Learning to Thrive as a Highly
Sensitive Soul - Do you
often feel overwhelmed by your
environment or the people around
you? Has anyone ever called you
shy, or worse, too sensitive? Do
you care deeply about
EVERYTHING? You may be a Highly
Sensitive Soul, a person of deep
empathy and high intensity, with
powerful intuition, awareness,
and intelligence..
Being Highly Sensitive, you have
a uniquely perceptive sensory
system. You are therefore more
sensitive to emotions, energy,
environmental conditions such as
lighting or sound, other people,
excitement, and stress. As a
result of constant stimuli, you
may feel easily overwhelmed or
unable to cope. Things can be
particularly confusing when
others seem unperturbed by the
same experiences..
For example, your friends might
be able to shop all day, go out
to dinner, and then head to a
loud party. For you, that would
be unbearable..
Research psychologist Dr. Elaine
Aron, author of The Highly
Sensitive Person, has studied
high sensitivity extensively.
Her research shows that being
sensitive is a personality
temperament or trait, one
usually inherited. According to
Dr. Aron, up to 20% of the
population is Highly Sensitive..
How To Tell If You Are
Highly Sensitive - Being
Highly Sensitive comes with a
number of gifts, as well as
challenges. See if any of these
Highly Sensitive qualities
resonate strongly with you..
1. You are deeply affected by
all aspects of your life. As a
Sensitive Soul, you have great
emotional passion, intensity,
and depth. You may have been
told that your emotions are “too
much.” You are sensitive,
caring, and easily affected by
the energy and emotions of
others. These qualities make it
easy to lose touch with your
needs and desires..
2. You have heightened
perceptive skills. A Sensitive
Soul is intuitive, highly aware,
and keenly observant of the
subtleties of your environment,
including energy, light, noise,
smell, texture, and temperature.
You may also be empathic or even
psychic. Your perceptive skills
operate in the physical,
intellectual, emotional, and
spiritual realms. You tie
together things you see into
complex and original concepts.
This makes you a visionary..
3. You have a lower tolerance
for stimulation than others.
Because you receive so much
information from your
surroundings, your threshold for
what's "too much" is
significantly lower than for
those around you. This means: a)
You may be seen as shy or timid;
and b) You may feel
uncomfortably dissimilar to
others because you respond so
differently to stimulation..
4. You are highly conscientious
and thorough in all your
undertakings. A Sensitive Soul
makes a great employee. You
concentrate intensely and
process multi-source
information. However, you
require privacy, uninterrupted
time, and little or no pressure
in order to do your best work..
5. You have a strong
relationship with aesthetics and
art. As a Highly Sensitive Soul,
you have a passion for beauty,
art, and aesthetics. You may be
highly artistic and creative
yourself. You easily create
beauty and comfort. Seeing
things 'out of alignment' can
actually be physically or
psychically distressing..
6. Your inner life is just as
intriguing and inspiring as your
outer life. You likely have a
rich, complex inner life and are
highly imaginative. You may find
it challenging to connect to
'real world' priorities and
realities..
7. You absolutely require
private time alone in order to
feel replenished. Up to 70% of
Highly Sensitive Souls are
introverted. But even
extroverted sensitives need
downtime to rejuvenate, often in
a darkened, quiet room..
8. You have a strong spiritual
connection and depth. If you are
Highly Sensitive, you experience
a profound spiritual connection
with the divine and/or spiritual
realm. You 'see' a lot in what
appears common. Because of this
you may feel impatient with the
truly mundane..
Challenges -
Learning to thrive as a Highly
Sensitive Soul presents
challenges. If you're sensitive,
you have likely accumulated
years of training in trying
overcome the trait because you
don't 'fit in' with society. And
yet being Highly Sensitive is a
vital part of you..
A first step toward thriving as
a Sensitive Soul is to
understand and accept your
trait. Hear this now: There is
absolutely nothing wrong with
you. You are just different. As
one of my clients says, being
Highly Sensitive is both a gift
and a responsibility..
Sensitive Souls require regular
self-care, meaningful work, and
supportive relationships.
Working with a sensitive coach
or therapist who helps you tune
into your own magnificent inner
guidance system 'your
sensitivity' is a powerful means
of support..
Additionally, there are books,
Web sites, Web-based
communities, and teleconference
gatherings on the subject.
Connecting with like-minded
souls is often deeply healing
for sensitive persons..
As you begin to manage your life
in a way that truly works for
you, you will trust the power
and gift of your sensitivity,
and be inspired to share your
much-needed wisdom with the
world..