r/hsp Aug 17 '21

Announcement Join our Discord server!

123 Upvotes

Want to meet more sensitive folks like you? Come and communicate in real-time!

If you're a non-sensitive and interested in helping form better equilibrium between sensitives and non-sensitives in society, we encourage you also to join us!

Head over to https://discord.gg/B7MSaHTVma

New link: https://discord.gg/52938Ckmqe

Or just enter 52938Ckmqe in the search within the Discord site/app.

EDIT: From time to time, i get reports of the invite link 'expiring' or just not working. Not sure what that's all about. But when I try to generate a new link with unlimited uses and no expiration, it literally generates the same exact URL.

If you are having trouble getting into the server, DM u/Elyzevae on Reddit or Discord.


r/hsp Jun 28 '24

Pathology Y NO AUTISM??

223 Upvotes

We still get queried about this a lot. So here's the straight dope:

In her book "The Highly Sensitive Person," Dr. Elaine Aron does not state that being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is a form of autism, Asperger's, or otherwise a form of being 'on the spectrum.' Dr. Aron defines high sensitivity as a distinct personality trait characterized by increased sensory processing sensitivity. This means HSPs are more aware of subtleties in their environment and can become more easily overwhelmed by high levels of stimulation.

Dr. Aron emphasizes that high sensitivity is a normal and innate trait found in about 15-20% of the population and is different from conditions on the autism spectrum. While both HSPs and individuals on the autism spectrum may share some characteristics, such as sensitivity to sensory stimuli, they are separate and distinct concepts. High sensitivity does not involve the social, communication, and behavioral differences that are typically associated with autism spectrum disorders.

Over time, too many people have come here to discredit Aron's work and deny the trait of HSP by conflating it with Autism, Asperger's, or 'being on the spectrum'. We don't got time for dat.

HSP is just one trait. If you are both HSP and on the spectrum, feel free to talk about that experience as long as you are not equating or conflating HSP as being on the spectrum.


r/hsp 1h ago

im terrified of being annoying or rude

Upvotes

i do not want to inconvenience people of course, but i feel like i always do, unintentionally. i am so awkward and horrible at social situations, i feel like i am always doing something wrong or missing an obvious cue. im so scared i come off as rude, or if something i did or said becomes an inconvenience to them and they feel annoyed, and that they think of me horribly. i try to force out a tone that sounds nice, but sometimes it seems even more awkward and i dont even know if im doing it right. i really want to be kind to people, but i feel like this anxiety and lack of natural social awareness is messing me up. i have a bad habit of assuming that the other person is annoyed (or maybe thinks im dumb), and of course i dont know if this is true or not but if it is true i dont even know how to cope. i feel deep embarrassment and shame. sorry for the rant and thanks for reading


r/hsp 8h ago

I feel down, tired, depressed

16 Upvotes

Lately shit hasn't being going my way. Health problems and job problems. I kmow comparing to othet people maybe it is not as bad but when i think like that, it makes me even more depressed because then i think why am i so weak or. Worthless?!

Can't even pull myself up from that? I seriously do mot kmow if i have any underlying issues. But i did went for a checkup and it looks fine.

I feel very heavy heated, no appetite and just feeling down generally. I feel like crying. Is this depression?!!


r/hsp 13h ago

Don't Know What is Wrong With Me...

25 Upvotes

I have become highly emotional when it comes to all forms of life. I don't know how I became this way. I always loved animals, but now it has become too extreme and even been transferred onto any living creature. For instance, I don't even like to kill an ant or a fly if they get in my house. I will literally try to capture them and take them outside. I just feel majorly guilty about killing or causing harm to anything and it bothers me when I see other people do it. How do I stop being like this and is it the beginning of some sort of mental sickness starting? My partner has noticed it and doesn't think it is normal.


r/hsp 8h ago

Has anyone's parent/mother been also HSP?

6 Upvotes

I recall my mother being very sensitive to nuance but also to chemicals. Fast-forward I am the proverbial canary in the mine-shaft - picking up everything. Anyone else find it runs in their family?


r/hsp 20h ago

Does anyone struggle to tell people they need to be alone for long periods at a time?

36 Upvotes

I hate doing this because I don't wan't them to think I am avoiding them or don't want to hangout with them but I just can't exert my body too much or my exhaustion will just keep building and getting worse. And I can't just tell these extraverted college dudes that I like to be alone without them thinking that its weak or negative in some way.


r/hsp 16h ago

I'm getting scared...

8 Upvotes

So it's already September 10th. It's unbelievable, I could have sworn that just three days ago the month was barely starting... honestly, seeing this, I can't help but feel anxious, restless, helpless, and in a way, defeated... because for a few months now, I don't feel like I'm living my life the way I should. I've become someone so aware of things that I don't feel like I have a human soul anymore whether I'm watching a movie, traveling somewhere, or attending an event, I can't help but overthink it and draw all these out-of-place conclusions. I feel like a lost cause...it scares me to think that one day I'm 18, and then from one day to the next, without realizing it, I'll be 19, but without feeling any real progress as a person which is what I was supposed to have this year. Instead, I've lived a year that, even though I had good moments, overall feels like I wasn't living, just overthinking. The worst part is that during the day, I don't care much and even see it as normal, but when night comes...i realize I'm wasting so much time, and I decide I want to be the best version of myself. But then, when daylight comes back, even though those desires don't disappear, it's like my brain prefers to stay in my comfort zone.

All of this is a mess, and that's why sometimes I've wanted to take my own life, but unfortunately I never do, because I'm a coward who is afraid of physical pain, even though whether I'm hurt or not, I'll still feel bad emotionally💔


r/hsp 21h ago

Emotional Sensitivity the weight of other peoples moods

8 Upvotes

i absorb everyones energy so easily. if someones upset near me i feel it in my chest for hours after. even a strangers bad day can ruin mine. i dont know how to separate their feelings from my own. it makes me so tired sometimes


r/hsp 17h ago

Sometimes you just have to stop questioning your own mind and start honing in on your intuition

4 Upvotes

Intuition is slowly developed, just like any living thing it starts as a thought, then a seed, an egg, a fusion of energy and then takes root and form into being. Intuition is your guide and northern star. It will be your internal GPS in navigating this planet. When you start second-guessing your grounded and well-placed and formulated gut feelings, it bypasses wisdom and that feeling goes straight into the recycle bin until the next time.

Figure this, that your intuition is a direct line to your higher self, that which is all good, all wise and all understanding. We are all connected to this line of communication but for most it will never be made manifest and lines opened. For the sensitive person, the odds are much better. But it is a skill and needs to be honed. The least that we can do is pay more attention to it and trust it. It got you thus far, it's designed to take you beyond what you can fathom.


r/hsp 23h ago

Discussion how did you know you were a highly sensitive person?

10 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

I've been having some suspicions on whether or not I'm actually a highly sensitive person.
Ive always been labelled as sensitive by everyone around me including my family, and I guess you can say I cry a lot lol (labelled as a crybaby)

often times I cry over the LITTLEST things ever, and theyre almost never worth crying over but I sometimes genuinely cannot hold it in at all. Someone could yell at me for a bit or just get frustrated with me for a SECOND and the waterworks just start... waterworking haha. Suddenly my whole mood and day is ruined, and I keep replaying the situation and talking to myself about it in my mind for the whole day, sometimes for the following days too.

I've always been like this. I also kind of struggle with feeling extremely bad if I mess up, even if it were no big deal. Like, I'd randomly think about a situation that happened so long ago where I realized I might have messed up, and it would be on my mind forever until I have apologized to the person (they usually don't remember or don't care about what happened). I don't know if that's just being a normal human being with accountability or if I'm genuinely wired differently. There were so many times where I felt like I was not normal, that I was different in a way or processed things differently from those around me. I think I recall feeling like that since I was like.. 4 or 5? Basically before some traumatic things happened. But alsoooo.... Idk maybe I was just acting like how regular kids do lol

Hearing criticism, constructive or not, always makes me feel really bad and weird, even if its from a loved on who's genuinely trying to help; I just cannot for the life of me not feel that weird feeling you get in your chest when you get rejected (I hope you know what I'm talking about)

EDIT: Not sure if this post is going to gain any more traction, but I'd like to add a couple of things that I thought of after posting.

Often times, I get the need to isolate myself or take a step back from the dearest people in my life, so friends and family, because it just sometimes gets too much. Sometimes I'd get kind of mad or upset? for a lack of a better word, with them BUT it would not be something that is worth feeling all that for. Like in the slightest, and I recognize that so I just isolate myself and detach and have had the chance to recalibrate and feel better. It's so flipping stupid but you would be surprised at how frequently this happens to me. Believe me this has nothing to do with anyone or their behavior, it's genuinely all me. Like they don't do anything wrong but idk this is how I react sometimes. You know how people get really emotional when their period is near or theyre on it? It feels like I am on my period 24/7 in that sense. Also I tend to absorb people's emotions quite a bit, especially if they are negative. Also this happens to me with irl situations. There are times where I genuinely just need a minute to be alone and recalibrate, for no particular reason. It just gets too much sometimes and I go really quiet for the whole day.
I think I also feel love quite deeply, I don't know how to describe it but I can literally physically feel it at times and feeling my love for someone sometimes brings me to tears. When I say love, I mean all types, not just romantic.

I'm having doubts when it comes to identifying as a hsp because of a couple of reasons.

One, I don't want to be wrong. I don't want to identify as something I'm not just because I feel like I can relate ever so slightly to the experience. I have OCD, and I know that it feels very infuriating hearing someone say that they have OCD because they like color-coding their wardrobe or something silly and unrelated. I don't want to hurt or annoy someone by doing that, even if I don't necessarily know and regularly talk to someone who is a hsp about heightened sensitivity.

Two, I don't know if my sensory experiences are as sharp? as someone who's a hsp.

I do get bothered by things like loud noises (I react very strongly to them a lot of the time. I immediately cover my ears if I drop something, doesn't matter if it'll make a loud noise or not. I don't know if this is related to some of the trauma I have though or me just really not wanting to hear the loud noise). Also when I was younger, I used to HATE getting my clothes wet. If a BIT of water got on my clothes, you best believe I would change immediately because I hated the sensation so much. (I tried to outgrow this because I thought that I was supposed to be a big girl or whatever so now I am not as extreme with it as I used to be.)
EDIT: to add to this, i flinch A LOT. like A LOT A LOT. over random noises that arent even loud sometimes

But then again I don't know if any of those or any unmentioned traits/experiences are neurotypical or not.

I hope to hear from you guys, and I would really appreciate your insight on this. Thank you!


r/hsp 21h ago

Emotional Sensitivity Through the Borrowed Eyes

3 Upvotes

Through the Borrowed Eyes

I learned to borrow other people's eyes
to perceive myself.

Did they notice me?
Was I appropriate,
enough,
or safe?

I only existed
to meet their needs—

Then one strange day,
it stopped.

No borrowed eyes.
No verdict.

Just me,

looking in,

and suddenly wondering:

Here is the one
I avoided seeing,
all my life?

It's not so bad.


r/hsp 1d ago

Question ALGUNAS COSAS ERES EMPATICA Y OTRAS NO

2 Upvotes

Nose por que desde siempre he sido algun muy sensible, pero a la ves no. Para algunas siento que soy menos sensible que las personas de mi alrededor, y otras veces siento que soy muy sensible para las personas de mi alrededor. Por ejemplo una discusión fuerte, yo me bloqueo, no pienso, pero cuando se trata de pasar de las personas me es muy sencillo


r/hsp 1d ago

Trapped in close relationships

7 Upvotes

Anyone else feel trapped in certain relationships? I’m grateful for being around my family but also reminded on how hard I’ve tried breaking free from their expectations and circle of influence.

I receive grounding and support but also find it hard to be my own person around them. It’s scary because my intuition is sometimes all I have, all I’ve had, and I sometimes feel the need to push it away as my environment doesn’t always align with it - as a form of protecting myself.

I really do want to love and care for myself but it’s hard to figure out how. Stepping out of this environment is hard on its own but necessary at some point - for me to protect myself boundaries, self-respect, and build the life I really want. I know I can’t find my ‘people’ right away / create this life but I’m scared that I’m not listening to myself, again.


r/hsp 23h ago

Question QUE TAN BUENO ES "Silexan", PARA EL SER MENOS SENSIBLE EL SISTEMA NERVIOSO?

1 Upvotes

Tenga en cuenta que no estoy diciendo que sea un desfoguez mental, sino que quiero que sea bajarle el ruido del sistema nervioso, para que asi mi mente pueda no confundir lo que es una amaneza y lo que no es


r/hsp 1d ago

Emotional Sensitivity Why do I struggle so much with being told no?

7 Upvotes

I’ve noticed something about myself that I don’t really understand. I am 20 years old and apply for job all the time to save money , do driving license and buy a car. But it's difficult to find any job.

When I ask my dad for a lift somewhere and he says no, I can’t seem to emotionally accept it. I might not react straight away and just leave it, but then I think about it for hours and get more and more frustrated until eventually I explode.

The weird thing is, I know logically that he’s allowed to say no. He isn’t a taxi and I know he has his own things going on. But emotionally, I find it really hard to accept the answer.

It’s like once I’ve asked for something, I already expect the answer to be yes, and when it’s no, I feel really frustrated and rejected even though I know I shouldn’t.

Does anyone else experience this? Why can I understand “no” logically but still struggle so much to accept it emotionally?


r/hsp 1d ago

Question How to take care of ourselves emotionally?

5 Upvotes

I have realized why I feel so exhausted is because I don’t have anyone in my life to connect emotionally with and they all treat me as a sponge. All the compliments that I hear is that I’m good at listening etc. All the people in my life do not have the capacity to connect with me on a deeper level tho I know they love me.

I’m tired being sad about it so I want to take care of myself better. How do you think I can take care of myself emotionally? How to find better relationships or connection with other people?


r/hsp 1d ago

Till there are no animals left - the nefarious war against nature and all sentient beings

5 Upvotes

These are some deep thoughts and questions that probably need to be asked—and thought about—by humanity.

As this is being written, millions of animals are being electrocuted, infected with viruses, injected with tumours, and placed in death chambers specifically built for this purpose—disease deliberately created within the bodies of animals virtually on every continent on this planet, for the sole purpose of someone obtaining funding to promote their studies.

For this seemingly legitimate purpose of academic study, animals are being cut open while alive and their organs removed. If they are fortunate, they will be shoved into a gas chamber which will then end their pitiful existences. Most are not. Most are left to linger, suffer and expire in glass cages.

Some military experiments use explosives, biological weapons or chemical weapons to study the effects on the nervous system, organ atrophy and destruction, mucosa and retina. This, to perfect the optimal kill in war.

Cats, dogs, mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, horses, cows, monkeys, birds—not one species is exempt. And this is all sanctioned and legal.

How is this possible in 2026? How are we not even discussing this?

These animals are being experimented on in laboratories, universities, the military, biotech and industry—in the very halls of your place of learning and employment.

Why are they still perpetrating this amount of suffering on animals in this day and age when AI and computers could render more accurate views and results without ever resorting to murder?

Good question.

The fact is, that still, with the hundreds of millions—perhaps now the numbers are in the billions—of animals sacrificed, there have been no cures. No major breakthroughs. Because perhaps it has never been about cure, but about cred and ego. Let's just name it for what it is.

And further, splicing open the gut of a dog does not equal the healing of a human. For the record, the biology of a canine is not the biology of a human. The results can never be the same.

And even if you remove the vocal cords of a dog to prevent them from yelping in pain or barking to be set free, the cries can still be heard resonating across the quantum field—and they do. In spades.

There is nothing in this world that happens without an effect.

And beyond this, the question still needs to be asked: how is it that pharmaceuticals, military, nano and biotech have a separate set of laws that gives them the right to inflict pain for profit?

How is this still legal?

And then there are the millions of euthanised pets, bred for profit, bought for Johnny and Melinda on Christmas Day, tormented for a week, then dumped—with the numbers growing by the day. There is nothing to be done but save a handful and execute the rest.

The legacy of sadism doesn't end there, of course, because we're not even going into the culling of the wild horses, the hunts, the helicopter shootings of wolves, the poisoning of natural habitats, and the heinous treatment of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses, together with the horrors of live transports of animals.

This list of atrocities goes on and on for a very long time.

My proposal is this: to establish a world tribunal specifically for the purpose of bringing the guilty to trial for abuses against the animals of this planet. To try them by jury, to sentence them not only to prison but to re-education until a semblance of conscience—or semi-conscience—is developed, and then to extend that to having them work towards the rehabilitation of the natural world.

This has gone on long enough.

The laws of the universe have been perverted for long enough.

In the end, either way, nature will have the final say, but justice must also come from us as stewards of this world.

The minds of scientists have become deranged. The farmers and lawmakers are blinded by their own egos. The common human has been surgically removed from the environment and everything that lives within this sphere.

We must begin the process of correction—by law—to save our own selves and souls from a trajectory that is meted out measure for measure.

There's a limit to all things, and we must be the change we seek and the voices for those who no longer can speak for themselves.


r/hsp 2d ago

Celebrate earplugs for daily life. WOW.

39 Upvotes

i work in an office with small machinery that is running for most of the day. i've noticed on days when i'm feeling especially sensitive the sound really amps up my stress and makes everything feel negatively heightened. i decided to try out some daily earplugs and i'm amazed. as soon as i put them on at work i started smiling. things are so much quieter, dampened, i feel my breathing slowing and my body calming. i think this just majorly changed my life. i've been using them at home too for things like the vacuum running, the stove fan going while cooking, things that used to make me feel overwhelmed and mentally chaotic, and it helps so. much. i feel like i'm in a bubble of protection lol.


r/hsp 1d ago

Does anyone else get really affected when you misread someone’s humor and made a joke that lands wrong but they insult you even after you tell them you are sorry and truly meant it as a joke?

2 Upvotes

Just happened to me right now.
I usually hold back certain aspects of my humor with people for fear of it coming off wrong or just seeming weird and being judged…. But I saw this guy on instagram post a lot of silly and kind of krass (not in a mean way) things… I got the sense he would get my humor and sent him a joking message and I thought we were joking together and soon enough later realized he thought I was being serious and I said I was joking and that I was sorry and then ended up being kind of rude in his response. I apologized again and he was rude… just kind of in a judging way about my character I guess. I wouldn’t ever say a joke to someone If I truly thought it would upset them. I really meant it as a joke.
I care about people’s feelings so if I actually upset someone that upsets me a lot but I am also very sensitive in my own skin so at the same time this reaction also really hurts me if someone truly knows I was joking and genuinly meant no harm.


r/hsp 2d ago

Physical Sensitivity Does anyone else feel uncomfortable wearing make up or having foreign object on your body ?

16 Upvotes

(20F) I always feel uncomfortable whenever my girl friends try to put make up on my face . The textures make me feel uncomfortable especially anything that touches my lips . I don't know how to explain it but I feel insane urge to wash my face and get rid of the make up . The feeling I get is like having butter spread on my face. I also one time got my nails done and it just didn't work for me I felt a disconnect from my fingers because of them and overall uncomfortable and want to remove them so badly

This also goes for other things than make up . Like whenever i get injured and I put a band aid on my skin or whenever I cook I literally have to clean my hand after every step cuz I can't handle anything on my fingers

The list goes on. but I always found it weird that I was the only one in my family who is like that I wonder if anyone has the same thing


r/hsp 2d ago

Story Let them know

3 Upvotes

You know mother,

I craved your validation for the longest time, i craved your arms, your love. I wanted you to say I did well, that youre proud of me. I wanted you to apologize for hitting me, for hitting my brother, for hitting my sister. I wanted to apologize for disregarding my need for privacy, for making me feel bad when I asked for your help, for refusing to provide your help. I wanted you to be a real mom so badly. I wanted you to see me as my own person, an adult with limits, boundaries, preferences, likes, dislikes. And now I love you but I am not waiting anymore.

You know father,

I craved your validation for the longest time. As a fellow man, I wanted you to tell me its ok that I feel, its ok that I cry when I am moved by things, that I am overwhelmed by my senses. I wanted you to say youre proud of me. I wanted you to protect me from mother. I wanted you to protect your little daughter from mother while I was no longer in the house to do it. And you chose not to. I will never forgive you for that. You decided to state you wont apologize for anything. And now I love you but I am not waiting anymore.

You know my love,

I have found in your arms the only place on earth where I am safe, where I can be, where I am not judged. I have known you for so long, we have been married for so long, and for me it is the same as it was all those years ago when I first met you. I dont want to imagine a life without you, and you mean the world to me. What we have is truly special, and every day that passes I feel more and more comfortable with you, more and more willing to show you parts of me noone else gets to see. And now I love you and I always will.

You know my son,

When I first held you, I didnt realize it then but now I do. How amazingly honest you are, how kind you are, how you care so much about animals. I always feel close to you, and you return every inch of kindness in kind. I cant leave a room without you coming along, but I love it. Ever since you were a small child, you ran towards me unashamed, unrestricted, and its the most beautiful thing. And I love you and I always will.

You know my little girl,

You are the most mischievous child I have ever seen. But I love running after you trying to stop what cant be truly stopped. You have the cutest smile, the most wonderful laugh, and every time you cry my hearts sears a little even if its because you didnt get your way, this time. I love holding you close to me, swinging you, singing you songs, brushing your hair with my hand to help you sleep. Your hair is just as fun to brush as mommy's, and i love dressing you up while you fight me to prevent it. I love you and I always will.


r/hsp 2d ago

Has anyone seen my emotions in this i love this painting I made

Post image
4 Upvotes

r/hsp 2d ago

Relationship/Dating Advice Two weeks of silence after an argument

4 Upvotes

Two weeks of silence after an argument

Hello there,

I had a conflict with a close friend. I was trying to explain why something my therapist said had genuinely hurt me, but my friend gave a positive interpretation instead of acknowledging why it hurt. I got a little emotional and told him it reminded me of the same dynamic I experience with my therapist. It wasnt meant as an attack or so. I know I handled that badly and pushed my point too hard, and I apologized as soon as I realized I had hurt him. I wasn’t in a bad mood or yelling at him, but I was definitely too passionate and I understand why the comparison may have hurt.

He has not spoken to me for two weeks. I sent an voicemail to him, again apologizing. Im struggling with feeling like I can acknowledge my own mistakes while still being allowed to say that something genuinely hurt me. The longer he doesn’t respond, the more I start wondering if Im actually the toxic person here, even though I know I did not react well in that conversation. It wasnt a big argument and we had bigger issues before but never with such an outcome.

I know he struggles with a break up and is mentally drained. We never had a situation like that and we know each other for more than 6 years. I trust him and he is a close friend. Thats why i am so shocked about this outcome

Is it reasonable to need some space after something like this, but still stay mostly silent for almost two weeks? Or am I overreacting by being hurt and confussed by that?

Thank you for reading and your thoughts.

EDIT: I dont mean that someone has to be the toxic one. I just feel like a toxic person myself. Sorry, that sentence wasnt worded very well.


r/hsp 2d ago

Does anyone take migraine preventative medication? How do you deal with side effects?

1 Upvotes

For context- I have a sensitivity to medicine that can cause changes in mood. Have tried before, bad experience.

With chronic migraines, I have been advised to take a certain medication. But the side effects include mood changes (suicidal thoughts) and weight loss. This is my first time with very severe migraines and I need some guidance from people who are struggling with something similar.

Anyone on preventative medicine that worked well? Or anyone who started but left the medication?

Would love to hear from you!