# Highly Sensitive Person



## max87 (Aug 7, 2010)

I am a HSP and i have seen that several others here are too. 
I don't know if SAD and HSP are related but i believe so. 
I am deeply affected by many, many things: from loud noises to someone's dead (i didn't react "very well" when my grandfather died, even if i wasn't very close to him). Not to mention my passion for music. 
I was kind of ashamed of being a HSP, now i can embrace it and accept it. 
Are you a HSP? What kinds of things have affected you?


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## Bloody Pit Of Horror (Aug 15, 2011)

Trust issues.


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## nessersqt (Jul 21, 2010)

My mom repeated a joke of Bill Cosby's: "I brought you into this world + I can take you out" and I cried...


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## Cashew (May 30, 2010)

Yeah, I am one too. Not quite embracing it though! My therapist gave me an opening to quit attending and my eyes started watering! I had been wanting to stop going :| but I was like OMGSH MY THERAPIST DUMPED ME

Also loud noises eeep


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## Syndacus (Aug 9, 2011)

Used to be HSP, but not as bad anymore. I guess I desensitized myself to most horrible things that are said to me. I may not have used positive coping strategies, I just accepted the horrible things that were said to me, so it didn't bother me and I didn't have to argue about it.


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## UKPhobe (Oct 22, 2008)

Personally I'm very sceptical about this HSP thing. I know many psychologists don't acknowledge the condition and to me most of these symptoms can be explained in other terms or by other conditions.

Still I suppose if it helps you to think in those terms then by all means go ahead.


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## honeybee131275 (Jun 13, 2011)

I am a highly sensitive person, whether it's a recognised/acknowledged condition or not... cos I'm a person... who is highly sensitive, heh heh. But in all seriousness, I think maybe it is a personality trait for some, a condition for others, symptoms of some other condition for yet others, or even side effects of meds! So many possible reasons with similar results.

It's wierd, the thing that I'm the _most_ sensitive to, (there's heaps), is upsetting others, putting them out, getting in their way, not living up to expectations, etc. If anyone I know gives me the slightest indication that I have done anything like that, I get abnormally upset/distressed/anxious. Then GUILTY!! Then it causes me to avoid social contact so I don't do it/feel it again, but the funny thing is, avoidance can CAUSE them to be upset! So it's a real vicious circle for me.


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## Osmund (Feb 23, 2012)

me too! the thing I am most sensitive/anxious about is upsetting others


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## Brennenburg (Feb 5, 2012)

I'm not a HSP myself, but I did visit a highly praised psychologist once, and she told me that those who are Highly Sensitive will by nature experience social anxiety.


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## BKrakow (Jul 8, 2010)

honeybee131275 said:


> It's wierd, the thing that I'm the _most_ sensitive to, (there's heaps), is upsetting others, putting them out, getting in their way, not living up to expectations, etc. If anyone I know gives me the slightest indication that I have done anything like that, I get abnormally upset/distressed/anxious. Then GUILTY!! Then it causes me to avoid social contact so I don't do it/feel it again, but the funny thing is, avoidance can CAUSE them to be upset! So it's a real vicious circle for me.


this sounds exactly like me.


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## Farideh (Nov 13, 2011)

As a highly sensitive person myself, I expperience agoraphobia and anxiety. I'm even sensitive whenever someone teases me in a joking frinedly kind of way. I have no idea why but it offends me so much. Also when babies cry. It gets on my nerves. I hope I don't sound b*tchy from what I just posted.


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## katkat2012 (Feb 22, 2012)

My councelor told me I might be an HSP. She had me take the personality tests which came out to be like Intuitive smth.. and that might be realted to HSP.

I have given this thought many times since I seem to be more alert then most people. For example when I have walked through forest with a group I am the one that will spot a deer in the bush and point it out to others. It is rare that people point things out to me. WIth that I thought that like with any animal group there are more sensitive types that might even be used as the watch guards for groups. Its biologically sound idea.. maybe.
On the other end, what if HSP was produced by my parents that are crazy and I contantly had to be wary of my environment. Which then set off my amygala, and whatever other nerves to be always on high alert. My nerves are vertainly sensitized from too much life drama, that is a biological fact. 
I am not sure what it really is. I am not that into labels, but then maybe they help to make ourselves feel good when we find out who we are and are cool with it. 

My favorite is that my councelor thinks HSP are more evolved people.  we just get it on a whooole another level. Kinda cool


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## minimized (Nov 17, 2007)

Yeah... I'm tired of being sensitive. There's no benefit in my family with my luck in this world...

I just remembered something stupid I cried about when I was really young... hard to believe I didn't figure it out sooner.


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## nikki1995 (Feb 14, 2012)

YES!I am HSP basically anything sets me off and i believe SA caused ti cuz i was never this sensative until my sa got worse


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## meganmila (Jul 25, 2011)

This is totally me. I'm sensitive to peoples emotions, any kind of change I will react. Sometimes even in movies where a really sad part comes on I feel a urge to cry. Anything effects me.


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## Shrinking Violet (Oct 11, 2010)

I think there is a definite link between SA and high sensitivity. However, I don't think it's direct. I don't believe that being sensitive guarantees that you will develop an anxiety disorder. However, it probably makes it more likely.

I would probably be considered highly sensitive. I seem to feel stronger emotions than other people (although this is hard to know for sure). I have never ridiculed, bullied, or intentionally hurt anyone in my life because causing pain to other people is extremely painful to me. I dislike the visual chaos of clutter. I can't stand loud noises/music for more than a short time. I have a very low tolerance for physical pain. I am also very passionate about music, and love singing.

Being a highly sensitive person certainly has its disadvantages, especially in the modern world. I've been somewhat criticized for my sensitivity, and that's after I hide most of my emotions. I feel everyone would reject me if they knew how excessively emotional I was :b.


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## Slimeball (Feb 8, 2012)

I think I'm ridiculously sensitive. People always tell me so. I've stopped watching movies for a few years now, because the drama thing always upsets me. I guess I've also eliminated social life for the same reason.


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## TheQuietGirl20 (Feb 20, 2012)

Yep, I've been that way for years. If I get upset by my family I have to go to my room to calm down. My parents call it pouting, that has alway hurt too. I've always wondered why I'm like this.


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## bandofoutsider (Jan 5, 2012)

Brick Tamland is definitely an HSP 

But back on topic, I do think I have HSP symptoms, although I don't think I'm full-blown in that regard. Loud noises can startle me, I tend to hate when people sneak up behind me without me noticing, and I'm not very good at taking criticism/judgment from other people. Definitely linked to my SAD.


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## bluec91 (Jan 20, 2012)

I think I am. Just today something really weird happened while I was with a friend at a coffee shop. The guy working there said to me why are you staring at me?! but I wasn’t, I was just ordering. It was such an out of place thing to say and so rude even though he said it with a smile but still I guess If I’m writing about it now it’s because it really bothered me.


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## jstwnalive (Jan 28, 2012)

I am too, I dont take being put down well & if I say hi to someone & they dont say it back I feel like I've done something wrong, even an animal looking sad I feel for it.


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## Unloved Unwanted Me (Dec 11, 2011)

Oh yeah - most definitely HSP. I have a very strong 'startle' reflex, hence at work my computer MUST face outward. If someone is too quiet and I don't hear them coming up from behind and they speak suddenly I just jump out of my skin. Interesting reading postings from others about their reactions to movies - that doesn't bother me, deaths, etc. I think because I was emotionally abused as a child - wasn't allowed to HAVE emotions and was punished when I did - I'm numbed myself out so that a lot of strongly emotional things that affect others don't affect me.


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## Glacial (Jun 16, 2010)

I am a HSP. If someone even takes a slightly "wrong" tone with me, I get highly anxious.


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## polardude18 (Oct 13, 2009)

I am somewhat of a HSP myself, I have a problem with taking things to personally. I get upset if I feel left out of something and I really take things more personally than I should.

Being a HSP does seem to go very well with social anxiety.


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## DesperateOne (Feb 6, 2012)

Count me in..

*Sigh* I am getting tired of discovering countless mental disorders in me... They all fit


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## RoflSaurus (Feb 25, 2012)

Any time I try to talk about myself in ANY way I start bawling uncontrollably.


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## RoflSaurus (Feb 25, 2012)

polardude18 said:


> I am somewhat of a HSP myself, I have a problem with taking things to personally. I get upset if I feel left out of something and I really take things more personally than I should.
> 
> Being a HSP does seem to go very well with social anxiety.


I also have an issue with taking everything too personally... but sometimes it really does feel like that how it's meant


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## ChrissyQ (Apr 15, 2009)

I'm a Highly Sensitive Person! Noises outside like cars, car doors closing are all extremely loud and ppl talking loud in public aggravates me i can't handle too much stimulation things going on around me i tend to need to be in a quiet place alone noise/ ppl really bother me..
It's problem with central nervous system it's out of whack outside noise is just overwhelming to me.. we process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in nervous systems.[1]


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

I'm an HSP, and it's just frustrating sometimes. I realize the positive qualities, but it's hard when things most ppl don't even notice irritate you, you always worry about the comfort of others, and you can't take loud noise.


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## HarryStanluv25 (Jan 26, 2012)

I am highly sensitive when it comes to cats and children. I just hate seeing the two in distress. A cat just being sweet and loving and purring and being beyond adorable brings on the tears. As well as anything child-related such as pregnancy, birth, children at any age, because I want a child so much myself. Seeing mothers happily enjoy their kids and all the things I could see myself saying or doing in the future upsets me because a child is something I wish I had. I want that need, that unconditional love that comes from being a mother. There is nothing more I want than little arms around my neck. A little kid in my lap. Being called 'mommy.' I have days the pull is so strong it makes me depressive and makes me cry. 

Also really happy moments too can bring the tears. Seeing others so happy- their dreams coming true, anything, makes me sniffle. I just love seeing people who deserve happiness, get it. It's like I'm celebrating with them.

Ya, I'm highly sensitive. It makes me feel lame :/.


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## Ivan AG (Sep 29, 2010)

Every time I call myself HSP it feels like I'm making an excuse for the way I am right now instead of changing my life for the better.

It makes me feel cowardly and just makes me more ashamed of myself.

I don't like that term very much.


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## DubnRun (Oct 29, 2011)

Me, pretty sure I am..and its something your born with I think, maybe it is the soul that is sensitive idk . sucks tho


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## jg43i9jghy0t4555 (Jul 31, 2011)

katkat2012 said:


> For example when I have walked through forest with a group I am the one that will spot a deer in the bush and point it out to others. It is rare that people point things out to me. WIth that I thought that like with any animal group there are more sensitive types that might even be used as the watch guards for groups.


You're a wizard, Harry.


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## artynerd (Sep 3, 2011)

Yeah I guess I am. I can cry easily and feel low over small things.


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## Fear Goggles (Dec 18, 2011)

Ivan AG said:


> Every time I call myself HSP it feels like I'm making an excuse for the way I am right now instead of changing my life for the better.
> 
> It makes me feel cowardly and just makes me more ashamed of myself.
> 
> I don't like that term very much.


I agree to some extent. It kinda acts like a justification for our actions. By labeling ourselves as "highly sensitive" or "socially anxious" we defer a great deal of responsibility and thereby remove a lot of the pressure to "get better".

Saying that, it does have it's uses. By deferring the responsibility from the individual to the condition, it allows us to approach stressful situations without feeling tremendous guilt. "It's not my fault, I'm just a socially anxious person," we might say. Which is a great thing to have if you're attempting to overcome your issues. This has been the case for me at least. Since I discovered the term "social anxiety disorder", my recovery has being going quite well as I no longer feel that debilitating guilt and sadness when I fail at a task or am unable to keep up with my peers.

That aside, I too am a highly sensitive person. When I was younger I used to refer to it as an "evolved sense of empathy". I was always aware of how overly emotional I was in comparison to others. Over the years I've learned to detach myself from my emotions, which has often lead to people commenting on how emotionally callas I am. I rarely ever express my emotions in public. I can't deal with that level of vulnerability. It's something I'm working on. I choose not to cop out by labeling myself as a HSP.


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## mzmz (Feb 26, 2012)

I think its right to be highly sensitive, if that is how we are. All my life people told me i was "Too much" to dramatic, too sensitive, to emotional. Well, now i'm not becuae my hope has died and ive given up I am 34 years old, i have been through SO MUCH HELL.
You wouldnt even want to know. My point though, is this; I tried to activly hold onto that sensitive nature, becuase its real- its more real then all the fake people out there, lying and judging. I think it makes for caring people, and i belive the link between anxiety and sensitity is that we are born sensitive and some of us (all the poepole on this site, for example) where judged and or yelled at and or mis-placed so often, and being held reponsable maybe not just for ourselves but for others around us, until we became frightened shells of the whole and amazing artists we were born as. 
I am trying to get back to that, but its hard in a society where people are STILL telling me im "too much"


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## Shrinking Violet (Oct 11, 2010)

Fear Goggles said:


> I agree to some extent. It kinda acts like a justification for our actions. By labeling ourselves as "highly sensitive" or "socially anxious" we defer a great deal of responsibility and thereby remove a lot of the pressure to "get better"... I choose not to cop out by labeling myself as a HSP.


I think that this is a good stance to take. Even if you are a sensitive person, it does not mean that you have to live the rest of your life in fear and misery. It's not sensitivity that causes the social pain (although it can exacerbate it), it's the underlying shame.



jstwnalive said:


> I dont take being put down well & if I say hi to someone & they dont say it back I feel like I've done something wrong





Glacial said:


> If someone even takes a slightly "wrong" tone with me, I get highly anxious.





polardude18 said:


> I get upset if I feel left out of something and I really take things more personally than I should.





RoflSaurus said:


> Any time I try to talk about myself in ANY way I start bawling uncontrollably.


I think these are examples of shame, not high sensitivity. It's caused by being mistreated or neglected in some way. For me, it was my emotionally repressive and criticizing parents. From what I've read, HSP's can actually be emotionally _stronger_ than the average person. Being highly sensitive just means that your emotional reactions are more intense. If you can heal the source of the pain and you feel worthy and loved, you can experience intense joy instead of pain. That's how I see it anyway. Don't be depressed about being highly sensitive!


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## tot (Aug 19, 2011)

Omg that sounds like me in so many ways i didnt know there was a name for it. I get so upset by wot pple say to me. I dont like sudden loud noises or people sneaking behind me. Get tearful watching emotional films. Dont cope well with critiscisms etc etc


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## Ljudumilu (Feb 2, 2012)

honeybee131275 said:


> It's wierd, the thing that I'm the _most_ sensitive to, (there's heaps), is upsetting others, putting them out, getting in their way, not living up to expectations, etc. If anyone I know gives me the slightest indication that I have done anything like that, I get abnormally upset/distressed/anxious. Then GUILTY!! Then it causes me to avoid social contact so I don't do it/feel it again, but the funny thing is, avoidance can CAUSE them to be upset! So it's a real vicious circle for me.


Yeah, I'm a lot like that. If it's also coupled with low self-esteem, that makes it worse - you honestly don't think you'll be upsetting anyone by avoiding them (because you've convinced yourself that you're so useless no-one would want to socialise with you anyway), so when you discover you've actually offended someone it's really bad, and your self-esteem takes another hammering, and oh dear...:um


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## kosherpiggy (Apr 7, 2010)

i didn't know what it was til my former speech teacher, who later became my mentor my junior year said she is one. i think i may be one too.


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## Shredder (Apr 19, 2011)

Shrinking Violet said:


> I think these are examples of shame, not high sensitivity. It's caused by being mistreated or neglected in some way. For me, it was my emotionally repressive and criticizing parents. From what I've read, HSP's can actually be emotionally _stronger_ than the average person. Being highly sensitive just means that your emotional reactions are more intense. If you can heal the source of the pain and you feel worthy and loved, you can experience intense joy instead of pain. That's how I see it anyway. Don't be depressed about being highly sensitive!


 Great post. The way I look at it is that I was born HSP. I dont use the term as an excuse, its a way to help me understand why I feel what I feel. SA is something that I developed during my childhood for several reasons similar to yours. Ive repressed my sensitivity all my life... in a way it was my shame. Ive always wanted to be the tuff guy that was never phased by anything... I tried real hard but it never really worked haha! My SA is still a bit out of control as I fear showing people the real me.


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## ApathyDivine (Feb 28, 2012)

I'm not positive, but I think I may be a HSP. I can't tolerate criticism at all, especially from my own family, and I cry very easily, I even cried over my ipod going through the washer. I can easily sense people's emotions. And I get startled by people very easily!


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## fredbloggs02 (Dec 14, 2009)

I don't identify myself with the caricature, it does me a disservice to associate myself with any damned nature but If I do, I do so to a greater extent with myself than someone with sa alone, therein lies the distinction between hsp and sa as I understand it, sa isn't sufficient to explain the way I am to the extent that I am with myself. Sa doesn't in itself do me justice nor do any tapestry of the titles combined. I don't intend to rest on them.


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## rosethorn (Feb 16, 2012)

i have always been very highly sensitive person my mom use to say i could cry at the drop of a hat. its almost to the point that i can also feel others pain as well, sometimes its just unbearable. i dont know if its a condition it just how i am.


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## Loser Name (Jan 26, 2012)

Oh yeah. I have it severe forms: AvPD, SA and GAD.


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## jg43i9jghy0t4555 (Jul 31, 2011)

I think so, because small things seem incredibly important to me. I don't take things lightly, this may be related to hyper-vigilance..

relevant, maybe
www.google.co.uk/search?q=self+soothing+emotions


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## Greensong (Sep 15, 2013)

UKPhobe said:


> Personally I'm very sceptical about this HSP thing. I know many psychologists don't acknowledge the condition and to me most of these symptoms can be explained in other terms or by other conditions.
> 
> Still I suppose if it helps you to think in those terms then by all means go ahead.


Thanks for your seal of approval. I am sensitive. I feel vibrations in the air. I feel a person's energy field shift as their thoughts shift.
Are you saying here with your words that these are symptoms of mine or simply how I perceive my environment? Interesting that you don't believe in the 'HSP thing' yet your words here indicate that you believe your opinion has merit.


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## Kelly*82 (Oct 19, 2008)

I'm definitely a highly sensitive person, I always have been. I can't be teased at all, I take innocent joking soooo personally. I don't deal with criticism well at all either, I always feel like it cuts me to the core of who I am. 

I like being a sensitive person in that I'm a very friendly and gentle person, but it's hard to live in a world where most people aren't even close to being as sensitive as I am.


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## The Sleeping Dragon (Sep 29, 2011)

Kelly*82 said:


> I can't be teased at all, I take innocent joking soooo personally. I don't deal with criticism well at all either, I always feel like it cuts me to the core of who I am.


Same here. I can't seem to recognize when it's just harmless teasing. I always flip out and afterwards I feel even more humiliated because I know I've taken it to personal once again and feel bad for having such a thin skin.

I always say I have a bad memory. But it's not true. I have a visual memory and I can remember all my childhood insults thrown to me. Including my mother telling me as a kid I was so dependent. That hurt me a lot I think because I now have a lot of difficulty with asking people for help when I really need it. And it shouldn't be a big deal. We are social beings, and helping others is who we are.

Just an example how just one remark can haunt me for the rest of my life. Even if I get passed it. I can not for the life of me not un-remember. I know where she said it. I see it as I type this. Though the details are always unclear. Like how old I was. Or what I was asking at the time. Weird huh.

My family was not that bad. But I felt no to little love. As horrible as it sounds I think my parents were not very good at parenting. I had to figure out all the facts of life on my own.


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## Beingofglass (May 5, 2013)

I think people here are confusing HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) with something else.

HSP is, in essence, a person who is overwhelmed by the impressions his basic senses are giving him all day long, and even while sleeping. An HSP is often tired and very mellow because his basic senses are overloading him with information and causing strain and stress on the mind. HSP do not necessarily have super sight, hearing, touch or even empathetic abilites. An HSP is very prone to stress and depression if put in the wrong environment, or is unaware of his own sensitivty to stimuli, and his larger need for quality relaxation.
I should know about this since I'm a HSP, carry cotton in my ears all day long and take other necessary measures.


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## The Sleeping Dragon (Sep 29, 2011)

Anybody know a good book about this subject?


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## forever_dreamer (Jul 8, 2008)

I think I may have this too. I'm just so sensitive to everything but not as bad as I used to be.


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## twinkling (Aug 14, 2013)

...


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## Dan the man (Jul 4, 2013)

Oh yeah, definitely a very sensitive person but was born like that it wasn't something that just developed over time. Back in pre-school and kindergarten I just set alone and never talked... don't know why but I'm sure it had to do with my senses being more strong than anyone else. So I was thought to be mentally retarded. Even today I wonder if my senses are just too strong to ever have a manager position, have a girlfriend, or be out on my own. I take things too seriously and easily get worked up and distracted. Oh well I am what I am though.


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## SmokeGem (Mar 19, 2013)

Mean people really get to me that I obsess for 3 days at minimum.


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## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

Yes, overstimulated easily.


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## moonlite (Nov 25, 2012)

Unloved Unwanted Me said:


> Oh yeah - most definitely HSP. I have a very strong 'startle' reflex, hence at work my computer MUST face outward. If someone is too quiet and I don't hear them coming up from behind and they speak suddenly I just jump out of my skin. Interesting reading postings from others about their reactions to movies - that doesn't bother me, deaths, etc. I think because I was emotionally abused as a child - wasn't allowed to HAVE emotions and was punished when I did - I'm numbed myself out so that a lot of strongly emotional things that affect others don't affect me.


The same thing happens to me. Like if im standing in a room then someone comes into the room, I jump out of my skin even if they are walking slowly. It's like an automatic reaction. I don't know if it happens because of physical attacks when I was at school or whether it's entirely natural.


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## blackboy (Oct 2, 2013)

i very senitve i hate funerals..if some calls me stupid takes piss joking or been mean too me snap at me i go home think and i still remember convosations ive had with pepole i role play convos in my head im just parinod .they say im a nice guy that wont hurt a fly


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## Deadline (Feb 25, 2013)

This is the first time I've heard the term, but I believe that all people with social anxiety are more sensitive than others, which is where the anxiety arises from. Are there people who have social anxiety who don't feel they are highly sensitive? I did an online quiz http://www.hsperson.com/pages/test.htm and I answered almost every question yes, so I'm sure I fit the bill of an HSP.

I'm also wondering, have you found it more helpful to think about yourself as an HSP than to deal with or treat your anxiety? Perhaps there are different approaches to managing being an HSP that I haven't considered before?

Thanks!


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## VeMuñeca (Sep 5, 2013)

I am for sure. I take what people say or do far too personal at times. I overreact. I wish I weren't this emotionally sensitive. I also jump at noises easily and I sense things that others don't. I'm not sure if this has to do with the fact that I do have bad eyesight and I rely on noises or familiarity to get me around.


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## FloridaNurse80 (Oct 9, 2013)

I can not take criticism at all. I have to be the best at everything I do. I also have SA and I feel like I am not good enough all the time, even if I do better than everyone else.


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## Mokuren (Apr 4, 2013)

So i have a question,

Is it not normal to cry in movies? I know that everyone is different and some do whereas some don't, but i was wondering about the ratio.

I cry in every film i watch and in some cases like Disney animated movies, i bawl most of the way through. I also remember i used to love reading books but i stopped round about the time i read a reaaally good book. It pulled on too many heart strings and i felt really emotionally drained and unstable afterwards. I also used to love drama in school and sometimes realized the characters troubles and fears became my own.

As for in social situations, i can't stand going to class late and interrupting the lesson. i would stand outside for half an hour or until someone was leaving and/or told the teacher that i was there. and the stuff that has been mentioned many times before such as: not wanting to upset people, not wanting to disappoint people, being left out, feeling unwanted... I shut down.


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## Mokuren (Apr 4, 2013)

Funny thing is i take criticism surprisingly well in regards to my art, but i think that is because i am even more harder on myself. What i can't take at all however, is a compliment


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## barrano247 (Oct 10, 2013)

Mokuren said:


> So i have a question,
> 
> Is it not normal to cry in movies? I know that everyone is different and some do whereas some don't, but i was wondering about the ratio.
> 
> ...


Its really common, people always talk about how girls cry at every movie. BTW for your last comment im really hard on myself too about my art, but when i show it to people i get really nervous because of how much work i put into it. I dont take criticism well because im pretty strong willed and honestly a bit delusional sometimes because im confident about my beliefs/work, and when someone criticizes me it takes a lot of effort for me to not prove them wrong.

To respond to the thread, im really sensitive to when people make me mad, or any upwelling of emotion really. Im a pretty cold and emotionless, yet laidback/relaxed person, but when someone manages to do something that irks me, or moves me, i find it really hard not to cry. Luckly i have few ticks and i dont care about what others think of me, my ticks are usually when people are sarcastic/domineering over me, or when i actually find someone to relate to/actually feel love and empathy. These things happen less than once a month usually.


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## modafinilguy (Oct 13, 2013)

This applies to me.

I have always been very emotionally sensitive and fragile.

I most certainly am acutely aware of the emotions of others, and I have a very strong sense of empathy towards other, but in particular women and children.


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## snugglegirl05 (Sep 25, 2012)

I am new to this forum. I was diagnosed as an HSP in 2011. A lot of what I read in this forum describes the kind of person I am... especially when it comes to my job.

This week at work has been a crappy one for me.


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## mb47 (Sep 30, 2013)

I'm not HSP but I think I've been "sensitized". I'm usually a very logical person. I'm not run by emotions. But I've been noticing lately that when I'm in the hospital, even for just a routine check up, I'm more on edge. I go into the doctor's room and am asked how I'm doing and I start tearing up. I've never had this before. I wonder if it's because hospitals subconsciously remind me of a terrible accident my brother had in high school. If it's not that, then I have no idea.


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## mb47 (Sep 30, 2013)

Do you think Highly Sensitive People are also better at understanding their own and others' emotions? That's something I'm terrible at. I have to think for days to understand why I feel a certain way, or why someone would react a certain way. 

If you are better at reading the reasoning behind emotions, that would be a huge asset in life (and in social interactions for that matter, potentially making you better at handling SA). Thoughts?


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## Ihateanxiety604 (Oct 18, 2013)

*HSP and Anxiety*

Holy cow. I am both of these. I would never had thought being a HSP would relate to my anxiety.


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## Zack (Apr 20, 2013)

I am too. I also didn't like interrupting classes at school even when I had a genuine reason to. I also over-think about things - excessively. I also blame myself for things that are obviously (to a normal person) not my fault.


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## Alaskanctc (Mar 19, 2014)

*You are right!*

I am an HSP also. I was born and raised in Alaska. It may be the "land of the midnight sun," but the lack of light of the Alaska winter turns me off like a lightbulb. It wasn't until I moved to New Mexico - and all the sunshine, that I started to feel the energy and a marked drop in depression. I still need medication, but I feel hope.

I always hated not fitting in with other people. I still refer to them as 'humans, or norms.' Although other people see me as social at work; I can tell you that I'm just the opposite. I avoid social gatherings as much as possible. If you told me that I would have to man a lighthouse alone on an island, I would have thought I would have died and went to heaven. All that I would ask for are books, a t.v. to see what was happening on the planet and my dog and cat. (The dog to warn me of intruders and the cat to pet).

I am in the health care field as an Infection Control Preventionist and I like the intellectual challanges. It's like solving puzzels (Which I do when I feel overwhelmed as it makes me feel like I'm solving my own problems somehow - like forward movement for me). People (humans) say that I do well with my job, but I feel like I'm just keeping my head above water, fooling them that I know what I'm doing. Hoping that they don't find out before perhaps firing me.

I often do NOT commit to social functions or give my word to do things that will put me in social situations. I prefer to be in the background. I don't like the idea of being "on" all the time. I feel that I am only acting and being someone I don't like being. I feel that on many occassions, people are speaking a foreign language or strange accent that I cannot pick up on or relate to. Especially when they relate social information to me. I simply don't 'get it.' Other times I can almost see patterns in subtle conversations and actions of others or in situations. This has served me well. I can't see the future, but I can almost see conclusions and patterns of logic in situations and discussions that other people haven't arrived at yet.

Well, I can probably ramble on for a long while, but I hope that you can see that you are not alone.


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## Alaskanctc (Mar 19, 2014)

Alaskanctc said:


> I am an HSP also. I was born and raised in Alaska. It may be the "land of the midnight sun," but the lack of light of the Alaska winter turns me off like a lightbulb. It wasn't until I moved to New Mexico - and all the sunshine, that I started to feel the energy and a marked drop in depression. I still need medication, but I feel hope.
> 
> I always hated not fitting in with other people. I still refer to them as 'humans, or norms.' Although other people see me as social at work; I can tell you that I'm just the opposite. I avoid social gatherings as much as possible. If you told me that I would have to man a lighthouse alone on an island, I would have thought I would have died and went to heaven. All that I would ask for are books, a t.v. to see what was happening on the planet and my dog and cat. (The dog to warn me of intruders and the cat to pet).
> 
> ...


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## mishima (Feb 3, 2014)

Yes, I am 100% the definition of a highly sensitive person. If someone wants to understand what a highly sensitive person is they should spend a week around me. I feel everything more intensely and it's almost pathetic how I can be affected by the smallest things. I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna be able to embrace that, I don't see that happening.


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## LoungeFly (Jun 25, 2011)

I'm a very highly sensitive person. I swear I can just feel other peoples emotions sometimes.


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## Justlittleme (Oct 21, 2013)

anything affects me, but death has to be the biggest thing. I don't even know how to deal with it. But I have numbed out all my emotions, I don't really know.

I can read others occasionally. Only by their faces. I find it odd on how no one else will read me.


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## sirsnits (Nov 1, 2012)

It annoying how sensitive I can be lol.

But some of these are not bad qualities to have. I also prefer being around these kind of people.


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## anxious87 (Oct 6, 2013)

yes, with tragedy news


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## Limbo1 (May 13, 2014)

I believe that I am an HSP. I have always been told that I notice things that other people don't. I sense that I pick up on other people's energies and make them my own. I am an introvert. What bothers me the most is that this nature of mine has isolated me from the world to such a ridiculous amount that I am woefully ignorant. Part of having this type of personality is tuning a lot of things out. So one does not have the "street smarts" that comes with being a social animal. Of course I was mercury toxic for many years as a result of a large dental amalgam filling. They say that HSP have many chemical sensitivities. I was also very sick as an infant from being bottle fed. I do better on a good diet. I detoxed the mercury and got off anti-depressant meds that I was on for over 20 years. I am worried that the way my mind works will always be a social handicap.


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## GrainneR (Feb 7, 2014)

I'm affected by loud, boisterous noise, but I've had hearing tests done, and my hearing is well within the 99th percentile. So I just have really good hearing.
I always seem to be affected by others more than they are affected by me (at least when I affected anyone at all), but I don't know if that's due to sensitivity. It could be that people like us are simply more sensitive to the words and actions of others because we do not have as much efficacy in this area, as much experience. And, for myself, I know the experiences that I have had are generally negative, so that doesn't exactly shore up confidence.


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## Limbo1 (May 13, 2014)

...Continuing. I once told my mother that "I cannot wrap my head around the world". It just never made sense to me. I see how other people are so well rounded and integrated and I cannot see how they manage it. The way the world is moving and technology's rapid progress is almost impossible to keep up with. I feel like I was born in the wrong time period. I feel so out of place on this planet. I don't even keep up with technology. I am so behind in understanding it. I have my computer which I rely on a great deal but my cell phone is so back dated since I rarely use it and don't really have any friends. This is not a good way to live but it has been my legacy.


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## apostolis (Apr 15, 2015)

I came across this term a couple of days ago and I was surprised that it's something that exists in quite a few people besides me. 
I also made some research in order to find out if I am indeed an HSP because I didn't want to force any results to myself just for the shake of "belonging to a group".
I feel a little bit more peaceful right now because I understand myself a little bit better. It feels lonely and I would really like to meet other people with similar issues.
The things that I noticed to myself are the following ones:
*HSP students work differently from others. They pick up on subtleties and may think about them a long time before demonstrating their grasp of a subject. If an HSP student is not contributing much to a discussion, it does not necessarily mean he or she does not understand or is too shy. HSPs often have insights they are afraid to reveal because they differ from the common view, or because speaking up is too over arousing for them.*
*HSPs can be great employees-good with details, thoughtful and loyal, but they do tend to work best when conditions are quiet and calm. Because HSPs perform less well when being watched, they may be overlooked for a promotion. HSPs tend to socialize less with others, often preferring to process experiences quietly by themselves.*
*I find myself needing to withdraw during busy days,into bed or into a darkened room or any place where I can have some privacy and relief from stimulation.*
*I am particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine.* This is a little bit weird 
*I am easily overwhelmed by things like sirens close by.*
*I have a rich,complex inner life.*
*I am made uncomfortable by loud noises.*
*I am conscientious.*
*I try hard to avoid making mistakes or forgetting things.*
*Being very hungry creates a strong reaction in me,disrupting my concentration or mood.*
*I make it a high priority to arrange my life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations.*
*When I must compete or be observed while performing a task, I become so nervous or shaky that I do much worse than I would otherwise.*
*When I was a child, my parents or teachers seemed to see me as sensitive or shy.*
*I find it extremely difficult to adapt to change.*
*I tend to ruminate on information and things that occur in my life.*
*I deeply dislike confontation and try to avoid it at all costs.*
*It takes longer for me to make a decision.*
*I'm extremely detailed oriented.*
*I have above average manners.*

The above are particularly intense in me!!!


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## Hermiter (Dec 15, 2013)

i must be an HSP


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## apostolis (Apr 15, 2015)

Farideh said:


> As a highly sensitive person myself, I expperience agoraphobia and anxiety. I'm even sensitive whenever someone teases me in a joking frinedly kind of way. I have no idea why but it offends me so much. *Also when babies cry. It gets on my nerves. I hope I don't sound b*tchy from what I just posted.*


Babies crying, loud ringtones, sirens on the street, women that scream etc. HEADACHE...



Ivan AG said:


> Every time I call myself HSP it feels like I'm making an excuse for the way I am right now instead of changing my life for the better.
> 
> It makes me feel cowardly and just makes me more ashamed of myself.
> 
> I don't like that term very much.


Being an HSP is not necessarily a negative thing. The negative aspects that might be caused by being an HSP like social anxiety need to be overcome of course. 
However, being a perfectionist, understanding people's emotions more easily, being well mannered etc are great attributes for a person. If being an HSP triggered them in the first place then it's not something to be ashamed of.



Beingofglass said:


> I think people here are confusing HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) with something else.
> 
> HSP is, in essence, a person who is overwhelmed by the impressions his basic senses are giving him all day long, and even while sleeping. An HSP is often tired and very mellow because his basic senses are overloading him with information and causing strain and stress on the mind. HSP do not necessarily have super sight, hearing, touch or even empathetic abilites. An HSP is very prone to stress and depression if put in the wrong environment, or is unaware of his own sensitivty to stimuli, and his larger need for quality relaxation.
> I should know about this since I'm a HSP, carry cotton in my ears all day long and take other necessary measures.


That's a good definition but I feel that it only provides part of the term and focuses only on the negative aspects.



Alaskanctc said:


> I am an HSP also. I was born and raised in Alaska. It may be the "land of the midnight sun," but the lack of light of the Alaska winter turns me off like a lightbulb. It wasn't until I moved to New Mexico - and all the sunshine, that I started to feel the energy and a marked drop in depression. I still need medication, but I feel hope.
> 
> *I always hated not fitting in with other people. I still refer to them as 'humans, or norms.' Although other people see me as social at work; I can tell you that I'm just the opposite.* I avoid social gatherings as much as possible. If you told me that I would have to man a lighthouse alone on an island, I would have thought I would have died and went to heaven. All that I would ask for are books, a t.v. to see what was happening on the planet and my dog and cat. (The dog to warn me of intruders and the cat to pet).
> 
> ...


I feel the exact same way. However, I know that avoiding social gatherings and interaction with other people doesn't help me and I try to reverse it as much as possible. I feel that I gradually improve as much as put myself out there. Of course, when they end I want to stay alone, lower the lights in my room and just relax...


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## reliefseeker (Jul 21, 2010)

I am highly sensitive amongst all of my peers and i have been struggling to come to terms with it..probably for the fear of being stigmatized.


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## 7th.Streeter (May 11, 2011)

I think Im an HSP.. Im not sure...

im sensitive to caffeine

and this is weird ... most ties not all, I feel like someone's behind me..when no is there... idk how to describe it : /

but it doesn't happen all the time..


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## Riri11 (Mar 24, 2013)

hey dude.. I've found out about the whole HSP thing when I was in my early teens and it helped me explain why I feel the way I do.. its a good thing though and its not a disorder.. it makes you live life to the fullest and thats not a bad thing


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## kivi (Dec 5, 2014)

I think I am one of them. There are so many things which I can't handle. I am obsessive, avoidant and stressed all the time. I think I must see a therapist.


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## FrayedEndsofSanity (May 11, 2015)

Ive just discovered in the last week or so the yet HSP and that I am in fact one . Almost everything on the checklists applies to me . I feel like it's the piece to the puzzle I've been missing all this time . I'm trying to figure out now how to exist like this in my life . I'm starting to think my life/circumstances need to change . I feel very conflicted . I'm realizing no one around me truly understands me . I am ruled by emotions and energies and I need other people like that around me .


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## aloha ackbar (May 24, 2015)

Are you a HSP if u get anxiety from seeing someone yell in a movie ?


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## mattmc (Jun 27, 2013)

aloha ackbar said:


> Are you a HSP if u get anxiety from seeing someone yell in a movie ?


Possibly. I definitely don't react well to people yelling in real life and conflict on the screen can get to me too.


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## HauntedByAFreak (May 20, 2015)

The Sleeping Dragon said:


> Anybody know a good book about this subject?


There's one called The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron. Strangely I bought this a few months ago but haven't gotten round to reading it. Its in the huge pile of other self help books I won't finish!


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## The Sleeping Dragon (Sep 29, 2011)

HauntedByAFreak said:


> There's one called The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron. Strangely I bought this a few months ago but haven't gotten round to reading it. Its in the huge pile of other self help books I won't finish!


Thanks.

Heh, maybe there should be a book on how to get through self help books. :grin2:


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## Nike7 (Nov 17, 2014)

I discovered this term a few months ago and I know that I am a HSP for sure. As a kid, I cried at anything anywhere everyday. I always had to follow the rules and if I didn't, I would cry. If I got something wrong, I would cry. If I said something someone didn't like, I would cry and much more things like this. I think for me, being a HSP as a kid caused me to be mute (I am pretty sure I had selective mutism as a kid). I barely talked like ever because I didn't want to do something wrong or upset someone. I still have a lot of these problems today, but I don't cry about them anymore :clap  . 

One thing I know now is that I take things very personally and get mad at people when they do things I take personally. I don't want to take them as personally as I do, but I do.

I also know I can cry at basically anything but I don't want to because in my mind, crying is a weakness for be due to the amount of bullying I had over my hypersensitivity as a kid (poor me).

I think this relates to SA a lot, but I found an article about it relating to ADHD also. I don't know, I just found it interesting.

This also makes me a perfectionist, which is a bad thing for me, because I need to check and recheck things over and over to make sure they are perfect. It bugs me this way.

Anyways, a good thing about being a HSP is that they are more creative. I know I have a very active imagination and that it does me good. I love to express it in writing. Anyone else notice this too?


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