High sensitive people feel emotions more deeply and intensely that non-sensitives, which could explain why Social Anxiety sufferers have anxiety about being embarrassed or humiliated. Being high sensitive would mean you feel these emotions very deeply.
Highly sensitive people (HSPs) are generally more sensitive to the environment and social interactions, and it takes them longer to take in information. Empaths share many qualities with HSPs, but they also have more developed intuition and absorb emotions like sponges.
In the DSM sensory processing sensitivity (the formal name for HSP) it is not associated with autism at all. Another major difference is that HSP don't struggle with 'social' issues like eye contact, recognizing faces, social cues, and knowing the intentions of others.
Hypersensitivity, also known as being a “highly sensitive person” (HSP), is not a disorder. It is an attribute common in people with ADHD.
Most highly sensitive people display rare strengths in key areas of emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ) — the ability to recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others. These strengths including self-awareness and social-awareness.
From a clinical personality perspective, high sensitivity could be considered to have substantial overlaps with hypersensitive narcissism, or generally vulnerable narcissism.
Most HSPs are either INFJs or INFPs — the ones that don't tend to be ENFJs or ENFPs. Whether you're one or both, it's important to know what stresses you, what overstimulates you and what makes you feel calm, relaxed and happy.
Feeling things very deeply
An HSP may be very sensitive to other situations and other people's feelings. A child that is an HSP may cry a lot, and that may be their emotional response to a bunch of different unpleasant feelings (anger, frustration, sadness, stress).
Due to traits of their personality, heightened empathy or childhood conditioning, many highly sensitive people have repressed anger, and do not know how to deal with their emotions healthily.
High sensitivity is thought to have genetic roots, and some specific gene variants have been associated with the trait. But early childhood environments may play a role as well; evidence suggests that early experiences may have an epigenetic effect on the genes associated with sensitivity.
Most HSPs need at least 8 hours, and many sleep over the average -- 9 or 10 hours nightly. If you're not getting enough sleep you WILL burn out and edge towards depression, anxiety and become less capable of functioning.
If you're a highly sensitive person, you have a heightened awareness of the stimuli around you, which can be good or bad. HSPs tend to be bothered by violence and can easily be overwhelmed, which leads them to avoid certain situations. Highly sensitive people can also be very creative and have a deep level of empathy.
Differences Between HSPs and ADHD
HSPs tend to think before they act, while people with ADHD tend to be a little more impulsive and can act before thinking things through. In calm environments, HSPs can be well-focused. Those with ADHD can have trouble focusing and may even appear bored in calm environments.
The big difference is that people with BPD tend to be willing to express themselves in any and all environments regardless of who is present. Whereas people with HSP tend to be more withdrawn in front of others and reserve their mood swings for a few safe people.
Sensitive people often feel “something is wrong” with them because they have been shamed for their sensitivity. They are called “too sensitive,” inhibited, or fearful. Sensitive people have a higher likelihood of having low self-esteem.
They often take things personally, agitate over “how dare they say/do this to me”, and have difficulty letting go. Two other common traits of the highly sensitive narcissist are narcissistic brooding (cutting resentment and simmering hostility), and narcissistic rage (intense angry outbursts).
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. You might be highly touched by beauty or emotionality. Highly sensitive people tend to feel deeply moved by the beauty they see around them.
Being highly sensitive does NOT mean you're easily insulted or “full of drama.” We always tell people who get offended easily to not be “so sensitive,” but high sensitivity has nothing to do with overreacting, getting offended, or creating drama for people.
Overall, sensitivity is a heightened “ability to perceive, process, and respond deeply to one's environment,” which means sensitive people absorb more sensory information (often unconsciously), think more deeply, and find more interconnections among disparate things than less sensitive people typically do.
The opposite of being highly sensitive is actually being very impulsive, as that is the opposite of processing deeply and pausing before acting. (Although, sometimes HSPs are quick to act because they already know from past experience what's going to happen.)