“A Danish psychotherapist draws a very detailed portrait of a person whom she calls highly sensitive,” notes psychologist Elena Perova. “He is vulnerable, anxious, empathetic and self-absorbed. Sand himself belongs to this category. High sensitivity is often considered a disadvantage, since such people are easily mentally exhausted. However, it also has many positive aspects: thoughtfulness, the ability to subtly feel beauty, a developed spirituality, responsibility.
In order for these benefits to manifest, a sensitive person, instead of worrying about low stress resistance, should not hesitate to announce to others about his characteristics. Explain that he needs to be alone, leave the holidays early, and not appear at some at all, ask guests to go home at exactly nine. In a word, adjust the world around to your characteristics and live your own life. The only question is where each such sensitive person (predominantly an introvert) can find a full-bodied life partner who will take on tedious duties like buying furniture, accompanying children to classes and parent-teacher meetings.
Sand notes with indignation that highly sensitive people used to be called nervous patients, but she herself talks about them with such trepidation, as if she recommends treating them that way. The idea of the book is simple, but no less valuable: we are different, many of our personal characteristics are innate and can only be partially changed. It is useless for some of us to try to turn ourselves into an energetic hero who writes a list of a hundred deeds in the morning and completes it by lunchtime. Ilse Sand helps such people to accept themselves and tells them how to take care of themselves.”
Translation from Danish by Anastasia Naumova, Nikolai Fitisov. Alpina Publisher, 158 p.