Highly sensitive people: how to know if you are

Life knocks you out

Looking around you have seen that "things in life" affect you differently than your sisters or your friends . A simple blow causes you superhuman pain. You are walking down the street and, when an ambulance passes, its siren and its lights leave you totally KO. You know that you are more sensitive but that is not all. Big changes such as a move or a new job shock your life and, in addition, in most situations, you notice a kind of sixth sense that makes you see details and behaviors that others do not perceive. You may think that maybe you have been bitten by a radioactive spider and have acquired super powers or, worse, that you have gone crazy. Relax, we come to give you a more realistic answer.

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Highly sensitive people?

Highly Sensitive People have a more developed nervous system and therefore receive much more information through the senses. This concept was created by the American psychologist Elaine Aron. She herself had the feeling of living things differently from others and this led her to investigate the characteristics that identify what she came to call Highly Sensitive People (PAS), among whom she identified herself. Through her research, which she summarizes in her book The Gift of Sensitivity , Dr. Aron established that, to qualify someone as PAS, it must meet four basic pillars. All, without exception.

Let's see what are the traits that identify a Highly Sensitive Person.

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1. They think too much

Highly Sensitive People tend to reflect, to deeply analyze each situation to reach a greater understanding of the matter. That looks great but, in reality, it means that they think about things a lot. They can become obsessed with some issues but, if we continue with our simile, they use their powers for good, to reach conclusions and solutions. How do they do that? Well, with a neurological system that activates areas of the brain that other people do not use.

2. Stimuli overwhelm them

If you go out into the street like you want to avoid the paparazzi (sunglasses, headscarf), you may have one of the clearest symptoms of PAS. They are more affected by bright lights, strong odors, and noise in general, until they feel overwhelmed. These effects can cause exhaustion that forces the person to withdraw to a solitary, isolated space without stimuli.

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3. Emotions on the surface

Happiness, sadness, joy and the rest of the emotions that a person can have are experienced very intensely if you are highly sensitive. This emotional response is linked to a great empathy towards other people or animals and their possible suffering, so they get emotional easily, even when the subject does not go with them. They have a great capacity to listen and a predisposition to help.

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4. A very intuitive sixth sense

These people perceive more the small changes and subtleties in their environment as well as in the emotional state of people. They detect the positive or negative energies of a space and their intuition gives them the tools to change them. Hence our analogy of powers, since it is a kind of sixth sense that gives them more control over situations.

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What I can do?

Sharing experiences with other Highly Sensitive People will help you feel stronger and see that you are not alone in the world. You can join groups that already exist such as the Association of People with High Sensitivity of Spain (APASE) or create your own in your close environment. They will help you get to know yourself better to accept your sensitivity and stop seeing it as a weakness, channeling it, for example, through art. You will gain tools and tricks to be able to function in life such as practicing meditation, doing light physical exercise or working your breath.

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Don't come out of the closet

Upon discovering themselves as Highly Sensitive, PAS often feel a great need to tell everyone that this is what is wrong with them. One of the great experts on the subject in Spain and the founder of APASE, Karina Zegers, does not recommend it. The path he proposes is to put up with the urge to "come out of the closet" and do it after thoroughly researching this trait and the effects it has on you . People are going to have many questions and, to avoid frustrations, it is better to have all the answers.

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Those known as Highly Sensitive People (PAS) have a more developed sensory and perceptual capacity that makes them more sensitive to the world around them. We could say that they live life on the surface. An intensity that can become overwhelming for them due to an excess of information and that can lead them to become saturated and even suffer attacks of stress and become ill if they do not know how to manage all the information. With this description, they may sound like fragile or vulnerable people and the image of a crying person or always on the defensive may come to mind. It's not about that. PAS lives the world with more intensity which, in many cases, allows you to see and perceive things that others cannot.

Highly Sensitive People live life on the surface

This hypersensitivity is often linked to creativity and a large number of artists can be identified as PAS . Art is not carried exclusively to this type of people, since they are present in all professions and represent approximately 20% of the population . Perhaps we ourselves have noticed that we suffer, feel, laugh or cry differently than our friends or family. It may be that we are dealing with a highly sensitive case, one of the concepts that Elaine Aron established more than thirty years ago. An American psychologist who has focused all her activity on the PAS or HSP ( Highly Sensitive Person ) as you can see on her website.

What is a Highly Sensitive Person like?

Very much in the vein of people with high sensitivity, Dr. Aron wanted to better understand herself and the reasons why she felt what she felt. In this effort to understand, she ended up discovering the existence of this type of people who share the trait that she called "High Sensitivity." From this first discovery, she began to do studies and ended up identifying the traits that define these people. It started with four pillars that must be met in order to identify the person as highly sensitive.

Deep analysis. Highly sensitive people receive a lot of information, but they also tend to chew it more. They give a lot of thought to any subject and go deeper into it.
Tendency to saturation. Especially when sensory stimuli such as noises and lights have to be combined with other more emotional ones, especially anger, disappointment or annoyance. In addition, they are easily frightened and scenes of violence offend them more.
Empathy and connection. They live all the personal stories as if they were the final minutes of Life is beautiful. They are easily moved by situations and sensations. They connect on a very deep level with the arts and music.
Sharp perception. They capture people's moods and the energies they give off. They receive more information than the rest. What we have already established as the "arachnid sense" that allows them to see what is happening and know what movements to make to improve the situation.

What can I do if I am a Highly Sensitive Person?

The high sensitivity trait is still poorly understood, despite being discovered in the 1990s . Until this discovery, the behavior of a PAS person had been included within behaviors related to mental or emotional disorders . This type of person, on many occasions, suffers from being so sensitive since everything affects them and, if they do not know how to identify what is happening to them, they can feel misunderstood and isolate themselves.

In order to lead a full life and know how to manage the extreme emotions they feel, Highly Sensitive People can take into account a series of factors and advice that will improve their day-to-day life and that will lead them to live a fuller life.

Self-knowledge. First of all, assume they are not sick. They experience the world differently and must embrace and embrace this characteristic. It is good to know yourself, and for them especially. Look for patterns in their behavior, know what situations become triggers for a possible episode of stress.
Control stimuli. Because of their more refined nervous systems, they are less tolerant of alcohol and have to take fewer medications than most. It is good, then, that they watch what they consume. They must also control their exposure to conversations and group activities that can overwhelm them.
Art is the way. Artistic expression is one of the best avenues of expression and therapy for Highly Sensitive People. Painting, playing an instrument or singing allows them to express what they feel in different ways and that can avoid their saturation. Doing some gentle exercise or practicing meditation and mindfulness outdoors, as well as doing breathing work, can also help.

In order to share experiences and tools like the ones we have just reviewed, in 2014 the Association of People with High Sensitivity of Spain (APASE) was founded, which offers, among many other services, a directory of professionals in all types of disciplines (medical , psychologists, coach, dentists) trained in dealing with PAS people.