The Highly Sensitive Person
The highly sensitive person or HSP
Because I know there are other highly sensitives out there, I want to share this especially with you. The ones who haven´t heard about this, keep reading… My intention is not to put you in some sort of a box or restrain you, rather help you understand why you are great as you are.
Let me tell you that it has taken me a significant amount of time to understand all this, and to use it to my advantage at work. It is the understanding part I find the most important, from there you can choose what path will be right for you.
The trait HSP is found in 15-20% of the population, both in men and in women. Approximately 30% of people with the HSP trait are extroverts. The trait is also found in over 100 other species. The brains of a highly sensitive person simply function in a slightly different way. This means it is biological (sensory processing sensitivity), not something a person with the trait can either turn on or off.
“What I once felt was my biggest weakness has now become my greatest strength.”
How then, does the HSP trait show?
Dr. Elaine Aron has developed a model to describe the basic characteristics of the highly sensitive person. It is called the DOES model, which refers to the following key attributes of sensitive:
D: depth of processing, O: over stimulation, E: emotional reactivity and empathy, S: sensing the subtle.
1. Ability to feel emotions strongly
Feeling deeply makes us feel happiness and gratitude on a deep level
2. Better at noticing subtle details
The brain simply picks up more nuances having to do with sound, sight, surroundings, touch and so on
3. Potential to be great leaders
A high level of emotional awareness and a dedication to treating people fairly…
4. Sensitivity encourages creativity
There’s a strong correlation between sensitivity and creativity
5. Detail-oriented and conscientious
The brain processes things differently. We pick up on little things that others may not notice
6. Increased capacity for empathy
Higher level of activation in the areas of the brain associated with empathy
... and the other side of the coin
Feeling deeply reaches all aspects of life for the highly sensitive person or HSP. Also the sad ones. Yes, we cry a lot and feel what others feel, sometimes we are empathetic with the wrong people. Being emotionally aware and spotting unfair situations can make us react really strongly. Picking up on subtleties and also combining information in new ways because of that, makes us need downtime, otherwise… overload.
HSP - HSS
To make things a little more confusing, there is a small amount of people with the HSP trait who are also HSS, meaning High Sensation Seeking.
At first glance this may seem totally contradicting, but yes it is true. We kind of have one foot on the brake, because of the HSP and the other one on the gas, because of the need for sensations seeking.
HSP at work
In today´s world we are valuing sensitivity in different ways depending of culture and what part of the world we are living in. In the western society sensitivity has by many been seen as a weakness, something to hide. Luckily this seems to be changing in a rapid pace.
There is this transformation going on at workplaces today, where we are understanding the value of soft skills, some almost 60% of leaders, state that soft skills are more important than hard skills. Imagine that!
Change, is happening. Right now, emotional intelligence is hype and we are in many companies talking about the importance of coaching leadership. The stigma of sensitivity is diminishing, and diversity is something being put in the limelight.
Many highly sensitive might feel misplaced and different, since the majority does not have the same needs or perceptions as we have. (You can read some of the frequent situations of mine below on the page)
Workplaces and schools are built to serve the majority of the people which makes it harder for the highly sensitive person or HSP to fit in. And thus many end up building a wall around them, for protection. Understanding diversity and using it as an advantage at work and in school would free an enormous amount of creativity, precisely what we need today in the world.
Celebrities who have brought up their HSP trait: singer Alanis Morissette, model and actress Izabella Scorupco, princes Märta of Norway, actress Nicole Kidman, actor Jim Carrey, comedian Johan Rheborg…
Tips to Feel Well
For the highly sensitive person or HSP
- You are the most important person for you, find time for yourself, downtime. Even when others think you are strange
- Be sure to get your sleep, every night
- Focus on what you eat, food will affect an HSP more. Try to avoid sugar, some also avoid coffee and alcohol
- Look for a workplace where you can feel the passion you need and have a possibility to impact your schedule
- Be sure to surround yourself with things you like. Music, beauty, scents, nature, silence
- Find out what works best for you. Use noise cancelling headphones, dim the light, avoid loud places…
- Make a deliberate choice about what you will spend your energy on in life
- Meditate
Based on studies by Jim Hallowes here is a list of famous Highly sensitive people or HSP. Albert Einstein, Carl Jung and Charles Darwin, political leaders: Abraham Lincoln, Harry S. Truman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt and Princess Diana. Highly sensitive scientists and inventors include: Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Alva Edison and naturalist Jane Goodall. Famous writers on the list might include: Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, D.H. Lawrence, Henry David Thoreau, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, Tennessee Williams, to Deepak Chopra, Judith Orloff. Highly Sensitive artists include: Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Georgia O’Keefe, Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Frank Lloyd Wright, among many others. Of course, many actors and actresses exude HSP traits including: Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn and Judy Garland, to name a few.
Some of my experiences related to HSP
“Why are you overreacting, stop being so sensitive…”
“Don´t worry, you`ll get used to the open office, do not complain about it…”
“How did you see that situation coming…”
“You have a unique way of making me feel comfortable…”
“Where did you just go, why did you disappear…?”
“You really need to work more in the team…”
