Being Sensitive Is Not a Weakness — Here’s Why
As an HSP, you may not be able to fly an invisible ship like Wonder Woman, but you have your own brand of superpowers.
I’ve always known that I was a sensitive person, even before I knew the term “highly sensitive person” (HSP) or what it really meant. As a child, I was extremely intuitive and emotionally attached to my surroundings. I felt things that other kids felt, even when I wasn’t the one affected. For instance, when another student had to give a presentation in front of the class, I would tense up, as I sensed their nervousness. If I saw a kid get teased, I felt for them, like really felt for them.
Now, as an adult, I still operate the same way. I have to remain on guard pretty much all the time because I know how easy it is for me to get emotionally invested in something, and I can easily spread myself too thin if I’m not careful. I used to be really ashamed of this — I thought of it as some kind of disorder, something that left me unable to operate the way that “normal” people did.
Recognizing Your ‘Sensitive’ Superpowers
So while I do operate a bit differently than your average person, I no longer see it as a “bad” thing or something I need to keep hidden about myself. After all, nearly 30 percent of the population is considered to be made up of highly sensitive people, so I am far from alone. And, now, it’s something I’m very proud of — and I am thrilled to share what my sensitivity and I can do for the world.
If you, too, are a sensitive soul, it’s time to stop thinking of yourself as a weirdo and start thinking of yourself as a superhero. Because you are. You may not be able to command thunder like Thor or fly an invisible ship like Wonder Woman, but you have your own brand of superpowers. I think it’s about time for us to band together and be proud of our innate gifts. Let’s look at some of the reasons why being sensitive is anything but a weakness.
5 Reasons Why Being Sensitive Is Not a Weakness
1. You have emotional super strength.
Emotions are heavy — and can even be crippling at times. No one knows that better than us HSPs, for in addition to dealing with our own emotions, we also absorb the emotions of those around us. Everyone around us. We can’t help it — we just naturally tune in to what others are dealing with.
This can be overwhelming, even when the emotion is a positive one, like excitement or joy. It’s just a lot. But, even so, we are still alive and functioning humans, all while carrying the emotional weight of several people at any given time. That’s pretty darn impressive. Plus, people often come to us for our empathtic ear. Of course, we don’t mind being a sounding board for them (even though they may have no idea what an emotional toll it’ll take on us later).
2. Your sensitivity makes you invaluable — you’re great at picking up on little things others may overlook.
Throughout my career, I’ve primarily worked in the legal and medical fields, which means I see a lot of very important information throughout the day. Because my high sensitivity makes me so detail-oriented, I am the person who scans and double-checks everything before it is moved on to the next step, even when I have been told it’s ready to go.
In doing this, I have caught little mistakes that could have caused major issues if they had not been corrected. It could be something as simple as a misspelled name on a form that had already been seen by 10 other people. At a previous job, I became the “go-to” person for doing a final check on documents and information. Nothing left the office without me looking over it first to make sure it was correct and accurate. And, to be honest, this made me feel extremely proud of the way my sensitive, detail-oriented soul was wired. I liked being able to be the person who was an asset in a unique way.
3. You are the person people turn to in a crisis (at least, they should).
Okay, I will admit that I take forever to make decisions. I am absolutely not a “decide on the spot” kind of gal. I’m more likely to either say “give me a few hours to think” or “give me a few days to think,” depending on the decision I’m trying to make.
And this does drive others a little crazy sometimes. But by the time I do come to a decision, it means that I have thought through all the different ways the decision will play out and the effects that it will have. Furthermore, I have thought of back-up plans and alternative decisions, just in case the first decision doesn’t work out or needs to be changed. This means that I am, by default, generally the most prepared person in my group for when things go awry.
Most of the time, these situations are maybe annoying, but not life-threatening, yet I also know that I would be the exact same way in a more serious type of situation. HSPs are who people need in a crisis. I would be the person who’d think to bring extra batteries in case we run out, or the one who knows how to find water while hiking in case we get lost, and so on.
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4. You have the drive to make positive changes in the world.
It’s often talked about how much HSPs are deep thinkers and feelers. And while this is true, we cannot ignore the fact that we are also incredibly important doers. This is because our high sensitivity acts as a sort of fire under our behinds at times. While we need peace and quiet in order to avoid overstimulation, there are other times when we will simply implode if we do nothing. We are like pressure cookers that are ready for our steam to be released, and we do this in a multitude of ways.
For example, many of us are extremely in tune with our sense of purpose and our creativity, as this is how we release all of the emotions inside of us. Whether we paint, draw, do photography, play the guitar, or a myriad of other creative things, we so these all for the sheer joy (and purpose) they bring us. Or perhaps we are so bothered by a societal issue that hasn’t been solved yet that we decide to find a way to solve it ourselves. And, by golly, we will. Because passion is gasoline for positive change, and we’ve got passion in spades.
5. You understand people so well, it’s almost scary — like you’re a psychic.
At my last job, I had a coworker who had a reputation for being difficult. She wasn’t super well-liked at the office, and I was even warned about her before I started since I would be working directly with her. And after working with her for a few weeks, I understood why she had that reputation. Yet I also understood that it was wrong.
Sure, she was blunt and straightforward, and others often took this as rudeness. But I could tell that she wasn’t being intentionally mean, and she was bothered that others didn’t like her. As we became closer, she told me she knew she said things “wrong” sometimes, but that she didn’t mean to and didn’t know a better way to communicate. Because I could see beyond the surface and knew that she was actually a really sweet person, she ended up being my favorite person in the office and the only one I kept in contact with after I moved away.
These are the types of nuances about people that make you (as an HSP) the one person who just “gets it.” We sensitive souls know what it’s like to be misunderstood — and we are masters at making sure others don’t feel that way.
Being Highly Sensitive Is an Innate Quality That We Should Cherish, Not Shun
High sensitivity is an innate quality that we are born with, just like our sexuality or our race. We didn’t pick it, and we can’t change it. We would never tell someone that they are less-than because of how they look or because of other aspects about themselves that they are born with. So why do we do this with high sensitivity?
This is a trait that we are gifted with, and it’s a very powerful one. We have the ability to make a serious positive impact on our lives, the lives of others, and the world. So let’s do so — starting now.
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