Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
What does it mean to be a highly sensitive person? An extract from Sensitive by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo, “No matter what you call it, sensitivity is defined as the ability to perceive, process, and respond deeply to one’s environment. This ability happens at two levels: (1) perceiving information from the senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch) and (2) thinking about that information thoroughly or finding many connections between it and other memories, knowledge, or ideas.” People who are sensitive do more of both. They naturally pick up more information from their environment, process it more deeply, and are ultimately more shaped by it. Much of this deep processing happens unconsciously and many sensitive people aren’t even aware that they do it. A better word for sensitive might be responsive. If you are a sensitive person, your body and mind respond more to the world around you. You respond more to heartbreak, pain and loss, but you also respond more to beauty, new ideas and joy. You go deep where others only skim the surface. You keep thinking when others have given up and moved on to something else. Sensitive is synonymous with oversensitive, explains Granneman, and HSPs are often told they should “be less sensitive”. Yet it’s impossible to change the reactivity of one’s nervous system. It’s like trying to be less tall. Mental health support can help HSPs develop coping skills, maintain appropriate boundaries, navigate relationships, and build upon the strengths of their nervous system. Instead of “I wish I didn’t react this way or that way” instead, lead with genuine curiosity, “Hmm, that’s interesting, I wonder why I had to react this way or that way.” Curiosity provides us more support to understand how we are interacting with our environment and allows for more movement where judgment works to keep us in shame where it is easier to get stuck and harder to move forward. Highly sensitive person traits may include: Sensitivity to lights and sounds Sensitivity to caffeine and medications Feelings of being overwhelmed by crowded places Feeling more drained than others after spending time with people Affected by the energy and moods of the people around them Startling easily Difficulty with transitions and change Avoiding extreme or perpetual acts of violence in television and movies Clinical psychologist Fergus Kane comments about how children that are highly sensitive might struggle with particular fabrics touching their skin or are distressed about challenges on the school playground. Parents might find the term of highly sensitive person more helpful than a label of “a difficult child” – in the pursuit of wanting to understand their children, and advocate for them. How to Support a Loved One or Ourselves: Do’s and Don’ts: The overall message of support for a friend or loved one is to not say that they are overly sensitive or too sensitive. Statements like these are harmful because it is a judgement and makes an assumption that the person can [...]