As a highly sensitive person, how do you really see yourself? Do you understand what makes you “tick?” What motivates you? What pushes your emotional and physical “buttons?” The answers to these questions and how you act and react to life situations will determine the quality and richness of your life.

Fifteen years ago, I found out that I was a highly sensitive person. I thought that I knew myself well. I didn’t! The adult education class that I attended, called “Are You A Highly Sensitive Person?”, was a real eye opener for me. I was relieved to find out that there was nothing wrong with me. This class was life changing.

There were twenty-five people in this class. More than half of the group knew about their high sensitivity. A large percentage of them felt “victimized” by their circumstances. They felt like they were “cursed”, and labeled themselves as fragile human beings who were incapable of coping with the “outside world”.

I was furious with the group and let my feelings be known. I proclaimed that I just discovered that I was a highly sensitive person. I admitted that there are challenges in being highly sensitive, but this shouldn’t be used as an excuse to withdraw from life. I told the group that I chose to utilize my high sensitivity to my benefit and would never let anyone label me as an inferior human being!

Being sensitive is sometimes looked at as a weakness. I always knew that I was sensitive, but I never thought of myself as weak. I felt that I was different and couldn’t understand why. I seemed to take in everything around me. I would be abnormally affected by large groups of people, being in traffic, and certain people would just “drain” me. I was puzzled why I needed a lot of “alone” time to decompress from life situations. Can you relate to any of these scenarios?

With my new-found understanding of myself, I started to make progress in my life. I developed a strategy to work with my high sensitivity rather than against it. The better I felt about myself, the less I felt the need to apologize for being myself. People started to see me in a different light, a more favorable light.

An important life lesson I learned is when you feel good about yourself, people will have a positive impression of you. Also when you feel good inside, the “outside world” will not bother you as much. The new confidence that you experience will not allow you to become a “pushover” and you’ll speak up and set boundaries when someone tries to take advantage of you. Are these good enough reasons to learn more about the true you?

Do you see your high sensitivity as a strength or weakness? If it’s a strength, what can you do to build upon it? If you see it as a weakness, what will help you overcome and work with your natural way of being?

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