10 Signs You’re A Highly Sensitive Person

1. You’re used to hearing “don’t take things so personally”.

1.1. Highly sensitive people tend to react more strongly to situations, both good and bad.

1.2. You possess a keen ability to sense others’ feelings, needs, insecurities, etc.

1.3. Your emotional intelligence makes you a master at problem-solving, conflict resolution, and inspiring others to action.

2. Receiving feedback is your worst nightmare.

2.1. HSPs react more strongly to criticism than non-HSPs.

2.2. They may go out of their way to avoid being criticized, such as by working extra-hard and sacrificing to their own detriment in order to please others.

3. You live inside your head.

3.1. HSPs are often highly imaginative, creative people who have vibrant inner lives.

3.2. Their high levels of empathy can lead them to imagine the feelings and thoughts of others.

3.3. This can help them find creative solutions to problems

3.4. It can also lead to anxiety if what you’re imagining tends toward the negative.

4. Decisions are stress-inducing.

4.1. They often struggle to make decisions out of fear of choosing the “wrong” option even if the stakes are low

4.2. All choices — even small ones — carry immense weight.

4.3. Putting routines around decisions, such as knowing if your energy is highest in the morning or evening, can help you become less fearful about decision making

5. You’re a stickler for details.

5.1. HSPs are extremely perceptive. They pick up on the specifics of situations and notice the tiniest changes

5.2. This detail-orientation is a highly positive trait in many scenarios

5.3. You’re highly attuned to others’ likes, dislikes, and preferences, and that can win you friends and allies right off the bat.

5.4. Your meticulousness can also drive you crazy if you don’t manage it carefully.

5.5. Remember, sometimes done is better than perfect.

6. You exude kindness.

6.1. You’re often complimented on your politeness, courtesy, and clear understanding of what’s right and what’s wrong

6.2. You’re the champion of integrity and upholding your word at the office and in your friend group.

6.3. These traits are important to creating relational harmony and engendering likability and trust

6.4. HSPs are often peeved by rudeness or errors, further compounding feelings of isolation and feeling different.

7. You’re a problem solver.

7.1. Attention to detail, commitment to perfecting projects, and dedication to hard work make HSPs great team members.

7.2. You’re an expert at sitting down and banging out a high-quality project

7.3. You may struggle to get on board with ideas pitched by the pie-in-the-sky, visionaries at your company.

7.4. HSPs are able to sense conflict and help mitigate it before it becomes a problem, and they can help keep the group on track.

7.5. However, due to their difficulty with decision-making, highly sensitive people aren’t great at making the final say.

8. Tiny annoyances grind your gears.

8.1. Highly sensitive people feel noise, chaos, and other external stimuli profoundly

9. You go through tissues like it’s your job.

9.1. HSPs become overwhelmed more easily than others, and that often manifests itself in tears.

10. You’d rather go for a run than play on a volleyball team.

10.1. HSPs tend to prefer solo activities because they hate feeling closely observed.

10.2. They often prefer work environments where they can control the external stimuli

10.3. They might be partial to working from home as opposed to an office with an open layout.

10.4. HSPs have the rare strength of being able to be alone without being lonely

10.5. They are more productive and satisfied by intrinsic factors, rather than external ones