Seven signs that you are a WWO – a highly sensitive person

WWO, i.e. highly sensitive people, catch external and internal stimuli more intensively than people who are not. They hear at every turn that they are too sensitive or too emotional. They are characterized by vivid imagination, empathy and greater susceptibility to stress. What other qualities does a highly sensitive person possess? How does he perceive the world? How do you know if someone is WWO?

1. High sensitivity is a special sensitivity to physical, mental and emotional signals from the world around you
2. A highly sensitive person perceives the world in an extremely empathetic way, which is often a source of great stress and overwhelming.
3. High sensitivity is not a disease, condition or disorder – it is a personality trait
4. The symptoms that indicate WWO can be caused by both environmental factors and the way you see yourself and other people
5. Check your health. Just answer these questions
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

A highly sensitive person – what does it mean?

A highly sensitive person, or WWO, has an extremely empathetic disposition. He is always driven by the will to help the whole world. She is kind and caring to other people, and can sincerely sympathize with them. It is important to know that you cannot become a highly sensitive person during the maturation process – neither can you learn to do so. It is one of those qualities to be born with. It occurs in both men and women. It is estimated that 70% of the entire group stands out. introverts and 30 percent. extroverts. In turn, according to research published in the journal “Brain and Behavior”, WWO constitute 20 percent. the entire population.

How do you know if someone is WWO?

Highly sensitive people stand out from the rest of society – such people are very easy to recognize. They are extremely sensitive to the surrounding world and social relations. First of all, they perceive reality in a completely different way. As a result of biological conditions, they feel emotions and stimuli coming from outside more deeply. It can be said that they live in greater awareness of the information flowing from the surrounding world.

These individuals have no trouble reading human intentions. They interpret the intentions and needs of others very well. During film screenings, they give up brutal and barbaric titles in favor of more subtle, delicate ones. Due to their features, highly sensitive people are extremely creative and inquisitive.

However, the attitude of WWO makes them more likely to feel stressed and overwhelmed. They take everything personally and their sensitivity has many dimensions. They can feel it in relation to:

1. own person,
2. other people
3. surroundings.

Sensitivity towards oneself

WWO is characterized by high sensitivity towards itself. It manifests itself most often through:

1. feeling anxious and tense,
2. being strict with yourself and difficulty letting go of negative emotions,
3. chronic stress and headache caused by unpleasant situations,
4. worse days affecting everyday functioning,
5. fear and fear of rejection even in situations that the majority of society would consider trivial,
6. negative thoughts related to repeated comparisons with others physically, socially, professionally and even financially,
7. great anger and disagreement with life injustices.

How to reduce the negative effects of stress?

Sensitivity towards other people

Sensitivity towards other people is another characteristic of WWO. However, it takes a completely different form than self-sensitivity. Its manifestations may be:

1. worrying about the opinion of other people,
2. the so-called taking everything personally
3. hiding and suppressing negative feelings and emotions from friends,
4. fear of feeling ashamed when certain information comes to light,
5. the impression that you are constantly being assessed by everyone around you,
6. not accepting unpleasant situations, 
7. shyness and embarrassment in intimate situations,
8. feeling awkward in a larger group,
9. fear of abandonment by friends, family and partner.

Moreover, highly sensitive people are not as strict with society as with themselves, on the contrary – they endow others with a great deal of empathy (sometimes too much), which in turn is lacking in their relationship with themselves.

Sensitivity to the surrounding world

Apart from being sensitive to other people, WWOs show sensitivity to the surrounding world, not related to anyone personally, but related to the overall experience. Signals of having this feature are:

1. uncertainty in large groups of people and during public events,
2. high sensitivity to surrounding external stimuli such as bright light, loud sounds, noises and smells,
3. getting nervous under the influence of negative information from the world, e.g. reading newspapers, watching TV,
4. feeling hopeless and unhappy when you follow other people’s publications and web posts.

WWO symptoms. Sensitivity of the senses to external stimuli

Highly sensitive people have a great sensitivity of the senses to external stimuli and somatic pain. They experience discomfort caused by excessive stimulation of sight, hearing, smell, touch and even taste. They may feel too overwhelmed if more than one sense is stimulated at the same time.

The most bothersome for WWO are noises – they become irritating, among others, loud phone sounds, annoying voices, car horns and children’s squeals. In turn, acute sense of smell makes them feel discomfort when smelling strong perfumes, eating intensely smelling dishes or in the company of friends who smoke. The accumulation of stimuli often causes nausea and the urge to run away.

Withdrawing from WWO

Withdrawal is another WWO symptom characteristic of both introverted and extroverted people. Such people very often need time to stop and think about a given situation. They hide, for example, in shady places, away from everyday noise. This allows them to regenerate their senses, rest and gain strength to survive the next hours or even days.

Difficulties in making decisions and avoiding conflicts – features of WWO

Difficulties in making decisions happen to everyone. However, unlike most of the public, WWO feel the need to break down all dilemmas into prime factors and analyze them in depth. As a result, these units constantly consider all the pros and cons of possible solutions to a given problem, so that their decision is the best possible. Moreover, it is often accompanied by fear. Conflict avoidance is another hallmark of WWO. Highly sensitive people are afraid of the reaction of the environment to their person, they also have a problem with assertiveness.

Better to think sooner than spend later

Workaholism or perfectionism as a symptom of WWO

Highly sensitive people are characterized by workaholism and perfectionism. Fearing unpleasant situations, they feel obliged to correct all mistakes, not necessarily only theirs. They want to fix the world at any cost. Their list of things to do the next day is never ending, and even keeps getting longer. In addition, WWO try to achieve the goals set for the day as soon as possible, because the excess of postponed duties would additionally overwhelm them.

WWO symptoms. Irritability and nervousness as a response to pressure

The pressure causes irritability and nervousness in highly sensitive people. They don’t like fast pace and rat racing. Not only does this increase their susceptibility to stress, it also has implications for their physical and mental health. In highly sensitive people, the consequences of constant pressure are exacerbated. The multitude of things to do becomes overwhelming even more when they have little time to do them. For young people, the problem may be an ordinary school test, while for adults – a close deadline, a lot of new tasks at work or constant contact with colleagues.

WWO symptoms. Compassion for other people’s emotions

Experiencing other people’s feelings with them causes mental exhaustion in WWO. This is because they are more sensitive to absorbing any emotion. These people are characterized by exceptional subtlety, which helps them read and interpret verbal and non-verbal messages sent by those around them without any problems. They easily analyze their tone of voice, facial expressions and body language. These factors often cause emotional pain in WWO.

WWO symptoms. Deep thinking

The basis of WWO functioning is deep thinking. They are characterized by constant analysis of experiences, a multitude of thoughts and constant return to them. Such a person constantly recreates in his head various situations from the past (much more often than other people). As a result, there is usually a rush of negative thoughts. Eternal imagining past events in a different way causes obsession and anxiety.

WWO symptoms. Feeling overwhelmed by changes

Highly sensitive people are overwhelmed by all changes. They feel comfortable in routine and familiar situations. When a new element appears in their lives, it automatically generates stress – no matter if it’s a positive or negative change. Usually WWOs take much longer to adapt to new conditions or to adapt to a different setting.

A highly sensitive person – how to cope?

A highly sensitive person’s life is very stressful. Certainly, it is difficult for her to find herself in the modern world full of information, technology, loud sounds and the hustle and bustle of big cities. The symptoms of WWO can be alleviated by:

1. refraining from participating in events, cultural events, concerts, 
2. isolating yourself from constantly negative-minded people,
3. avoiding people who feel tired or not accepted,
4. stress reduction, e.g. through meditation and yoga,
5. relaxation at home,
6. a diet rich in healthy food,
7. regular exercise,
8. finding your own place where you can run away from family, friends or partner at any time and just relax.

See also:

1. Scientists have discovered a new mechanism of stress formation
2. How to sleep to get enough sleep?
3. Sanity