The world around me - highly sensitive person

It can be overwhelming sometimes. Sensory sensitivity is a real thing. Some consider it even an autistic trait. But there is also people who are highly sensitive. Those are a different category of people who may have auditory sensitivity or visual and even tactical (think of cats and their overstimulation). I have mostly the two first and they develop to emotional affection. I cannot watch thriller movies or anything that could potentially traumatize me a little bit because I will be thinking of it, for a very long time. 

The concept of high sensitivity was first introduced by psychologist Dr. Elaine N. Aron in the 1990s.

Give a shoutout to John Paul Summers on unsplash

People who are considered HSPs (highly sensitive people) have some common traits:

1. Empathy and emotional sensitivity - they understand others deeper and better

2. Intuition - even in the form of dreams sometimes- they have very high the "6th sense"

3. Depth of emotional processing- better emotional understanding- deeper connections with others

4. Sensory sensitivity- overstimulation - as explained above- however also soothed by stimuli (auditory, visual, tactile and less often taste (see food/snacks) and smell)

It is not considered a personality disorder as it is a normal personality trait (one of the many that exist depending on the model we look at - such as the big five (OCEAN= Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism )).

People who are HPSs, may have heightened attention to detail (such as dust!) or arts. They appreciate Arts and music although this is not a sign of being an HSP. Usually they have a ritual to calm themselves down when overstimulated although some may manage to regulate it and just relax when the stimulus is not any more present. I think I have managed to do this thus far. 

Some of us need to learn boundaries, however. 

Do you know anyone with these traits? Would you probably be one ?