Even today, sensitivity receives negative attributes, as I mentioned in my recent post: “Being sensitive does not mean being fragile”. We are still not spared from hearing expressions such as “You are too sensitive” or “Try to toughen up”, often followed by advice, null and void, which are supposed to help us to be a little better equipped to face life. As if we had disabling deficiencies…
This is a blatant attack on our personality that demonstrates that much of our society is conditioned into a harsh, self-centered and narrow pattern, completely detached from its human nature. It cannot therefore meet the needs of sensitive people who sometimes disturb them with their innate empathetic presence, because we reflect back to them their lack of sensitivity, vulnerability... humanity.
By definition, a highly sensitive person is someone who possesses a high degree of sensory sensitivity and emotional intelligence. This results in increased sensitivity to environmental stimuli (loud noises and odors, bright lights, irritating textiles), and therefore in cognitive processing of sensory data that is deeper than average.
Highly sensitive people are real emotional sponges, very receptive to the world around them, which is characterized by strong emotional reactivity. They may be different from the general population, of which they represent between 15 and 20%, but they are different in an essential, even crucial, way - to the functioning of society.
This might sound presumptuous, but highly sensitive people have unique characteristics that could make the world a better place if we praised them instead of denigrating them. As I often like to do, I will again take the analogy with yin and yang, the yin being sensitivity and the yang rationalism. For the world to be balanced and in harmony, we need both of these qualities.
So what does sensitivity offer to make the world a better place:
1. Sensitive and attentive to the environment
Highly sensitive people have very high sensory awareness as well as highly developed attention to detail. They are often the first to spot details that others simply do not observe. This can be crucial for detecting a threat and therefore avoiding potentially dangerous situations.
Because they can suffer or alter their well-being, hypersensitive people are aware that the environment can have a direct impact on their mood and their psychological and emotional balance. They immediately identify all the elements that can cause discomfort and therefore have the answers to be able to create a pleasant environment. Whether it's a light that's too bright, a poorly placed piece of furniture, an unreachable object or the volume of music that's too loud, they instinctively detect the slightest annoying condition in the environment.
If a person is always agitated as soon as they enter their office, it may be because they do not realize that they are out of their element, and that their environment is stressing them out and contributing to their physical and emotional discomfort. This could be because of the disorder in the room, the blinding location of their desk facing the window, a room fragrance that they can't stand, etc... A highly sensitive person, from the first glance, will realize what is happening and will immediately recognize what is disturbing the well-being of this person. They are perfectly aware that “details” can have a real impact.
Highly sensitive people are equipped with a radar capable of detecting the non-verbal language of others, their change of mood. They are capable of capturing tiny alterations in sound, color or light. They are also excessively sensitive to odors. This sensory sensitivity puts them in a constant state of vigilance which helps them to protect themselves against possible discomfort, to be attentive to the needs of others, but also to recognize dangers (such as fire, for example).
One of the benefits of environmental awareness is not only a better perception of the sensory world, but also a more subtle apprehension of how other people might react to their environment.
2. Creator and innovator
Highly sensitive people tend to be touched by art and beautiful things in general. A painting, a piece of music, a landscape or a particular light can move them beyond words. This exaltation of looking at beautiful things often allows them to free themselves from deep and buried emotions, from existential feelings.
This is why creativity is their place of escape where they can express themselves, manifest their deepest emotions, and channel their energy. They can use their ideas (the idea behind the work) while combining them with their sensory ideas (the look and feel of the work itself).
Many highly sensitive people are also visionaries and inventors. They have vivid imaginations with colorful images and rich sensory details.
Because they have higher brain activity, their minds can sometimes function as a snap mental map, also called arborescent thinking, that never stops growing unlike more linear thinking. Tree-like (arborescent) thinking means that when you think about something, you immediately begin to develop a wide variety of other thoughts, in multiple directions, sometimes at the same time. Because highly sensitive people are more likely to be right-brain dominant, this makes them more creative, intuitive, and curious. They are more open to possibilities, think more thoughtfully and innovatively than the majority of people, and are therefore better able to connect the dots or find the missing pieces.
3. Feelings of empathy and compassion
Empathy...empathy...what a precious human quality...that of feeling the emotions of others, that of having a higher degree of awareness. It’s also having this beautiful ability to harmonize with the people around you, in particular their moods, their micro-expressions and their behaviors, things that less sensitive people often lack. Very often, highly sensitive people, and particularly empaths, report feeling the emotions of another person as if they were their own.
Highly sensitive people are particularly open to others on a human level and always ready to extend their hand. They often gain the trust of others spontaneously and attract them easily.
Indifference is a feeling they don't know. They are simply sensitive to others. Their emotions, their moods and their general well-being affect them intimately.
Empathy plays an essential role in human nature that makes us social beings. Not only does it help us become more open, attentive and moral beings, but empathy is also important in helping us understand the intentions and actions of others. This helps us function as a unit in society.
Having the ability to share experiences with other beings while having insight into their thoughts is nothing short of magical. Empathy truly is a super power!
4. Highly developed intuition.
The great sensitivity of highly sensitive people allows them to perceive things, either which often escape the majority of people, or which could be considered as points of detail in the eyes of others. Because they are more in tune with their own nature and the subtle cues of their environment, they can easily sense what is happening beneath the surface. The strong intuition of highly sensitive people can transcend logic and left-brain reasoning more easily than the average person. This allows them to have solid knowledge of something, without realizing how they received that idea.
As a result, they often develop, over the course of their experiences, an internal matrix which allows them to instinctively combine their different perceptions (sensations, emotions, interpretations). Unconsciously, this leads them, very quickly, to correct conclusions about daily events, long before they have been proven or brought to light.
Because they are connected to the personal and collective unconscious, this gives them access to information that comes neither from logic nor reason. They are therefore able to very easily predict the development and evolution of situations, because they have a considerable amount of information, conscious and unconscious.
5. Great interpersonal sensitivity
Highly sensitive people often have a high ability to feel and understand the emotions of others. Their emotional sensitivity makes them more receptive to subtle cues, emotional nuances, and mood changes. This great sensitivity allows them to detect the emotional needs of others and respond with compassion.
Because they feel things on a deep level, highly sensitive people generally seek meaningful connections. Their high levels of depth, empathy and emotional intelligence make them excellent friends, colleagues and partners, for those who can relate to and understand their emotional nature. Their deep self-awareness, combined with an understanding of what emotionally motivates others, helps create powerful, lasting relationships.
When you have a friend, colleague or partner who is highly sensitive, you may feel deeply understood and supported. Their ability to connect with your emotions can create a safe space where you feel heard and accepted without judgment. They can sense your unexpressed emotions and offer you the support you need, without you having to explicitly ask.
6. Attention to detail and subtleties, second nature
A skill that comes naturally to an HSP is attention to detail, it’s second nature. Their sensitivity to the environment cannot be matched. They are detail-oriented, meticulous people, able to notice the smallest anomaly, and detect subtleties that others might miss.
They are always in tune with their environment, from objects to people, from colors to lights. They are able to detect a barely perceptible smile that could indicate contentment, or a frown that could indicate anger. Their senses are sharpened to everything that occupies their world and they rarely overlook the smallest detail. Because their senses are amplified, they notice everything.
In the same sense that they can easily spot changes in their environment, they can also identify errors or mistakes. These skills can be beneficial in most aspects of life, and are particularly useful in careers in which attention to detail is a sought-after trait.
7. Great awareness of themselves and their surroundings
Highly sensitive people are very introspective and think about the consequences of their actions, but also those of others. Because of their empathy, they are very concerned for the good of others, but also have a strong sense of justice and fairness. It can even reach heights and become a very personal battle. They are willing to take strong stands for what they are truly passionate about, and to champion certain causes that are particularly close to their hearts. Despite their aversion to conflict, they can demonstrate bold courage in speaking out against injustice. For them, it's not just one problem among many... like a political problem. No, this becomes a personal problem, one that is so important to them that they simply cannot ignore.
This sense of justice and fairness makes them more aware of the suffering and injustices in the world. This makes them more considerate of others, and they generally strive to do what they think is right in every situation. For them, the personal and cultural values of others are extremely important, and must be respected. And since they also have a low tolerance for the pain of others, this leads them to a strong desire for justice in society.
(Not sure if you're highly sensitive? Here are the signs of a highly sensitive person. You can also take the test here or below)
8. Messengers of peace and healers
One of the traits of highly sensitive people is their aversion to conflict and any form of violence. They will always do everything to avoid them, smooth out tense situations and try to be facilitators of peace.
Thanks to their empathy, insight and depth of information processing, they can better relate to others and understand their point of view, and their possible disagreements or resentments.
This makes them excellent mediators, diplomats, or lawyers if they choose to be active peacemakers or defenders of justice.
Highly sensitive people, who also have the ability to “read” others, can more easily understand existing tensions between two people, and intervene to calm the latent conflict before it takes on proportions and a negative turn. Their empathetic, attentive and compassionate presence alone can soothe others, sometimes before they are even aware of an underlying tension.
9. Wise interlocutors, confidants and guides.
For highly sensitive people, the world has colors, smells, emotions and meaning that others do not perceive or on a smaller scale. The big problem with highly sensitive people is assuming that everyone sees the world the way they do, but of course, that is not the case.
Their deep thinking, their processing of information - which is never linear, and their incessant questioning on the big questions of life, make them considered wise and profound people. Their ability to notice things that others do not notice, and to make connections between seemingly unrelated areas, qualifies them as insightful and wise. This is why people often call on them to help and guide them when they are looking for answers, advice, or simply to be listened to and heard.
In a society where so many people feel lost and disconnected from themselves, highly sensitive people have a major role, without often realizing it themselves. Quite often, their families, their friends, their colleagues or even strangers turn to them when they want to confide, because they feel seen, heard and understood in a way that they do not often find with others.
I truly believe that there are countless ways in which the gifts of highly sensitive people are a gift to the world. So shine bright, sensitive friends!
The next time someone throws in your face that you're "too sensitive," remember the many gifts your personality trait can bring to the world.
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