9 Traits Of A Highly Sensitive Person
Eileen Burns 
9 Traits Of A Highly Sensitive Person, how to identify if you are a HSP a highly sensitive person with sensory-processing-sensitivity
9 Traits Of A Highly Sensitive Person
9 Traits Of A Highly Sensitive Person - How to identify if you are an HSP a highly sensitive person with sensory-processing sensitivity?
More and more people are starting to realise they may in fact be a highly sensitive person an HSP. According to various research 15-20% of the population could be identified as a highly sensitive person.
Dr. Elaine Aaron an HSP Expert, states that a lot more people think they are highly sensitive when they are not. Now more and more studies are demonstrating being highly sensitive which is also known as sensory-processing-sensitivity, which is not a disorder or a weakness. It helps to clarify that Highly Sensitive People are not emotionally unstable or emotionally immature when this is clearly not the case.
Actually, an FMRI study of the Highly Sensitive Brain demonstrated sensory processing sensitivity and response to others’ emotions. The highly sensitive person is shown to be physiologically affected by their environment, others' moods, and wounding.
This helps us to understand why many HSP’s struggle with the harsh energy of modern-day living. Especially overstimulation; noisy and busy environments, information overload... which causes sensory processing sensitivity challenges.
One of the mains reasons Highly Sensitive People have an increased risk of suffering from chronic anxiety, stress, and certain chronic health-related issues like Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and M.E. often interlinked with physical, mental, and emotional burn-out.
The Gifts And Challenges Of A Highly Sensitive Person
Being a highly sensitive person has tremendous gifts and challenges. In many ways being highly sensitive is a powerful needed trait in society. Especially when so many people are so disconnected from their emotions, their pain, their fear, their compassion. A highly sensitive person usually has much greater compassion, wisdom, and awareness of the outer and inner world of those around them.
Probably the reason many HSP’s are the Drs, nurses, healers, therapists, counsellors, carers, nursery nurses…
But also the reason why many in these careers suffer from burn out and other chronic health challenges like CFS or depression. As they often have many challenges around grounding and having healthy boundaries.
Common Traits Of A Highly Sensitive Person
Here are some of the more common range of traits seen in a Highly Sensitive Person a HSP
Highly Caring And Compassionate – you can often recognise a HSP as they care for others very deeply. They are extremely compassionate it simply oozes out of them. And very giving to the extent they often put them self last. Self care is often last on their list.
Highly Intuitive And Psychic – highly sensitive people tend to be highly intuitive and at least a bit psychic. Though many block their psychic abilities from a young age because of others perceptions and their own fear. But they have a strong inner knowing, especially about people they meet and those around them.
Highly Empathic -a highly sensitive person is usually highly empathic, easily affected by other people’s emotional and mental pain, fear, or negativity.
Struggle With Violence And Strong Negativity – hypersensitivity usually comes with a strong aversion to negative or violent media such as the news and tv.
Highly Emotional – a highly sensitive person tends to appear more emotional, they cry more easily, especially to situations, things, and events not affected by others.
Highly Spiritual – they are usually naturally attracted to various aspects of spirituality.
Struggle To Function in Busy Environments – many HSPs struggle to function or work in busy environments like call centers, busy offices, factory even at school, college. So they need to take time out away from their desk or work environment to become re-focused and re-energised.
Need More Time Out- a highly sensitive person tends to need more time out and time away from others. They need more time to unplug, switch off, relax, even sleep. Simply because HSPs tend to have a lot more information and sensory processing overload.
Many HSPs Freeze Or Shutdown– Due to the degree of their sensitivity many HSPs can become very shut off emotionally, especially those that are empaths. Often life, their surroundings can feel quite traumatic so they become quite shut off emotionally. Most are very ungrounded and not fully in their body in an energetic way. Many suffer from chronic anxiety and stress even if they are unaware of it.
So How Can A Highly Sensitive Person
Become More Resilient To Modern-Day Living?
One of the big challenges an HSP has is balancing the scales of their gifts with the harsher energies of modern-day living. So it is important a highly sensitive person learns effective anxiety and stress management skills.
They also need to learn how to ground and set healthy boundaries. Because HSPs are often more in their heart and head than the rest of their body. Their energy fields tend to be a lot more scattered and porous so they are an easy target to the energies around them.
I know as an HSP how important it is to become more resilient to modern-day life. One of the most powerful things I started to study over 25 years ago was meditation. Meditation is one of the most powerful skills everyone should learn especially someone who takes on others’ emotional thoughts, feelings, and physical symptoms.
Meditation with daily practice can give us instant access to inner stillness, inner peace. It can help us become more centered within our own energetic space. Rather than expanding out into everyone else’s energetic field. You can start learning how to meditate more easily today
Inner Child Therapy and Healing is extremely helpful for most HSPs and Empaths because it can help not just heal old trauma, but unhealthy beliefs or distortions that have arisen from their gifts. Unhealthy views or fears have arisen because of other people’s views of their sensitivity. As well as unhealthy patterns that are keeping their level of sensitivity to an unhealthy degree.
Understand Your Main Archetype, understanding your main archetype, your soul's purpose, and soul gifts can be extremely empowering, and help you understand your sensitive traits on a whole new level. Check out my Free Introduction To Archetypes Course
As a highly sensitive empath who has been studying in the holistic and spiritual field for over 28 years. I was very fortunate to learn many strategies to help me remain more mentally and emotionally resilient to life’s stressors.
Categories: empaths
