Highly Sensitive – my story

I am a highly sensitive person, or HSP as some would call it.

When I was a child, highly sensitive was still something unknown to our society. Many people didn’t know what it was and what to do. ‘Shy’ or ‘too sensitive’ are words I’ve been associated with a lot of times. But in truth, that story isn’t true.

The world I lived in felt overwhelming to me. My senses picked up on every single bit of information there was. I could feel the anger of other people and their grief, whether or not they showed these emotions to me. I could look through them, and could see that what they told not always was in sync  with what they thought, which confused me. I didn’t know what to do with all the things I felt and saw.

The only way for me to deal with this, as a six year old, was to close myself off of everything I felt. To withdraw myself from the world around me and to turn within. What others may perceived as shy or sensitive, was actually a protection of myself.

It took me thirty-four years before I was brave enough to open myself up again. In those years I hardly felt any emotion. Now, I can feel again. But more importantly I am in touch with my intuition again. Now, years later, I understand that intuition and feeling emotions are the most important things in my life.

Balance between vulnerability and strength

By feeling my emotions and listening to what they have to say, I understand what happens in me and to me. I’m able to take better care of myself. I feel when I reach a limit or when someone crosses a boundary. I feel how I limit myself and when I reach a point where I can expand and grow.

By listening to my intuition I can see what is happening and what I need to move on. This is something that I not only apply to myself, but also in my relationships with others. And in my work, by being able to see and understand where opportunities and blocks can occur.

Now I know that, what I (and others) saw as something vulnerable, actually is a strength. How wonderful is it to understand yourself and to know what you do and don’t want. And to be able to trust your own guidance and to be independent and stand strong. That is what being sensitive can be for you.

With the stories on my website I would like to show you how I live with my trait. That’s what it is, a trait. It isn’t something odd or weird, and surely not a label to be put on someone. It is a quality that can enhance your life, if you take good care of yourself. And yes, that can be a challenge.

But whether you’re highly sensitive or not, taking care of yourself and really feel is important for every single one of us. After all we’re all feeling persons. Some a bit more than others.

Feeling your emotions and listening to them is a positive trait. And if you know how, being sensitive can enrich your life in many ways.

Copyright picture: Leszek Bunowski