7 Signs You’re a Highly Sensitive Person

Hey Optimist Minds!

Do you ever feel like you experience things more intensely than others? Perhaps your mind and body react more acutely to things that happen around you than other people you know.

The term highly sensitive person, also known as HSP, is used for people who are thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli.

An HSP tends to notice things even when they are subtle and is often easily over-aroused by external factors. If you too are highly sensitive, you might be facing stress as well as poor health. Studies show a strong correlation between such issues and increased sensitivity.

In this video, we’re going to describe seven signs that you’re a highly sensitive person. Recognising the signs can help make sense of why you feel things so intensely that it leads to stress.

We also recommend getting professional help to learn how to cope with being an HSP.

Now, let’s begin.

One

You spend a lot of time reflecting.

When anything happens, do you feel tempted to take some time to yourself to think about it? HSPs cope with change by retreating and thinking over things deeply. 

They need to analyse everything that occurred and consider it all before proceeding ahead. If you’re highly sensitive, you might get impacted in the same way by the smallest of things that happen to you or to the people you care about.

Two

Decision making is a challenge for you.

Because of your tendency to reflect so much, making decisions is a time-consuming process for you. You need to weigh all the pros and cons carefully before you go ahead with a decision.

You might even find yourself imagining all the possible outcomes to see how to prepare for each of them. Consequently, if you decide something and it doesn’t work out, you feel crushed by it.

Three

You prefer working in a closed, intimate space.

Most HSPs cannot be that productive in a workplace that’s constantly bustling with noise and activity. The frequent loud sounds and motions can be very distracting and might drive you nuts.

Moreover, a highly sensitive person is usually very detail-oriented. Working in a cubicle or from a quiet office makes it easier for HSPs to be efficient.

Four

It’s hard for you to take negative feedback.

Hearing criticism is hard enough, let alone when you’re super sensitive. If you’re an HSP, you might take critical comments too personally and may overreact.

Nevertheless, once you do move past the negative feelings, you’ll probably think about it in detail and learn how to be better. Thus, in a way, you’re able to make the most of the situation and improve yourself eventually. 

Five

You’re very polite and kind-hearted.

Highly sensitive people are generally quite well mannered and full of compassion. That’s because you can understand other people’s emotions and points of view more carefully.

As you tend to pay more attention to others’ reactions and how your behaviour affects them, you take more care to not hurt anyone’s feelings than the average person.

Six

You frequently react emotionally.

It’s not uncommon for highly sensitive people to have strong emotional reactions to situations. When something unexpected happens, your feelings take over your rational side and you end up acting in ways you might regret later.

It takes a lot of effort to learn how to channelise your emotions and respond in less reactive ways. But with experience, you figure out how to do it while still being your authentic self.

Seven

You’re good at teamwork.

As your sensitivity helps you take into account other people’s perspectives, you make a great team player. You’re able to listen well and consider what your team members need from you.

Additionally, your eye for details and analytic decision making gives you an edge when it comes to working together. You can spot your team’s weak points and find effective ways to overcome them.

Were you able to relate to any of the behaviours we described? Do you think you might be a highly sensitive person? Let us know your thoughts and stories in the comments. The Optimist Minds community could surely benefit from hearing about you and your journey.

A link for further reading and the studies & references used in the making of this video are mentioned in the description below.

Thanks for visiting optimist minds, take care. Until next time.

References

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886905004228 
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886905003909
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2165222816660077