Highly Sensitive Person
Three times, by three separate people in as many weeks have told me that I am "highly sensitive". They each used those words exactly, and had I not had some context I might have been offended. Sensitivity is not exactly a trait that is highly valued in our society. One individual encouraged me to look up the term "HSP", or Highly Sensitive Person, to see if I identified with her assessment.
Holy cannoli.
These external assessments came on the heels of, just a week prior, having listened to an episode of Alanis Morisette's podcast "Conversations With Alanis Morissette" in which she interviewed Dr. Elaine Aron. Now, I have enjoyed every episode of this podcast so far, but the coincidence for this was uncanny. Or perhaps it was simply a case of Once You Encounter Something, It's Suddenly Everywhere. Regardless, it was enough to make me skip out and immediately buy Aron's book, The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You.
Dr. Aron began researching high sensitivity (a.k.a. Sensory-Processing Sensitivity/SPS) in the early nineties. At her website she offers a self-test with 27 statements, and I identify with all but maybe one (or on a different day, maybe two halves).
Apparently this is a trait that directly affects approximately 20% of the population, and by her definition, the HSP is more easily overwhelmed when in stimulating environments compared to the 80% without it. We apparently process everything around us much more, and when this processing is not fully conscious, it presents as intuition.
This all resonated with me, powerfully, and I have been so grateful to use this classification to help internally de-stigmatize my previously labelled introversion, timidness, or inhibition. The book helped me to re-frame how I view myself to see things in a much more positive light.
Aron writes, "There is now a simple, comprehensive description of the trait, “DOES,” that expresses its facets nicely.
D is for depth of processing. Our fundamental characteristic is that we observe and reflect before we act. We process everything more, whether we are conscious of it or not.
O is for being easily overstimulated, because if you are going to pay more attention to everything, you are bound to tire sooner.
E is for giving emphasis to our emotional reactions and having strong empathy, which among other things helps us notice and learn.
S is for being sensitive to all the subtleties around us."
Holy cannoli.
These external assessments came on the heels of, just a week prior, having listened to an episode of Alanis Morisette's podcast "Conversations With Alanis Morissette" in which she interviewed Dr. Elaine Aron. Now, I have enjoyed every episode of this podcast so far, but the coincidence for this was uncanny. Or perhaps it was simply a case of Once You Encounter Something, It's Suddenly Everywhere. Regardless, it was enough to make me skip out and immediately buy Aron's book, The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You.
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| Downtown YYT in January (winter overwhelms me) |
Dr. Aron began researching high sensitivity (a.k.a. Sensory-Processing Sensitivity/SPS) in the early nineties. At her website she offers a self-test with 27 statements, and I identify with all but maybe one (or on a different day, maybe two halves).
Apparently this is a trait that directly affects approximately 20% of the population, and by her definition, the HSP is more easily overwhelmed when in stimulating environments compared to the 80% without it. We apparently process everything around us much more, and when this processing is not fully conscious, it presents as intuition.
This all resonated with me, powerfully, and I have been so grateful to use this classification to help internally de-stigmatize my previously labelled introversion, timidness, or inhibition. The book helped me to re-frame how I view myself to see things in a much more positive light.
 |
| More YYT from Signal Hill |
Aron writes, "There is now a simple, comprehensive description of the trait, “DOES,” that expresses its facets nicely.
D is for depth of processing. Our fundamental characteristic is that we observe and reflect before we act. We process everything more, whether we are conscious of it or not.
O is for being easily overstimulated, because if you are going to pay more attention to everything, you are bound to tire sooner.
E is for giving emphasis to our emotional reactions and having strong empathy, which among other things helps us notice and learn.
S is for being sensitive to all the subtleties around us."
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