It is interesting to note that all five of these neurological differences—HSP, ADHD, autism, SPD, and
HSPs have stronger emotional responses, both positively and negatively. This means they feel higher levels of joy and happiness, but easily upset at times of sadness. They may also get angry when they are hungry or feel hurt when criticized.
High Sensitivity is not a disorder. Nor is it an attempt to be dramatic or to get attention. It's a trait in the same way eye color is a trait. HSPs' nervous system is calibrated differently than non HSPs'.
When faced with excessive physical, sensory, or emotional stimuli, a Highly Sensitive Nervous System will go into over-drive and turn on the fight-flight response. It does this in an attempt to protect the body from what seems like a sensory attack.
Your inherent empathy, combined with your tendency to have strong emotions, makes you prone to feeling overwhelmed sooner. You also feel more intensely than people without the trait of High Sensitivity, which can also lead to feeling burned out.
HSP struggle to witness arguments, hear raised voices or see any form of physical violence because they are highly attuned to the emotions and energy of other people. They also tend to avoid conflict because they don't like the thought of upsetting others, or other people being upset with them.
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.
Stress & Sensitivity Can Worsen With Age for HSPs. Here's How to Prevent That. If you are a highly sensitive person (HSP) you might be growing larger stress centers in your brain without even knowing it, and if you don't do anything about it, they will become even bigger.
Being an HSP can be tough sometimes because the world can feel really loud, really intense, and just… really a lot. It's like the volume's turned up to max all the time. But don't worry, you're not alone.
Increased empathy and creativity are some of the secret superpowers of highly sensitive people. You'll feel more intense joy when something great happens and be more fulfilled by creative activities that engage with your emotions.
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.
Highly Sensitive People Need More Sleep Than Others
For HSPs, it takes much less to signal danger. Tenuous social interactions, being physically uncomfortable, extreme hunger, being overwhelmed, and, ironically, being tired can all activate the emotional part of the brain for a sensitive person.
#1 Most Sensitive Type: INFJ
INFJs usually exhibit high levels of sensitivity and have a deep affinity for other people's feelings. INFJs have strong emotional connections to both their own feelings and the feelings of others.
Encourage Your HSPs to Take Action
For example, if they are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, you could suggest that they spend a few minutes alone and takes some deep breaths. You might also encourage them to take solo walks during their lunch break, and to listen to soothing music with earphones.
From a clinical personality perspective, high sensitivity could be considered to have substantial overlaps with hypersensitive narcissism, or generally vulnerable narcissism.
Most HSP's feel both enjoyable and unpleasant moods intensely, this does not mean they have Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder 2 includes episodes of major depression as above, and one or more episodes of hypomania.
HSPs like to handle their emotions in silence.
We often prefer to handle things alone because we must process them before verbalizing them.
HSPs thrive in relationships where they feel seen, heard, and valued. When a partner validates an HSP's words and feelings — and without judgment or condescension — it's very gratifying.
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.”)
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.
According to Elaine N. Aron, the trait of high sensitivity, found in 20-30% of the population is likely to have nothing to do with a child/person on the autistic spectrum. In the DSM sensory processing sensitivity (the formal name for HSP) it is not associated with autism at all.
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.
You might avoid situations that leave you feeling overwhelmed. Highly sensitive people may be more affected by certain situations such as tension, violence, and conflict, which may lead them to avoid things that make them feel uncomfortable.
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.