Are You A Highly Sensitive Person? 14 Ways to Tell

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BONUS FREEBIE:?Get free access to Chapter One of my best-selling book,?Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, by clicking here.

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As a highly sensitive person, you think and feel everything more deeply. Take this common workplace situation, for example.

An email comes in from the boss, providing a few tweaks to a presentation you have spent all week working on. Logically, you know that most of the feedback is no big deal, yet you still feel like a failure. You click away from your inbox and back to the project you're working on, but you can't concentrate. Your body feels shaky and unsettled.

Even though there’s loads of evidence that proves you’re a smart, effective professional, the terrible feeling of imposter syndrome lingers. It takes three full hours to regain your composure.

Sound familiar?

If so, then you may be one of the 20 percent of people who fall into the category of being a highly sensitive person (HSP).

Highly Sensitive Person Characteristics

Biologically speaking, highly sensitive people pick up on more stimuli within and around them. According to research by Elaine Aron, the researcher who originally discovered the trait, HSPs inherited a special set of genes that leads to having a more highly attuned nervous system.

That means HSPs notice more details and process information more thoroughly than others. Studies have shown that the HSP brain is more active in areas related to attention, emotion, action-planning, decision-making, and having strong internal experiences.

Being highly sensitive is an invaluable trait that comes with many advantages.

HSPs are known to be highly observant, intuitive, thoughtful, compassionate, empathetic, conscientious, loyal, and creative. In fact, managers consistently rate people with higher sensitivity as their top contributors.

As professionals, HSPs are innovative, deeply committed to fairness, and have a knack for leading teams of people in a way others simply can’t.

At the same time, hyper-attunement to every minor interaction and inner experience can be draining. Situations that might be moderately stressful to the average person can cause a sensitive person to spiral into emotional reactivity and overthinking.

This is especially true for Sensitive Strivers – highly sensitive people who are also high achieving. The concept of sensitive striving comes out of my decade of researching and coaching-driven, top-performers at Fortune 500 companies like Google and Facebook.

Sensitive Strivers not only have typical traits of HSPs (including depth of processing and emotional responsiveness) but also show above-average ambition and an appetite for continual growth.

Many Sensitive Strivers are former star students who bring that same dedication, reliability, and goal orientation into the workplace. But while many Sensitive Strivers rise quickly in their careers, they often face a daily battle with stress, anxiety, and self-doubt.

14 Signs You're a Highly Sensitive Person

Wondering if you have the traits of a highly sensitive person? If you relate to most of the following, you can confidently call yourself an HSP.

1. You're Extremely Empathetic

HSPs possess a keen ability to sense others’ feelings, needs, insecurities, etc. Science proves it: HSPs are shown to have more active mirror neurons, which are responsible for understanding other people's emotions. Your emotional intelligence and empathy make you a master at communication, conflict resolution, and inspiring others to action. Unfortunately, you may also slip into people-pleasing and putting others' needs ahead of your own.

2. You Cherish Reflection

As a highly sensitive person, you operate best when you have the opportunity to pause before responding. In other words, you need time and space to reflect. You pick up on nuances and are skilled at making connections and integrating complex information. Just make sure you are creating the proper boundaries to give yourself the chance to process all that you are constantly taking in.

3. You’re Used to Hearing “Don’t Take Things So Personally”

HSPs tend to react more strongly to situations, both good and bad. As an HSP, you may have felt out of place growing up, wondering why you were so deeply affected by the world around you while others brushed it off easily. Because HSPs sense and react so intensely, they often report feeling isolated - like there is something wrong with them for being so sensitive. As a result, many HSPs spend years denying their gifts and strengths.?

4. You Freeze Under Pressure

Working under a deadline might make you anxious. Speaking up in meetings is a huge challenge. Having too many things on your to-do list sends you into a state of overwhelm. These are all common experiences for HSPs because we are stressed more easily. That's why is essential to learn how to manage your nerves and fears to contribute in the workplace, and to find ways to manage your time and take care of yourself so you don't become overstimulated.

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BONUS FREEBIE:?Get free access to Chapter One of my best-selling book,?Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, by clicking here.

Learn more about Melody's signature 3-month coaching program, RESILIENT.?>>?https://melodywilding.com/resilient