Are You A Highly Sensitive Person? Signs You Might Recognize

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive,” you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).

In this short talk, you’ll learn what high sensitivity means and how sensitive nervous systems process the world more deeply. Many highly sensitive people experience overstimulation, emotional absorption, and the need for extra recovery time after busy days.

Understanding this trait often brings relief and helps you begin working with your nervous system instead of against it.

Sensitivity isn’t something you need to fix. It’s something you can learn to understand and support.

Transcript

If you've ever been told you're too sensitive, Too emotional, Or that you need to grow thicker skin, You might be a highly sensitive person, Or HSP for short. So I want to start by being really clear that high sensitivity is not a diagnosis or a disorder. It's not something you need to fix. It's actually an innate trait, Meaning you are born with it. According to the research of Dr. Elaine Aron, About 20% of people are highly sensitive, Although some current research says it might be as high as 30% of the population. And it's not just humans. This trait has been found in over a hundred other species, Including dogs, Birds, And fish. Today we're going to talk about the common characteristics of high sensitivity and how it can contribute to things like overwhelm and anxiety. But again, It's really important to remember that being highly sensitive is not a diagnosis or a disorder, And although it can create some challenges for us, It doesn't mean that something is wrong with us. In fact, Once we learn how to care for our sensitive nervous system and our active mind, It has the potential of being one of our greatest strengths. So let's talk about just some of the common characteristics of highly sensitive people. We tend to be highly intuitive and sensitive to the environment around us. So you might be really good at things like walking into a room and knowing what needs to be done to help other people feel more comfortable. Many HSPs are naturally empathetic and compassionate you may feel very connected to nature and to animals and plants, And you might have a deep appreciation for beauty and the arts as well as being creative and able to really think outside the box. Oftentimes we resonate with being on a spiritual path or a healing journey. You might find yourself searching for deeper connections and longing to feel a sense of belonging in the world. As a result, You might feel uncomfortable in social situations where everyone is making small talk, But you might do great with more meaningful one-on-one deep conversations. We also have a deep need to withdraw after a busy day into a place where we can restore our energy because we can so easily become overwhelmed and overstimulated by everything around us. And we have a very deep and diverse emotional landscape. We can have a real tendency to overthink which makes us prone to overwhelm burnout and anxiety especially in more toxic or challenging circumstances. But we also thrive in really nourishing environments and we have the potential to be great leaders and healers in the world. So if you're listening and thinking some of that sounds like me, You're definitely in the right place. Being highly sensitive means that your nervous system is more finely tuned and that can be both a challenge and a profound strength, Especially once you understand how to care for your sensitivity. Everyone is sensitive in their own way. Meaning that I'm not saying there are people who are sensitive and people who are not, Or that if you're not highly sensitive that means you're insensitive. I'm not saying that. We all have things that we are sensitive to, But there are some important even measurable characteristics that are typically shared by those who are highly sensitive. So Dr. Aaron described four key traits that most highly sensitive people share and this is often remembered with the acronym DOES. D-O-E-S. So number one, D stands for depth of processing. This means you process everything deeply. You reflect, Analyze, And think things through often more than the people around you. This depth can show up as overthinking or rumination, But it's also the source of your insight, Intuition, And creativity. This is one reason practices like mindfulness, Journaling, Or meditation can be so helpful for highly sensitive people because they give your mind somewhere safe to land. Number two, O stands for overstimulation. Your sensitive nervous system takes in a lot. Bright lights, Loud sounds, Crowded spaces, Uncomfortable fabric or clothing, Busy days, All of it can be a lot. You may feel overwhelmed more quickly than others around you and then need extra time and space to recover. That doesn't make you weak, It makes you wired differently and this is why it's so important to take the time to care for all five of your senses because your body's response to the world is where regulation begins in your own body, In your system. So 3E stands for emotional responsivity and empathy. In other words, You feel things deeply. You might cry easily. You might sense other people's emotions before they say a word about how they feel. This also means you may absorb other people's stress, Sadness, Or anger without realizing it and then struggle to tell what is truly yours and what's not. And this is why learning to set healthy emotional boundaries is essential for HSPs. It's not to harden yourself but to protect your energy and preserve your peace. And the last one, S stands for sensitivity to subtleties. You notice the little things others miss. It could be a tone of voice, A flicker of discomfort, Or a change in the air. You're also more likely to be sensitive to caffeine, Certain foods, Medications, Or different textures. You might be the first one to notice when something or someone is off or when something in the environment just doesn't feel quite right. And this awareness can be really beautiful, But without the tools to ground and center yourself, It can also lead to anxiety and emotional overload. Now I know for myself, I used to feel so much and I used to carry so much, But I didn't know what to call it. I was constantly tired, Anxious, And overwhelmed. And the worst part was that I thought it was my fault. I thought that there was something wrong with me, But it wasn't. I was just living in a world that didn't understand sensitivity. I didn't yet have the tools to support my nervous system. So now every time someone tells me that I have a calming, Reassuring presence, I think, If only they knew how far I've come. Because I used to live in fear. I used to be frozen by my and ruled by my anxiety. And now most days I feel safe and grounded in my body and I feel relatively calm. And that's the kind of transformation that's possible when you stop fighting your sensitivity or denying it and learn to care for it instead. So I want to leave you with an invitation this week. I want you to set the intention to notice how you find yourself responding to the world around you. Take five minutes at the end of your day each night for the next week to reflect on how your day went, And then journal or make an audio note about how you felt after different social situations, After work, Or after interacting with different people in your life. Notice how their moods affect you. And also notice how your body responds to the things that you eat and drink, And the things that you take in through all of your five senses. So for example, Notice how you feel after watching different kinds of TV shows versus how you feel after spending time outdoors. Get really curious about what nourishes you and what leaves you feeling frazzled or depleted because we can't change what we're not aware of. And awareness is the first step to really living in an empowered way as a highly sensitive person. So please remember you are not broken. You are not too sensitive. You are finely tuned, And that tuning has a purpose. Your sensitivity is not a weakness. It's a guide. You are not alone, And your sensitivity truly is a gift.