Highly Sensitive People

[MuseumofInnocence]

I've come across people coming across "Highly Sensitive People", and I understand there was a book written about this by Elaine Aron. However, my skeptical side makes me wonder if it's the kind of thing that is often self-diagnosed, and seems to me a way of saying "I'm special".

Does anyone have experience with it and people who claim it?

I don’t need to waste my time reading 200 pages of a contrived book just to tell me what kind of personality I have.

There you are then, you don't actually have any evidence for your assertions one way or the other. I'm not a particular fan of the book, by the way. Just of knowing what you're talking about before you start.

Just of knowing what you're talking about before you start.

The bases of all self help books are the same. Like horoscopes and personality quizzes, they are written to seem like it ‘fits’ you. I’m not going to read every single book of this kind just to ‘prove I’m right’.

But I read the highly s nsitive child and couldn’t relate personally but could see one of my children in the description. My hsc would rather go for a walk in a forest than spend a day at a theme park, I don’t think that is something that is common of most children.

I scored 24 on the test. I was called highly strung, thin skinned, had an over active imagination as a child. I couldn't go in the butcher or Kwiksave due to the smell.

In a room where two people are trying to hide that they have fallen out, I can hardly bear to stay there. DH wouldn't even notice. Other people may notice, but shrug it off. I feel sick and edgy.

Noise bothers me. I need a huge amount of sleep- everyday life is exhausting.

I also had a mother who was extremely volatile, so judging her mood was a crucial survival skill.

I think people become HSP for all sorts of reasons- a genetic tendency, the way they were brought up, trauma...

It doesn't really matter. It's a descriptor that helps people function better when they might otherwise beat themselves up for their lack of stamina, resilience, weirdness, general 'not fitting in' ness.

My hsc would rather go for a walk in a forest than spend a day at a theme park, I don’t think that is something that is common of most children.

Bit of a sweeping generalisation there. Of me and my siblings when we were children, a theme park wouldn't have been my first choice of activity, and I might have been bored, or might have enjoyed it, once there. One sibling would have actively wanted to go and loved it, the other would have hated it. Three children, three different tastes and interests.

I’m one and l really wish l wasn’t. It pisses me off no end.

I’m allergic to everything, feel the cold intensely, get overwhelmed in noisy or bright places. I hate 2 people taking to me at once, it really unsettles me. Dark lighting makes me feel really depressed, and l can pick up on any atmosphere straight away. I have certain colours which l just cannot stand.

I wish l was not like ghus😩

Well how sensitive people are varies. Some people are better at regulating their emotions and some are hyper sensitive to various sensory input. The list posted earlier could apply to virtually anyone though. Being startled when someone sneaks up on you or you hear an unexpected loud noise is a perfectly normal reflex reaction, disliking conflict is also normal for most people as is being upset by horrible things like animal abuse, finding scratchy fabrics irritating, being able to guess the mood of someone by their actions and facial expeession, feeling stress when under pressure, being curious etc. I think that you could probably include ‘thinks they are something special’ in the list for people who describe themselves in this way tbh.

I scored 23 on the test, and the hsp description does fit me very well. However I can’t imagine ever publicly describing myself as a ‘highly sensitive person’ - it sounds so wanky.