Who are Highly Sensitive People?

 

Do you know every 2 out of 10 people are identified as highly sensitive? So who are highly sensitive people? Is it same as being an introvert? No high sensitivity is different than introvert characteristics says Counsellor Shivani Misri Sadhoo. 

According to a recent study, almost 15-20% of world population has been identified as highly sensitive. According to psychological studies, a highly sensitive person is identified as hypersensitive to a variety of stimuli – pain, fear, unpleasantness etc.

In other words, highly sensitive people experience things more intensely. Their strong emotions are easier to identify than the average person. This also helps them to communicate effectively because they don’t just hear the words coming out of other people’s mouths, but they also catch on to subtleties in gesture and the tone.

However, there is a negative side of high sensitivity too if strong emotions are left unchecked, they can have disastrous consequences. Highly sensitive people can use emotional intelligence to their benefit only when they understand that they are highly sensitive. This awareness ensures they reap the benefits of their heightened emotional awareness while spotting and defeating their negative tendencies.

So how would you know if you or your loved one is a highly sensitive person? Relationship expert and Marriage Counsellor Shivani Misri Sadhoo shares certain psychological & emotional traits of highly sensitive people:-

Dislikes loud noises

Highly sensitive people feel uncomfortable and irritated when they are in noisy places; they really dislike bad and loud sound. Such people usually use headphones while working in an office and keep listening mild classical music that they may find important to protect themselves from office noises and to concentrate on their work. They may not prefer sitting in office or educational institute’s canteen when it’s packed with people.

Good at noticing people

Highly sensitive people have a deep sense of empathy, noticing other’s emotional and mood and that makes them good friends because they’re the ones making sure everybody else is comfortable.

Excellent partners

Highly sensitive people generally are great romantic partners because they are so driven by their emotions that they don't take any relationship or feelings about it – lightly. On the same time, they also get restless easily in relationships that lack meaningful interactions because their emotions need validation.

They find multi-tasking challenging

When faced with five different tasks to do in a day, highly sensitive people may face trouble prioritizing the tasks and find it difficult to concentrate on what needs to be done right now.  They become overwhelmed and half of their mental energy goes towards worrying ‘I’m not going to get this done.’ It breaks their concentration and their focus and at times prolongs the entire process.”