Am I an HSP? 10 Signs of High Sensitivity | Seattle, WA
If you were to ask me 20 years ago if I were an HSP, I not only would have said no, I would probably also have been pretty offended.
Our culture and family of origin can have a big impact on how we see ourselves. I grew up in the 80s and 90s with plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle negative messaging about being emotionally sensitive from the larger culture. I also grew up with a feminist, pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps mother who frequently conveyed that emotional sensitivity was certainly not a good thing, maybe even dangerous. Being an HSP, I was very good at picking up all of these signals in my environment and adjusting to what I needed to be in order to earn acceptance and belonging, especially from mom.
This created a considerable amount of internal conflict and extra suffering for me. I identified as tough, but inside wondered what was wrong with me that my internal experience was so different from others. Why was I more afraid of certain things and why did anxiety seem to creep up out of the blue? I spent so much time being ashamed of and trying to hide these parts of myself that it didn’t leave room for me to develop and explore who I was authentically.
It wasn’t until my 30s that I discovered Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) and started to open up to the possibility that it might be a part of my experience. And something strange started to happen.
I started to cry much more often—not just at things that were sad, but also by things that moved me. I accessed both new highs and new lows. Where I was not interested in much before, I suddenly became intensely interested in many different things. Where I did mediocre in school, I discovered that I was actually quite good at it when I went back later in life. It was like the flood gates opened and I suddenly had access to different parts of my personality that were previously lying dormant.
The me before this time would be mostly skeptical and ashamed about identifying as an HSP, but at a certain point, I could no longer deny it. The more I adjusted to this aspect of myself, the more I fell in love with it.
I mention this to highlight that not everyone’s experience with HSP discovery is straight-forward. You may take the HSP test or read some of the characteristics of SPS and feel on the fence if they apply to you: “Well, some things could fit, but only in certain contexts, and on the other hand, I have evidence of this other thing, so maybe that’s not quite right. What if I decide this is true about me and I’m wrong? Does that make me a fraud?”
Does this song and dance sound familiar? Your deep, careful, and thorough analysis of different contexts applied to this question is itself a sign of possibly being an HSP!
Here are 10 more signs of being an HSP:
Being labeled shy or quiet as a child. Did you tend to hang back and not initiate conversation? Did you feel unsure of what to say or feel awkward or anxious around other people? Was it hard to do things like call a business to make an appointment or talk to a store clerk to find something?
Being more hesitant, reluctant, or scared to jump into things that you aren’t familiar with. I remember as a kid being very reluctant to roller blade or bike down big hills—I wasn’t confident that I could work the brakes in order to slow down and not seriously hurt myself. Do you have a tendency to be risk-adverse because you can see all of the nuances of the potential negative outcomes? Do you prefer to sit back and observe or collect a lot of information before you give something a shot?
One thing to note here is that some HSPs are sensation seeking, meaning they actually prefer to move towards stimulating activities. Musician Alanis Morissette identifies as an HSP and describes herself as a black stallion on the outside and a shaky poodle on the inside. If that’s you, don’t immediately write yourself off as an HSP. It’s possible that like Alanis, you may be more of an extroverted HSP.
Having an advanced sense of intuition or “just knowing”. Do you ever get frustrated because you can sense the answer to something with certainty, but aren’t able to explain why? If someone were to ask you, you might shrug and say, “I just know.”
An HSPs ability to process information in their environment at a greater depth than the average person makes them superstars at implicit, or experiential learning. Take doctors, for example. In medical school they do tons of explicit learning—reading and memorizing information from medical texts. They also practice implicit learning through hands-on experience. An experienced doctor will not need to rely on their textbook learning when presented with a common set of symptoms. They will just know from experience. If the doctor is an HSP, they will be extra good at this!
Having a strong sense of justice or right and wrong. Are you more attuned to and have deep compassion around issues of social justice, environment, or animals? Maybe you remember feeling deep compassion and wanting to stick up for someone getting bullied. Or maybe it breaks your heart to learn about the endangerment of certain species due to global warming (let alone global warming itself).
Changing jobs frequently. Oftentimes the considerable abilities and talents of HSPs help them do really well in work and advance higher positions within their company. But if they haven’t taken their sensory sensitivities or need for meaning into account, this could be a recipe for burnout. Some HSPs are also multipotentiates who have many different interests and have a hard time staying at a job after they’ve lost interest in it. If you’ve had a hard time finding the right job fit, it might be a sign of being an HSP.
Having physical sensitivities. Do you tend to startle easily? Or tend to have more allergies? How about greater sensitivity to pain, stimulants like caffeine, or certain medications? Not all HSPs experience these sensitivities, but if you do, it could be a sign that you’re an HSP.
Doing poorly under pressure. HSPs tend to be easily overstimulated. The more overstimulated you are, the more activated your nervous system becomes, and overactivation leads to poorer performance for anyone. Remember back to taking tests or quizzes in school. You may remember knowing the material front and back, but not performing as well as you knew you could due to the pressure.
Being gifted, artistic, or passionate about the arts. Many HSPs are moved by beauty and are drawn towards artistic expression of all kinds (music, theater, painting, etc.). SPS has also been linked to giftedness where many people who identify or have been tested as gifted also identify as being highly sensitive.
Having a hard time with change. Have you had what seemed like a harder time than others adjusting to changes in your life (even if positive) such as moving, changing jobs, or even changing up daily routines? As an HSP, you might remember feeling particularly unmoored during these times, taking a bit longer to adjust and adapt to new changes.
Loving nature, or finding it especially healing or calming. Many HSPs love being in nature or feel they have a special connection to a certain element. For example, one may feel very connected to water and especially enjoy spending time near the ocean while another may really appreciate earth and working in their garden. Many HSPs I’ve worked with have developed imaginal “calm spaces” in a natural setting that they can return to whenever they like to feel more centered.
If you’re still feeling unsure or want to talk through some of these things with someone, therapy is a great place to do that and I’d love to guide you through your own self discovery. I’m a quick consult away to answer all of your questions about therapy for highly sensitive adults.
