Danger: High Sensitivity

Do you often feel guilty, even for things that others think are unimportant? Do you usually feel responsible for the things that happen around you and doubt if you have done your best?

It is possible that you are a more sensitive person than the rest, and that this makes you more prone to having feelings of guilt, but that does not have to be a negative aspect, you simply have to learn to cope.

The burden of guilt

In the 90s, the psychologists Elaine and Arthur Aron introduced the term “Highly Sensitive Person” (abbreviated as PAS) to describe a part of the population that seemed to have a more sensitive nervous system than the rest, that is, that the same stimulus arouses much more response in these people than in non-PAS.

This trait, in ancient times, had an adaptive function, since these people were capable of detecting signals that went unnoticed by others, had a greater capacity for vigilance and knew better how to ensure the well-being of their fellow humans.

How are sensitive people?

Often times, the abilities of these people have been considered a gift. However, the fact that only about 20% of the population share these characteristics makes them sometimes feel misunderstood and different from the rest.

1. They have great empathy

The most sensitive people are not only sensitive inside, but also have a greater capacity to capture and identify the emotions of others, which makes them highly empathetic people who quickly connect with the emotions of others.

In addition, they have a more accentuated intuition than the rest, which makes them anticipate things that are going to happen.

2. They feel the emotions with greater intensity

Their nervous system has lower thresholds towards stimuli, which means that while a person with medium sensitivity needs a stimulus of medium magnitude to elicit a response, a highly sensitive person is able to activate the same response with a much lower magnitude. .

Everything is lived with greater intensity, and this applies to both the good and the bad, so that they can be great friends since they will always listen and understand you, but in the face of negative events they also become much more concerned, and may end up falling apart. .

3. They enjoy solitude

As they are continually stimulated by their surroundings, they may sometimes feel overwhelmed. They have a greater propensity to emotional reactivity and overstimulation, so not only emotions, but also sounds, lights, affect them to a greater extent.

For this reason, they need to withdraw from the world from time to time and be in solitude, and have a preference for situations of more tranquility and calm.

Most tend to be rather introverted, which means that they are more internally activated, so they have less need to seek that stimulation from the outside.

4. They have more doubts

Decision-making implies being able to weigh the pros and cons regarding an issue, considering all the dimensions of the decision in order to make the most correct one. Highly sensitive people, however, will see a whole series of details and a range of subtleties in a much more complex way.

This decision process will be longer and more complicated. They will take much longer to decide on something thinking about what will be the most appropriate option. Also, even after taking it, they may still wonder if it was the best.

5. They are more detailed

Their ability to detect anything that pertains to their environment makes them extremely insightful. They easily notice small signs in social situations, as well as pay more attention to the physical details of, for example, a place, giving them more importance than other people.

They know that details are very important and they will be very perfectionists in what they do.

6. They tend to be polite and respectful

The fact that they feel things more intensely and have great empathy makes it easy for them to put themselves in the shoes of others and constantly think about how such a thing will feel to such a person.

This trait, added to their propensity to feel guilty when they are dissatisfied with something they have done, will make them be very careful and do not skimp on manners, making them enormously polite and respectful people. For this reason others will describe them as good people who can be trusted.

7. They combine great personal growth

Highly sensitive people will show interest in deep subjects about the human being, and they tend to feel great attraction for the arts, for reading, for music, for beauty. Everything that carries implicit emotions will arouse curiosity for these people, who will quickly feel connected.

In addition, the amount of time they spend in solitude and everything that the environment awakens in their interior, makes them great philosophers who will always look for a way to grow and improve internally.

8. They are great thinkers

Due to their characteristics, highly sensitive people enjoy a very rich inner world, full of emotions and thoughts. This makes them very creative and have a great capacity for abstract thinking.

Elaine Aron said that many of the great artists and thinkers of history had been highly sensitive people, who wondered and inquired about things that others simply assumed.

Therefore, if we feel guilty easily and we believe that we meet these characteristics, it is possible that we are more sensitive people than the average, and therefore the guilt is nothing more than the secondary effect of tuning in to a greater extent with the emotions of the the rest.

It is possible that high sensitivity makes us feel vulnerable many times, and it is that these characteristics also make us more prone to suffer from depression and anxiety, but it also gives us great skills that we can take advantage of a lot.

It is important to learn to protect yourself and see with positivity what are the qualities that make us unique.

Bibliographic references

• Aron, E. (1996). The gift of sensitivity. Barcelona: Obelisk.