Do you feel and process information deeply?

Do you weigh each option seriously?

Do you experience sensory overload easily?

Do you feel overwhelmed and overstimulated more often than others?

Notice physical sensitivities? Act cautious? Are Intuitive? An information seeker?

 

If any of these sound like you, you may be one of the 15-20% of the population, or 1 in 5, who were born highly sensitive.

 

Understanding the Highly Sensitive Trait and its Effects 

Very simply put, being highly sensitive means that you are more easily overwhelmed by stimulation. Your nervous system was designed to notice details and subtleties in the environment; subtleties that may go unnoticed to the majority of people. You are in tune with your senses, and aware of subtle messages around you. The information you receive is processed deeply and you like to reflect. You are incredibly conscientious, attuned to detail, need time to recharge, are a keen observer, prefer to be perfect, and are creative & spiritual. Strong stimulation causes a highly sensitive person to be overloaded easily.

 

Here are some more examples of commonalities shared by highly sensitive individuals:

• They can take a long time to make a decision as each option is heavily weighed

• They can be more prone to anxiety and depression due to the fact that emotional reactivity is higher and cumulative negative experiences can set the nervous system to anxious

• They cry more easily

• The effects of making a bad/wrong choice, and being criticized are harder to deal with since feelings are felt more deeply

• They are easily startled

• They have a lower threshold for pain

 

Is this information speaking to you? Are you having an ‘aha!’ moment?

 

As more is understood about a highly sensitive person, the more awareness and recognition there is regarding highly sensitive traits. Because highly sensitive people are the minority, when a person finds out that his/her characteristics have a name there is often a sense of relief and excitement that there are others that share similar ways of being. 

 

Highly Sensitive Counseling Can Help You Feel Better

Highly sensitive counseling can help you overcome criticisms, resolve the harm done to your self concept, and nurture the positive attributes of your sensitivity. Highly sensitive counseling can also bring to light how to live and work in todays world in ways that support and validate the highly sensitive person and his/her needs. Whether you are an individual seeking support, a parent of a highly sensitive child, or a partner of a highly sensitive person, I am able to assist with understanding. An HSP myself, I realize and appreciate the uniqueness of this trait.