Hypersensitivity: what are the advantages?

Do you know anyone with heightened sensitivity and heightened perception? Have you ever paid attention to highly sensitive, emotional people among colleagues, friends or relatives? Or maybe you belong to their circle?

For those who hear about it for the first time, I will talk about the terms «high sensitivity» and «highly sensitive person.» They were proposed in the mid-90s by the American psychologist and psychotherapist Elaine Eyron. It is not a diagnosis or a disorder. This is an innate feature of temperament and personality. Such a person perceives any incoming information very intensively. Most often, these people are very emotional, they have increased both physical and emotional sensitivity.

We are all sensitive to one degree or another, we receive information from our nervous system and somehow react to it. What is the difference between ordinary people and highly sensitive people? The latter perceive information as if it is not filtered.

I am sometimes asked if being highly sensitive and emotional is the same as being an introvert? Hypersensitivity has nothing to do with introversion or extraversion. Some highly sensitive people are closer to introverts, while others can be considered extroverts.

What do they perceive and feel more intensely? Noises, smells, touches, emotions and behavior of others, emotional connection with others, «energy» of the environment.

Such people think deeply, love deep conversations. They often ask themselves the question of the purpose in life, starting from early childhood to ask themselves: “Why do I live on this Earth?” Often they have a deep connection with nature, they have developed intuition, they are very spiritual.

Personally, I remember that from early childhood I began to think about the meaning of life and my purpose. At some point, I realized that I perceive emotions, smells, noises, touches acutely and have amazing intuition. Sometimes all this disorientated me. For a long time I did not trust myself, my intuition, receptivity. Instead of accepting my features, I resisted, ignored them, moved away from my true nature, because it seemed to me that something was wrong with her. It took me a long time to accept this gift.

I once came across Dr. Elaine Ayron’s book on hypersensitivity. I immediately fell in love with this book — it gave me the opportunity to learn more about the gift that I was endowed with. The book opened my eyes and allowed me to look at myself from a different perspective.

I began to look for information about these features and learned a lot about myself. It was the first step towards overcoming resistance and accepting the real you. Curiosity pushed me to go further along the path of self-exploration, and I learned to better understand my inner self and appreciate increased emotional sensitivity.

From that moment, I was able to accept myself and understand that my features are both a gift and a source of vulnerability. I have learned a lot! For example, I often began to arrange «dates with myself», carefully studying myself, learning to be more balanced. I know that taking care of myself is my responsibility, and I take it seriously, further training self-discipline.

I also understood the importance of cleansing. Because I feel other people’s emotions and feelings so strongly, they seem to accumulate in my body. I learned to cleanse my body, mind, and soul of it, instead of holding it in and becoming attached to it. I am happy that I am a woman with increased emotional sensitivity, and I am ready to share this gift with the world. Why do I call this feature an amazing gift? Here are 19 virtues of highly sensitive people:

1. They have very strong intuition.

2. They have developed emotional empathy — they understand well what the other person thinks and feels.

3. They are great at listening.

4. They notice flaws and gaps in various systems.

5. They are generous and thoughtful.

6. They are responsible and reliable.

7. They are ready to talk openly about what others are afraid to talk about.

8. They are spiritually advanced.

9. They are close to nature.

10. They are good at noticing emotional imbalances in relationships in families, between partners or friends, in various groups and teams.

11. They have a developed sense of beauty.

12. Justice is important to them.

13. They have fast thinking.

14. They are able to analyze problems instantly.

15. They are innovators.

16. They have a special understanding of harmony — in colors, sounds, music.

17. They are often very talented in one or more areas.

18. They have developed deep emotional bonds with friends, partners, relatives, nature, animals, and the world.

19. They are usually very devoted.

All this sounds great. But it often happens that highly sensitive people who have not yet realized all the benefits of their gift, really suffer from it. And at the same time they put themselves in the position of a victim.

How to stop feeling like a victim?

First of all, understand that you have such a personal feature. It must be recognized and accepted. You need to learn more about yourself and your characteristics, show curiosity in order to better understand yourself. Learn to treat yourself with kindness and compassion.

Connect with that vulnerable part of yourself that is associated with hypersensitivity. Accept your vulnerability and realize that it is a valuable gift. When taking it, do not forget to take care of yourself, taking into account your own characteristics. It is important to take responsibility for your life, to maintain energy balance. I hope that most highly sensitive people will be able to perceive their features not as a curse, but as a gift worth sharing with the world!