Understanding what a Highly Sensitive Person is and Debunking Myths
Are you someone who feels overwhelmed in crowded spaces? Maybe you’re like me and loud noises bother you. Or one of my favourites: you’re constantly being told to “stop being so sensitive.”
While those things I’ve just mentioned are often framed as a negative; it’s a feature, not a bug. You might not have heard of the term highly sensitive person (HSP) or the science behind it so I want to clarify what an HSP is, the four main pillars of this trait and why recognizing it is the first step to harnessing it as a strength; not a weakness.
The 4 Pillars of the HSP Trait: DOES
While there is a lot of academia behind the HSP, I’m not here for academia. I’m here for approachable. I’m here for easy-understanding. That being said, DOES does provide an easy-to-remember acronym that helps remind us of the 4 pillars.
D gives us the Depth of Processing. If you’re an HSP, you naturally process information, emotions, and thoughts more deeply. You’re thinking about the meaning behind things.
O gives us Overstimulation and Overarousal. With that deeper processing, you’re likely to become overwhelmed by too much sensory input like noise, lights, and crowds more quickly.
E gives us Emotional Reactivity and Emptahy. Your emotions—positive and negative—are heightened, as is your ability to feel what others are feeling.
S gives us Sensing the Subtle. You will have significant attention to small details that others will miss. You’ll be able to notice a change in a person’s mood, a subtle smell, or a minor typo (although, I hope you don’t find a typo here in this blog!)
Debunking Myths
Now you know the 4 Pillars, let’s take a look at some myths. I want to debunk them because they may be stopping you from acknowledging your innate strength without you even knowing it!
Myth #1: Being an HSP means you’re weak or fragile. Like I said right at the beginning, all those things I mentioned are a feature, not a bug. Sensitivity is a form of strength and intuition. People who are HSPs are thoughtful leaders, powerful creatives, and deeply loyal friends. Has anyone ever said that about you? I bet more than one person has!
Myth #2: HSPs are just extreme introverts. First, I want to remind people of the misconception around introverts and extroverts. Introverts need quiet time to recharge. Extroverts get their recharging done around people. It’s not a matter of liking or not liking people. That being said, the traits found in an HSP is separate from the introversion/extroversion spectrum. 30% of HSPs are extroverts, though they’ll still need downtime. It makes me think a proper term for HSPs would be ambiverts. What do you think?
Myth #3: It’s a mental disorder or something that needs to be “fixed.” What’s with our society and its constant desire to “fix” something?! About 15-20% of the world’s population has the HSP personality type. That’s about 1.64 billion people!
Harnessing Your Intuitive Edge
I hope you’re now able to see more and more that what may have been weaponized against you is actually a superpower. Your depth of processing gives you powerful insights. Your ability to sense the subtle is the root of intuition.
To help harness your intuitive edge, you can build some exercises into your day that won’t take up a lot of your time. Start scheduling some rest time. Don’t treat this like a luxury; this is an important, essential part of your self-care. As important as brushing your teeth or putting on deodorant is.
You’ll also need to set boundaries with others and with yourself. This will help manage the HSP trait. I know it can be and feel overwhelming and that’s part of what I do to help people. I work with them as they understand and navigate their intuition.
If you’re new to understanding your superpower as an HSP, then I recommend you download my free guide. It’ll give you actionable tools to protect your peace.
You bring so much to the world; embrace all of you.
