What type of HSP are you?

The more I've worked with and got to know highly sensitive people the more I understand that no two HSPs are the same.

Our sensitivities are unique to each of us in that we are more sensitive to certain things than others. What is it for you? Textures, Tastes, Smells, Sounds, Sights, The Emotions and Plights of Others, Ideas, Foods, Chemicals, Moods, Art?

Whatever it is (or they are), when you become deeply aware you can begin to bring it to the world as a gift rather than feeling like it's some kind of curse.

In this episode I want to think about the different types of sensitivities we can have towards subtleties around us. I talk about how we can begin to understand our own unique sensitivities by listening to feedback we get. Then how we can actively notice the world in ways natural to us. And also how those things that deeply affect us can often be both gifts and curses depending on which side of the coin we look.

Basic Sensitivities

Sensitivity is how responsive our nervous system is to certain stimuli. It's not something we can turn off, it's our natural reaction to the world when our bodies and minds are left to their own devices. Every person on the planet is sensitive in this respect. We all respond to stimuli.

For Highly Sensitive People, those with high processing sensitivity this just happens more deeply and more acutely. It has been shown to be a part of the human evolutionary history. A trait very helpful in spotting dangers early enough to avoid the harm that could come from them.

I like to return to the very basics of what it means to be a highly sensitive person from time to time. It's a trait that transcends emotion and psychology. It's a hard wired state of being that predisposes us to be more sensitive to certain subtleties in our environment.

In the episode I spend a bit of time re-emphasising the difference between highly sensitive people and highly offend-able people. Too often this line is blurred in our conversations about high processing sensitivity.