COULD YOU BE HYPER SENSITIVE?...

I begin this post by asking you this question…have you ever felt as though you were immensely different than everyone else?  I don’t mean unique, as we are all different in unique ways, but different in ways that make you wonder why no one person ever understands you?  Were you teased as a child?  Have you ever been called weird, strange or odd?  Do you frequently feel “scattered?”  I was recently, profoundly led to a therapist who actually “gets me,” which is such an odd concept to me because I have been misdiagnosed time and time again, and no one, with the possible exception of my son, has really ever understood me.  My entire social life has been a long, long blur of people moving in and out of my life, never ever understanding who I am and what I am about.  To be fair though, I am not sure that I really ever fully understood these concepts myself.  As long as I can remember, these are things people have said to me… “Why are you so sensitive?” “You need to get a thicker skin,” “You need to toughen up,” “Why do you take everything to heart?” “I have to be so careful of what I say around you,” “I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around you,” “You are way too sensitive.”   I have always been hypersensitive to medication, food, light, high-pitched sounds, repetitive noises, disorganization et al, but have never understood why these things didn’t apply to everyone else.

My purpose in blogging about this topic is this…I want you to know that if you have felt left out and out of place your entire life, and if people have always asked you the questions mentioned above or made those comments to you as long as you can remember, then you may have HSP (Hyper Sensitive Personality) and yes, there is so much you can do when you understand this concept and its coping skills.  HSP has been around for a very long time and (in my case) is something my therapist believes applies to me strongly as a byproduct of my ADHD.  I have recently learned however, that HSP can also apply to you even if you do not have ADHD.  The good news is this…there is hope!  There are coping skills and published research and so many other positive developments since its discovery, and once you find the healing path that will work for you, life as you know it will finally begin to make sense, especially in a social capacity.

One thing I wanted to do was to publish the following links for those who wish to explore the possibility that they may have HSP.  These books/articles have helped me immensely and it is my hope that they can help you as well:

The first person to extensively research and write about HSP, is Elaine Aron.  Start with this link to become acquainted with her research and to gain an understanding of HSP:  http://hsperson.com/

One of the largest obstacles for me to overcome has been that of falling in love and having a “healthy” relationship.  I italicized the word healthy because I have fallen in love a few times, but none of the relationships have ever lasted due to the fact that they are usually one-sided and never with people who are in my best interest.  This book, The Highly Sensitive Person in Love by Elaine Aron, was more than just eye-opener:  http://hsperson.com/books/the-highly-sensitive-person-in-love/

Wanting to self-test before seeking a professional for advice?  Click here for an amazingly accurate test:  http://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/

There is a really great article from Additude.com about discovering your hypersensitivity…I found this article extremely helpful:  https://www.additudemag.com/hypersensitivity-disorder-with-adhd/?src=test

And, if that weren’t enough, this piece offering 7 coping tips from highlysensitiveperson.net, offers some really great coping skills: 

http://highlysensitiveperson.net/coping-hsp-challenges/

Feeling “scattered” or “spacey” is how I used to describe myself before learning that I had ADHD.  Make sure you rule out ADHD in order to gain insight into the proper set of coping skills.

My sincere thanks and gratitude to the people who have so generously given of themselves in order to produce these amazing books and articles for us to discover in our time of need.  It is my sincerest wish that if you believe any of these things apply to you, that you will seek the help of a professional who can guide you toward, and provide you with, the coping skills that can literally change your life for the better.

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