Highly sensitive people

  • Thread starter Thread starter irongirl
  • Start date Start date
I

irongirl

Guest
I posted this yesterday, then I deleted it because I was afraid of what some people would think. But I've thought about it and decided to repost it. I am one of these people and it has caused "issues" in my life. I don't want to be this way, but I don't know how NOT to be. I'd be a rich woman if I had a dime for every time I heard "don't be so sensitive" since I was a child. Growing up like that has caused me to internalize a lot of stuff, and now at this point of my life, I am having to deal with it. To say that it caused me to have low self-esteem would be an understatement!

So, it may be of interest to some, or y'all might think it's a pile of shit..lol..but just to know that there is a "diagnosis" if you will.....that people that feel like myself are "recognized" and not just chalked up to being a baby, is very comforting to me. Now I just have to find out how to go about dealing with this. At my age now, my hormones are starting to be a little outta whack..LOL..and there are days that I think I am going to lose my mind.

If you find you are a highly sensitive person, or your child is, then you need to be aware of the following points:

This trait is normal--it is inherited by 15 to 20% of the population, and indeed the same percentage seems to be present in all higher animals.

Being an HSP means your nervous system is more sensitive to subtleties. Your sight, hearing, and sense of smell are not necessarily keener (although they may be). But your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply.

Being an HSP also means, necessarily, that you are more easily overstimulated, stressed out, overwhelmed.

This trait is not something new that's been discovered--it has been mislabeled as shyness (not an inherited trait), introversion (30% of HSPs are actually extraverts), inhibitedness, fearfulness, and the like. HSPs can be these, but none of these are the fundamental trait they have inherited.

The reason for these negative misnomers and general lack of research on the subject is that in this culture being tough and outgoing is the preferred or ideal personality--not high sensitivity. (Therefore in the past the research focus has been on sensitivity's potential negative impact on sociability and boldness, not the phenomenon itself or its purpose.) This cultural bias affects HSPs as much as their trait affects them, as I am sure you realize. Even those who loved you probably told you, "don't be so sensitive," making you feel abnormal when in fact you could do nothing about it and it is not abnormal at all.
Click to expand...
 
That was me as a kid. Very shy and freaked out by all kinds of stuff. I guess I grew out of it though as I got older. I was the youngest kid in our neighborhood, everyone was at least 4 years older than me. They helped bring me out of my shell, I guess, by making me realize that I was smaller but I wasn't the weakest.
 
Well, I am still like it, in the sense that I am very easily offended by things said to me. And it could be said jokingly, but I still am hurt by it. Not ALL the time, but a lot. And I know that it is silly, but I can't help it. And I am easily offended by stuff on the forums, which is REALLY DUMB, so I am trying to get a handle on it, somehow.

When I was growing up, I heard my parents ALL the time saying "don't be so sensitive" and I guess they never realized how hurt I was by that. So I learned to not talk about my feelings to anyone because I felt they were not important.

I got a fucked up head..LOL..
 
IG...everybody has their quirks about them...especially me. Have you ever thought about talking to a trained professional about this? They really can help and break the cycle of reasoning or thinking behind it.
 
well I in a way am like that some things bother me real bad, I think it comes from me being so fat earlier in my life
 
IG...everybody has their quirks about them...especially me. Have you ever thought about talking to a trained professional about this? They really can help and break the cycle of reasoning or thinking behind it.
Click to expand...

I was seeing a counsellor regarding something else, and this topic never reeally came up as such. I think I will go back to see him. I found him to be very helpful.

Thanks :)
 
well I in a way am like that some things bother me real bad, I think it comes from me being so fat earlier in my life
Click to expand...

I can see how that can be.

I was always highly sensitive- I can cry at the drop of a hat..LOL..you learn to do things to protect yourself when you are this way.
 
I made a post in here yesterday. It was deleted by someone. Am I not allowed to post on this thread?
 
irongirl said:
I can cry at the drop of a hat.
Click to expand...
That generally happens when people keep stuff bottled up inside. My fiance is like that now. I have to keep telling her to not keep stuff inside. Talk to me about it before it comes to a breaking point and she gets all upset. People that have done this for so long will have to retrain themselves to see the signs of when they are bottling things up, and learn to talk about them at that time.
 
That generally happens when people keep stuff bottled up inside. My fiance is like that now. I have to keep telling her to not keep stuff inside. Talk to me about it before it comes to a breaking point and she gets all upset. People that have done this for so long will have to retrain themselves to see the signs of when they are bottling things up, and learn to talk about them at that time.
Click to expand...

Yup, you are right. I am working on it :) It's a very hard thing to retrain yourself to do when you've been like it your whole life...but not impossible.

Thanks so much :)
 
I made a post in here yesterday. It was deleted by someone. Am I not allowed to post on this thread?
Click to expand...

Sorry, that was my fault. I deleted the whole thread, then I reconsidered and posted it again. I read what you had written :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Posts

Trending

Back
Top