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Who are HSPs and What Are They Like? Who are HSPs? Were the thinkers, the cautious ones, the conservative people; the ones that say Hey, wait a minute. Lets think this through before doing something rash. Every society needs highly sensitive people, just as we need the warriors, the leaders who are ready to take the risks. However, were the ones that help to temper the not-so-sensitive types, the ones who can be bold, rash and impulsive and may have not thought things through to the consequences of their actions. Highly sensitive people are most often the people found in the roles of advisors, counselors and advocators for restraint. Unfortunately, in western society, weve also been labeled as somewhat defective, according the way non-hsps see us. Were considered too sensitive, too cautious, too shy, too timid, too introverted, too fearful. What needs to be realized is that these are not problems that need to be corrected and fixed with sensitive people. Its the labels that are attached to us that cause the problems. Many non-sensitive people are also shy, timid, introverted and fearful, while there are many highly sensitive people who are out-going, super-friendly, extroverted, and risk-takers. We just tend to think things through first and weigh all the factors that our senses pick up on before forging ahead. Traits and Characteristics Misinterpreted So, what are some of the traits and characteristics of a highly sensitive person? Lets look at some of the facts and the mythical labels that have been attached to this special group. Shyness - Youll probably find a larger portion of shy people in the HSP group. That does not mean that everyone is shy. Thats a myth. A lot of non-sensitive people are also shy. Sometimes, whats mistaken as shyness is actually a sizing up of the situation and the people that we have just met. Were cautious. If our senses are saying something isnt right about the person, we wont be so open to them. First impressions count. Its not just the way the person is dressed, but their whole demeanor, aura, attitude and other little subtleties that we absorb with all of our senses. We process the thoughts, feelings and sensations that we receive in each new situation. This may make some of us appear shy, when were not. Introverted - Another myth. Youll find many HSPs can be extroverted, out-going and fun-loving. Youll also find many non-sensitive people as being introverted. Dont mistake deep-thinking and inner-reflection as introversion. We do require much more alone time. This is because our nervous systems can go into over-load in a situation that a non-sensitive person would find somewhat stimulating. If we become frazzled and over-stimulated, we need to find a quiet spot as soon as possible to settle back down. This is why many HSPs tend to stay at home more often than not, rather than go out to party. Its not that we dont want to... we just know our systems cant handle the overload for too long a time. If we cant get away, well pull into ourselves, as a sort of protective shield, to try to reduce the noise, sights, sounds and smells that are bombarding us in order to calm down. Fearfulness - Unless youre completely unemotional and have a lack of conscious consideration toward others, who can say that theyve never been fearful at times? This is not an exclusive trait of sensitive people. New experiences often cause butterflies, fearful thoughts and inner-turmoil in most people. HSPs just tend to feel those emotions more deeply. Timidness - Caution, careful evaluation of the situation, needing the see the entire picture, and the possible resulting consequences of our actions is just in our nature. If everyone heedlessly rushed into everything, wed have even more chaos in our world than we do now. Too-Sensitive - Yes, this is our major trait. We assimilate everything around us at once. Lights, noises, smells, energy vibrations, they all get absorbed, processed and evaluated. Unfortunately when theres too much activity and noise around us, we cant handle it for a great length of time. For example, what may be a low to moderate level of music for a non-sensitive person could sound like the level of a rock concert to us. Emotionally, were affected by much of the disharmony in the world. We feel another persons heartache, we are aware of low levels of anger or resentment in a room, we empathize with other peoples problems, and feel great sorrow over horrific tragedies. What Does All This Mean? A highly sensitive person will pick up on subtleties in the surroundings that many non-sensitive people cant see or feel. This can give us some great advantages. It can save us in many situations where theres trouble brewing. Our abilities can keep us from making disastrous business or personal decisions, if we follow our instincts. And because of our deep sense of the environment around us, were often the ones that make others aware of potential environmental problems that unscrupulous companies ignore for their own benefits. HSPs are often the ones that push for reforms and changes in government law for the better good of everyone. As with anything, its good to know that youre not alone, that there are others out there that have to deal with the same types of situations and labels as you do. True, it doesnt hurt any less, but you know there are similar types that you can seek out and talk to...and theyll understand. Yes, we do tend to exhibit more of the above traits and characterisitcs than non-sensitive people do, but were not exclusive owners of them either. Sometimes, its a misinterpetation of whats really going on in the mind of an HSP by non-HSPs. Only another highly sensitive person could really understand. The good news is that highly sensitive people have been around for as long as man has walked the earth... and well always be here, working to make the world a more understanding, considerate and peaceful haven for everyone. |
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