10 More Signs You Might Be Highly Sensitive
As you begin to discover more about what characteristics a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has such as “depth of processing” or “emotional responsiveness”, you may be wondering how that translates into your everyday experience. Before I started diving into the books, lectures, and research of Dr. Elaine Aron, I had never heard any of these terms either and wouldn’t have been able to identify them in the real world.
After spending time with hundreds of HSPs from around the world and connecting with even more online, I’m starting to see how our trait shows up in real life. As a result of this experience, I’ve been having fun compiling a list of possible clues to being Highly Sensitive.
If you’re wondering if you’re also a Highly Sensitive Person or how to know what that even looks like, see if any of these 10 common HSP experiences below resonate for you.
#1 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You fumble something you've done a million times, just because someone is watching you.
Most Highly Sensitive People will tell you it’s incredibly difficult to be watched. You start to feel jittery or forget what you were going to say. Being observed can be very overstimulating, creating feelings of anxiety and worries about what will happen if you get it wrong.
#2 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if...
You cry during sad or sentimental commercials with dogs in them.
Highly Sensitive People quickly and easily sense the emotions around them whether it be with another person, a character in a movie, an animal, or even a few seconds of a commercial. HSPs also tend to connect with and care deeply for animals.
#3 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You’ve ever left a job and they needed more than one person to replace you.
Highly Sensitive People are often very conscientious, dedicated, and invested in their work. You may find yourself caring too much at times, staying late to get the job done well, coming up with creative solutions, or catching things that need done that others miss. Your unique set of skills and heightened awareness makes it hard for employers to replace everything you do with just one person.
#4 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You get vicarious embarrassment for characters in movies.
Highly Sensitive People are highly perceptive and can easily pick up on the emotional experiences of those around them, including on the screen. This characteristic is often helpful when creating connections and offering support, but can sometimes feel like too much, especially when you just want to relax with a show or movie!
#5 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You need to cut the tags out of your clothing because they're too itchy, irritable, or just distracting.
Highly Sensitive People are more aware of subtleties and the sensation of the tag against your skin can be hard to ignore! You may also have the same irritation with the seams on socks.
#6 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You ever feel bad for your washing machine, dishwasher, or any other appliances when you make them do more than one cycle in a row.
Highly Sensitive People have high levels of empathy for humans, animals, and sometimes their favorite household objects! You can easily put yourself in their shoes and understand what it feels like to be overworked.
#7 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You take a long time to make decisions because you want to get it right the first time.
Highly Sensitive People are wired to pause and reflect before making decisions. You would probably rather take your time and make a well thought out decision rather than being rushed.
Another layer to this is that you can feel the effects of your decisions more deeply and may have had difficult consequences to being pressured into making decisions in the past - making the wrong decision, going against your instincts, not having time to review all the information, etc. Give yourself permission to take your time, listen to your intuition, and go at your own pace when making decisions. It’s your strength!
#8 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
People would describe you as calm but it's the last word you would use to describe yourself.
Being so aware of the details around you, feeling everything more deeply, and being wired to process everything you notice produces a very rich and busy internal world. Even when you look calm and relaxed on the outside, there’s actually a storm of thoughts and emotions happening underneath the surface.
#9 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You like to buy lots of new books, but prefer the comfort of re-reading your old favorites instead.
Highly Sensitive People often find comfort in the predictable, love to deep dive into a story where they can connect with the characters, and may feel overstimulated when taking in too much new information. Especially during times of stress or overwhelm, you may notice yourself having little capacity for new books, shows, restaurants, and so on.
#10 You Might Be Highly Sensitive if…
You re-read your emails after sending them to get the point of view of the recipient.
I never attributed this to being Highly Sensitive until I started hearing so many of my HSP friends and colleagues share that they also go back to an email after hitting send. For me, it’s part of processing what I wrote and anticipating how it may be received.
Discover More about Being a Highly Sensitive Person
For more information about the Highly Sensitive trait, visit my “Am I Highly Sensitive?” resource page. There you’ll find an explanation on the four core characteristics of the trait, common misperceptions, and facts to help you understand more about being born as a Highly Sensitive Person.
