Highly sensitive people

 

Highly sensitive people are wired differently — and “little” things can cause  us BIG stress.

1. Sudden, loud or repetitive noises, especially repetitive. That turn signal sound when I am in the car with someone drives me bonkers. You are in the left turn only lane. Turn off the turn signal.
2. Busy social settings--parties, especially one where I do not know anyone
3. Bright lights
4. Crowds (at shopping malls, concerts, or wherever) the noise and excess energy are overwhelming.  
5. “Normal” things that other people breeze through. I can function quite well in public situations but find myself completely exhausted afterwards. My maximum number of things I can handle in one day is three...any more than that, and I withdraw or go into panic mode. I can stand up and give a talk and lead a class discussion, no problem, but then I have to retreat and rest for a whole day.
6. Having in-laws, friends, or other guests stay at your home. I love my family, and I can tolerate people in my space for a little while, but I pick up on their feelings and absolutely must have my own space to retreat to. My husband thought we should list our extra rooms on Airbnb. Utter failure, complete meltdown.
7. My own intense feelings
8. Confrontation of any kind...in person, social media, on the phone, fights with my husband. I hate it. 
9. Being around overly negative, whining, or complaining people--I soak up the negativity. Really hate talk about “how the world is falling apart” or bitching about the president, inflation, LGBTQ, etc etc 
10. Endless trivial conversation, "first world problems." Makes it impossible to focus. All cable news falls into this category. I don’t want sound bytes or talking heads. 
11. Chaos and disorder……especially in my personal space. I NEED everything organized and clean. Otherwise I’m just so distracted by the extra sensory input.
12. Loud music or TV, commercials! Others seem to need a radio or TV on in the background ‘for company,’ but it drives me crazy— I love shops and restaurants with no music. Cell phone users who talk in public loudly or have their phone on speaker. 
13. Artificial lights
14. Hosting a social event: Planning a an event is my specialty, but the day of said party, I get overwhelmed. I cannot concentrate, people can ask me things and I won’t remember saying yes, I’m in a fog, and then need to take a nap as soon as it shuts down. Too much stimulation
15. Strong smells, especially perfumes and colognes. 
16. Violence or gore in movies--haunted by what I see. Can’t sleep afterwards 
17. When someone’s angry (even when it has nothing to do with me) I review every word and action to see if I’m the cause 
18. The harshness of the world: As a sensitive person, sometimes I feel like the world is too cruel, too rough for me. 
19. Being a “container” for other people’s emotions. I end up absorbing and ‘holding on’ to other people’s emotions, which can leave me feeling sad, upset, or drained.
20. Too many things scheduled at once-I can usually handle it well when I plan and can see the end. What pushes me to the edge, though, is all the little things that pop up during that time.
21. Processing every little thing so deeply: Sometimes I feel misunderstood and on the outside of groups because I need more quiet time to work through it all.