A highly sensitive person

I think I’m a highly sensitive person.

For a while, I believed I possessed a set of traits that often feel rather inhibiting, especially in social situations – ones I have to actively try and undermine to maintain a cheery facade around other humans.

Mostly I just wrote this off as introversion.

However, in my daily Internet wanderings, I stumbled upon an HSP quiz devised by a psychotherapist, which I scored rather highly on.

Things like the following:

  • Being overwhelmed by strong sensory input
  • Wanting to withdraw from stimulation and place myself in a quote, dark room
  • Leading a rich, complex, inner life
  • Feeling frazzled and needing to be alone
  • Feeling overwhelmed when I have much to do in a short time
  • Trying hard to avoid mistakes and forgetting things
  • Feeling sensitive to the needs and emotions of others
  • Awareness of subtleties in my environment
  • Being shaken up by life changes or alterations in routine

Apparently, around 15-20% of the population exhibit the HSP trait – too many to be a disorder, but enough to make it a recognizable presentation.

I’m not exactly sure what this means and if any actionable strategies can help.

But hey ho. Know thyself and all that.