Susan Cain's book, "Quiet"
was a catalyst for the introvert movement
that helps bring awareness towards personality types
with a greater need for solitude and less stimulating environments.
With 1/3 to half the world's population made up of introverts,
it's great that we finally began to acknowledge
and talk about the unique set of traits and tendencies.
Along with introversion, sensitivity has also made the headlines
and been widely discussed.
The personality trait was first researched by Dr. Elaine and Aaron
in 1991.
All of her important findings have been published in various articles
and in her book, "The Highly Sensitive Person".
Although it's a trait being acknowledged more,
Aaron states that sensitive people are still often considered
the minority of the population.
She emphasizes that culture plays a large role towards
how sensitivity is valued.
Aaron writes:
In culture where it is not valued, HSPs tend to have low self-esteem.
They're told don't be so sensitive.
So that they feel abnormal.
We want to raise this issue and help promote more acceptance
towards highly sensitive people.
Approximately 70% of the introverted population
is made up of HSPs.
Not all introverts identified as HSPs,
but there seems to be an overlap between the two traits
that is too important to ignore.
Here's 8 signs you are a highly sensitive person.
1.You feel deeply and tend to be more emotionally reactive.
Have people often called you deep when you provide your insights?
Then, you may be an HSP.
HSPs tend to feel things more deeply
and are more naturally inclined to react emotionally towards situations.
Dr. Ted Zeff, author of "The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide",
writes:
They like to process things on a deep level.
They're very intuitive and go very deep inside to try to figure things out.
Overall, HSPs are empathetic and care a lot for others
when they're having a tough time.
Since your emotions run deep, when others suffer,
you can also feel their pain.
This helps you stay open-minded
when you can easily put yourself in the shoes of the another,
and understand what that person is going through.
2.You prefer to exercise alone.
Highly sensitive people often avoid team sports
because they're uncomfortable with the audience watching their every move.
According to Dr. Zeff, the majority of HSPs
gravitate towards solitutary sports
such as running, hiking and bicycling.
This allows time for you to reflect and get away from overstimulating environments
as you simultaneously work on reaching your fitness goals.
However, in some circumstances, HSPs may enjoy playing in team sports
if they're brought up by a parent,
who provided a supportive environment
that made it easier for them to get involved.
If you were encouraged by a nurturing family and good friends,
then you may find yourself flourishing in team sports too.
Nurturing one sensivity is the key to helping them grow comfortable
with activities they may not be naturally inclined to enjoy
because it allows them to feel safe to take risks.
3.It takes you longer to make decisions, because you are concerned about making
a wrong or bad decision.
When you're sensitive, it takes you more time to make decisions,
even though there may not be a right or wrong one.
For instance, it may take you longer than others
to choose what you want to eat from the restaurant menu.
This is because you have a tendency towards weighing all the options
that are provided.
Even if you already have a good idea about what you want to choose from the menu,
you can't help but think about the what ifs
and explore the possibility of other dishes based on their descriptions.
As a result, when it comes to making big life changing decisions,
such as where you want to move, or what career you want to work,
you may often feel paralyzed and overwhelmed
by the various potential outcomes you imagine from each possibility.
4.You pay attention to subtlety and small details in general.
You're sensitive to changes and your immediate environment
and the people who's surround you.
You may notice the small details such as
the new color someone paints their nails or
the tiny crack on someone's lamp that wasn't initially there.
When you're identified as a highly sensitive person,
it's hard for you to miss subtlety
because you're prone to reading between the lines.
Generally, as someone who has a lot welling up inside you,
you make it a habit to notice things.
because everything affects you strongly.
5. You are highly conscientious and have extremely good manners.
With your highly sensitive, you care a lot about the way you present yourself,
and how your actions may affect others.
You tend to be considered towards other's needs
and what to do things in a way that creates convenience
rather than causing trouble for them.
You put a lot of effort even in the smallest actions,
such as making sure you put an item back where you got it as you're shopping,
to prevent troubling a staff member to do it.
You're the type of person to always think your waiter at the end of the night
for their service, and leave a generous tip.
It leaves you feeling uncomfortable when you're not exhibiting
polite mannerisms to the best of your ability.
6.You are prone to having anxiety or depression,
especially if you've had many bad past experiences.
As an HSP, if you experience a lot of negative events in your life,
you may have developed anxiety or depression over the years.
According to Dr. Aaron, this is because your nervous system often operates
in anxious mode, when you don't feel safe in your environment.
Your nervous system is meant to alert you about potential danger,
so when it's used to doing that in abundance,
it causes you to stay on edge for long periods of time.
This is why it's crucial to have parents, who nurtures your sensitivity
with just the right amount of care.
If they make you ashamed for being sensitive,
it prevents you from understanding and using your sensitivity
in a productive way that can help you grow.
But if they protect you too much because of your sensitivity,
then it may cause you to have difficulty making transitions in life
and adapting into new situations.
7.Violent/horror movies are not your cup of tea.
When you're highly sensitive, you're overly stimulated
by violent or horror films that sensation seekers
often get a good adrenaline rush from
realized that there's nothing wrong with turning down horror movies.
Your nervous system will be much happier that you did what's best for you.
8.You work well in team environments.
When you're highly sensitive, you tend to be a deep thinker.
This makes you a valuable person in team settings
because you're able to analyze situations
and figure out how everyone's strengths and talents can be used
to help the team work more efficiently.
In addition, you can also identify many of the pros and cons
when it comes to decisions making.
However, you may not be comfortable with being the person in charge
of making the actual decisions.
In stead, you may like to play the role of someone who negotiates
and helps facilitate discussions
rather than the person who has to take action.
Still, with the right amount of encouragement and good practice,
HSPs can make exceptional leaders
with their ability to empathizes with their co-workers
and having an open-mind when problem solving.
Would you consider yourself a highly sensitive person?
Do you agree with these points?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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