Do you feel easily hurt, and you constantly think if you might hurt someone else´s feelings? Maybe you hate watching scary and violent movies, news, or maybe you are easily irritated by noisy and crowded places or even sensitive to light. This could be possible that you are a Highly sensitive person or HSP. Such personality people are believed to have a hypersensitive nervous system, and tend to have unbelievable empathy and may get upset easily. Dr Elaine Aron coined the term “highly sensitive person” in her 1997 book, “The Highly Sensitive Person.”
Some of the habits of HSPs I have gathered from the Telegraph.co.uk and Psychology Today are,
· They feel deeply and may even cry more than most
· They often are told to stop being so sensitive or to toughen up
· Often experience anxiety or tension
· Tend to take things personally
· Compare self with others in terms of physical, social, work or financial scenarios
· They find people judgemental
· They feel other people’s pain
According to Dr Ted Zeff, a psychologist and author of The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide, “If you are an HSP you shouldn’t want to ‘cure’ yourself. It’s who you are. HSPs, he believes, do best in nurturing environments and are more likely to be artists, musicians, teachers, counselors and health practitioners. They’re also likely to be popular because they’re so in tune with the needs of others. Because HSPs become easily overwhelmed, Dr Zeff says they need daily downtime. “They shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are, nor compare themselves to others,” he adds.
If they are sensitive then how can an HSP flourish in the world? Here are some ways you can follow:
· By learning how to recognize your emotions and distressing feelings like anxiety, sadness
· Follow exercise to manage stress may be through meditation, getting enough sleep, sharing your thought with therapist or close friends
· Let friends or co-workers around know if the environment is overstimulating you
· Practice self-compassion and practice gratitude and kindness toward yourself
I have written an article on how we can be careful about the mental health of children:
References:
1. Healthline.com
2. Mindtools.com
