Association.Stress and decision-making during the pandemic.
