Are You a Highly Sensitive Person?

What to do if the world overwhelms you

i was fortunate enough to grow up with a lot of privileges. One of these was having the ability to walk to and from school. My route took me through a creek and across some woods. Coming back from school, I would often linger over a clump of bushes, or a particularly interesting area of the creek bed, where I would pull out my book and read.

These sojourns in nature had a regenerative effect on me. I didn’t fully understand why I needed this time to recharge after a full day at school. My older sister, for example, seemed to do just fine with traveling wherever she wanted, having a ton of friends. I was, by nature, more solitary. I did have a few friends but my main companion was nature-the feel of sunlight on my face. The peace of the running water. The fellowship of the trees. I did read in these spaces, but most often, I sat and just thought.

It wasn’t until years later that I understood the reason for all this. I picked up a book called The Highly Sensitive Person, by Dr. Elaine Aron. I think I was particularly drawn to the subtitle: “How to thrive when the world overwhelms you.“ the book contained Dr Aron’s research on highly sensitive people- individuals who are deeply affected by the news, sensory stimulation, and the feelings of others- often to the extent that they are not aware of how they feel about anything, because they just feel everyone else’s feelings. (This was the case for me).

Dr Aron says that HSPs (the acronym used) come in all races and genders, and typically 1 out of every 20 people is this way. These days, the term “empath” is commonly used online, yet I find myself disliking this term, because it seems just too wimpy (but that’s just me- personally I trust Dr. Aron’s work, because it’s based on science and years of clinical research).

Highly Sensitive People have great power. They have the ability to cut through BS and focus on what matters. Although Dr Aron uses the analogy of the “priestly advisor” to monarchy that you find throughout history, I’m starting to think that I would like to see a world run by HSPS, because then it would be more peaceful, calm, and run with much more integrity.

Common traits of Hsps include high creativity, empathy, and deep thought. Ive personally never been a fan of small talk- I’d rather ask “How’s your soul?” Than a simple “how are you?” It’s natural to assume that HSPs are all introverted, but that’s actually not true-Highly sensitive extroverts do exist! Such people tend to have a keen sense of injustice, and are not afraid to speak their mind. (Although I’m personally an introvert, the level of craziness has gotten so extreme that I’m speaking out anyway, through my art)

The main challenge that HSPs have though, is how to deal with overwhelm and exhaustion. Journaling, being creative, and spending time in nature are all recommended on a daily basis. I’ve also found that unplugging on a regular basis is essential-there is a lot of fear, vitriol, and hatred being thrown around online. . If you’re highly sensitive, you are going to be especially affected by this.

All of these things have rather patronizingly been labeled “self care” online, but they’re not just that. They are ways to keep yourself in balance, so you can bring balance to the world. This is essential in an age of fear, and noisiness and overwhelm.

Another way to gain peace of mind is by meditating. It’s a huge misconception that meditation has to be sitting down. It’s actually more beneficial in a way to meditate while walking, lying down, or for me, through painting. I actually have a YouTube channel where I’ve been uploading 5 minute meditations, which I will leave you with: