“Stop overthinking” Telling a highly sensitive person to “stop overthinking” is akin to asking a fish to stop swimming. Overthinking is often a part of the HSP package – their brain processes information on a deeper level, resulting in a tendency to mull over things more than others might.
When you tell an HSP, “You're overthinking,” you also deliver the unspoken message that you are that threshold. “I'm normal, you're not.” If you're going to be in a relationship with a Highly Sensitive Person, you have to accept the inherent underpinning of the trait.
6. HSPs feel everything more deeply than others, which can make them seem over-emotional to others who don't understand their nature. HSPs have a heightened sensitivity to many things in life. They can be easily overwhelmed by loud noises, strong odors, or large crowds.
According to Dr. Elaine Aron's research, HSP are more sensitive or responsive to stimuli. Therefore, they seem more sensitive to caffeine, beautiful music, violence in the media, and even physical pain (1).
If someone you know is highly sensitive, it's critical to accept that it is part of their temperament and likely can't be changed. Giving the person space to decompress, encouraging self-care, and looking for the strengths inherent in their sensitivity can help the relationship—and the individual—thrive.
Possible causes of high sensitivity include: Genetic factors: Genetics may correlate with high sensitivity. Research has shown that HSPs may respond differently to dopamine receptors. Lack of parental warmth: Research also shows that parental warmth is essential for personality development.
A highly sensitive person who tends to externalise their anger may be irritable all the time, easily annoyed and triggered. When they were young, they may be argumentative, defiant or have other conduct problems. They may also act out by taking drugs, engaging in reckless behaviors or breaking the rules and the law.
A highly sensitive person (HSP) experiences emotions and sensory stimuli more deeply than others. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed by loud noises, bright lights, or strong smells. HSPs are more prone to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, but they can also be more moved by music, art and other experiences.
The 3 Different Types of Sensitivity
HSP is an autoimmune disorder. This is when the body's immune system attacks the body's own cells and organs. With HSP, this immune response may be caused by an upper respiratory tract infection. Other immune triggers may include an allergic reaction, medicine, injury, or being out in cold weather.
Some links have been found with intelligence as well. However, high sensitivity is not the same as being “gifted”. Although some highly sensitive children may be “gifted”, most highly sensitive children will not differ substantially from less sensitive children regarding their intelligence.
HSP and Conflict
Communication of our own feelings and understanding how the other feels, can often reduce the points of conflict. We don't have to agree with the other's point of view, but if we can understand why they think that way, we are a step closer to deepening communication.
The frequent confusion about the interplay of sensitivity and trauma is certainly understandable. While being an HSP is not caused by trauma, difficult life experiences are amplified by high sensitivity.
Living with a highly sensitive person can present various challenges. Some of these challenges are related to the individual's emotional depth, while others are linked to their heightened sensitivity to physical stimuli. Emotional Intensity: Compared to other people, HSPs frequently feel emotions more strongly.
Things Never to Say to Trauma Survivors
Trigger words and phrases are those that cause a listener to feel strong emotions because of previous experiences. While the phrase is used in a number of different ways, we're using it here as many people now do, to refer to words or phrases that trigger memories and emotions from traumatic events.
Emotional intelligence: HSPs are highly empathetic and can easily understand the emotions of others, making them excellent at forming meaningful relationships. Sensory processing sensitivity: HSPs have a unique way of processing sensory information, which can affect their daily lives and interactions.
The difference is that SPD can cause decreased motor function,6 which is not a characteristic of HSPs. In addition, SPD can cause under-responsiveness to sensory stimuli, whereas it's characteristic of HSPs to over-respond. Autism: High sensitivity is not a form of autism.
But Elaine Aron, one of the leading writers and researchers on the personality trait of high sensitivity (sensory processing sensitivity) notes it is present for about 15 to 20 percent of us. She has found that HSPs (highly sensitive persons) “do cry more readily than others. It was a strong finding in our research.”
HSPs often excel in roles that value emotional intelligence, creativity, empathy, and focus—such as writing, counseling, therapy, research, education, and the arts. Careers that allow for independence, creativity, and deep focus are ideal—such as writing, design, therapy, research, or remote work roles.
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. The larger they grow, the harder life will be.
How to Cope With Stress As an HSP
Summary. Highly sensitive people tend to experience more frequent and intense negative emotions and lower well-being than others. They report lower self-esteem and reduced life satisfaction, and are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder).
A few signs you may be highly sensitive include:
Childhood instances where the child might feel neglected, ignored, detached, or shunned for emotional expressions are enough to induce trauma. The HSP nervous system takes quite a big hit when such emotionally sensitive actions aren't acknowledged properly.