The Highly Sensitive Person

Around 1 in 5 people experience the world in high definition.

They are people who are extremely attuned to the world around them, with a great sensitivity to their environment. They have heightened senses: they see, hear, smell, touch, taste and feel everything much more intensely than other people. Many are also highly aware of other people’s emotions, often absorbing them as if they were their own.

These are Highly Sensitive People or HSPs. Being HSP has many advantages, but it can make you more prone to overwhelm. When you experience the world with such intensity it’s no surprise that your system gets overloaded more quickly.

So, if you are highly sensitive it can really help to know it. Understanding what it means can be a real boost to learning how to live more authentically as an HSP and with greater wellbeing.

Dr. Elaine Aron has identified that Highly Sensitive People commonly share characteristics that she captures with the acronym DOES.

D - for Depth of Processing. HSP brains process information very DEEPLY - in a way that the brains of other people don’t.

O - Overwhelm: because HSPs experience the world in such high definition and intensity, and

E - for Emotional reactivity & Empathy (HSPs have very intense feelings/emotional connection with others).

S - Sensory Sensitivity - because a highly sensitive person’s nervous system is very highly tuned, it means it they experience the world in more detail, picking up on more nuance and filtering out less than other people - so HSPs experience sensory information more intensely than other people (whether that’s sight, sound, touch, emotions, smell, thoughts - and that’s why they are more easily overwhelmed!).

I am an HSP!

If you think you might be too, and you’re struggling with overwhelm and want to understand more about the trait and how you can learn to embrace it in this busy, noisy, overwhelming world, I can offer mentoring support and guidance. I am also available for talks to share my knowledge about the trait.

For more information or if you’d like to have a chat about anything HSP please get in touch, I’d love to connect.