14 Symptoms That Could Indicate That You Are A Highly Sensitive Person (PAS)

Many people who hear about highly sensitive people (HPS) for the first time believe that highly sensitive are all those people who take everything too personally, who are emotionally unstable and who are not resilient.

However, the true origin of the term is related to sensitivity, as well as a more subtle perception. Highly sensitive people feel “different” from a young age and in a minority. High sensitivity is a synonym for hypersensitivity and describes a different perception capacity, which implies a different quality of people, it is not a disease.

There is still a lot of confusion about high sensitivity. It is very difficult to define. This is a very complex phenomenon.

When people ask me about my high sensitivity, I usually come across a lot of assumptions that, most of the time, are not true. Until a few years ago, I didn’t even have a definition for what happened to me. I was just different from everyone else and I often felt misunderstood and as if I was not properly appreciated. When I became aware that I was highly sensitive, a tremendous calm and a new sense of self-knowledge came over me.

It was clear to me that nothing bad was happening to me and that I belonged to a group of the population that ranges between 15% and 20%. He wasn’t the only person in the world who felt that way! This liberation allowed me to see myself with freedom and in this way I embarked on a research trip: I wanted to know more about the phenomenon of high sensitivity.

What if you are a highly sensitive person?

Sensitivity manifests itself in greater perception through the senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, as well as the sense of movement. These are some of the characteristics that describe highly sensitive people:

Good eye for details. Highly sensitive people have a heightened perception of details. This can affect both figures and data, as well as colors and shapes, and in areas such as graphic design, fashion, interior design and architecture, among many others.
Great empathy. In the realm of coexistence with others, highly sensitive people have been shown to be empathetic and understanding listeners. Deep conversations are very important to them.

They reject banal talks, preferring to attend to more transcendental topics.

Thoroughness and perfectionism. This perfectionism is recognizable in many of the great artists, scientists, and other prominent people. It has to do with the search for harmony and perfection according to beauty and exactness. This search, in part, makes the PAS need more time to carry out their tasks. A large part of the PAS are considered very meticulous. They usually take responsibility very seriously and try to always do their best and not make mistakes. On the other hand, they are usually good at spotting errors in their field. Depending on the perception channel, this can be observed in spelling, in the notion of a musical instrument, but also in more complex situations such as, for example, the social structures of a company.

Sensitivity to noise, light, odors … Since in highly sensitive people the perception processes develop in a more delicate and precise way, they react in a more sensitive way to external stimuli, such as noise, temperature, smells, sounds, tastes, colors, light or contact. This has advantages and disadvantages, as all those affected are well aware. For example, it can be observed when they go shopping and go into crowded streets or shops. The tendency to overstimulation leads the PAS to a marked need for tranquility, withdrawal and regeneration that can become irritating to others.

The PAS perceive subtle nuances in the different fields.

Propensity to suffer stress. Due to the greater frequency with which overstimulation of the vegetative nervous system occurs in highly sensitive people, they are most of the time in a state of overexcitement. If the nervous system remains in a state of alarm for too long, this can lead to diseases such as burnout syndrome in the long term.
sensitivity to pain In different interviews with highly sensitive people, most of them usually report that they have a high sensitivity to pain.

Overreaction to stimulants. Stimulant substances, such as coffee or alcohol, or that may be in medicines and food, cause discomfort in many PAS. Therefore, the dosage of drugs for highly sensitive people is a delicate matter. Coffee or black tea can lead to a state of euphoria that can quickly lead to a kind of exhaustion due to overexcitement. It has been seen that they tend to react to the smallest impulses and, therefore, the gentle methods of naturopathy and energy medicine tend to give good results in them.

They are affected by hunger and fatigue. For most highly sensitive people, hunger is a problem. Low blood sugar causes them discomfort that is often accompanied by concentration and performance problems.

Your tolerance threshold for sleep deprivation is also very low.

Need for harmony. Conflicts and fights are a horror for these people. For this reason, when faced with discussions, they tend to withdraw or give in earlier. As a family and in team situations, they help to smooth over the rough edges.

They are influenced by the mood of others. The feelings of others tend to have a very considerable influence on highly sensitive people since, in part, they are soaked in all those emotions. They register in themselves the subtlest impulses and mood swings that occur in their environment.

Intuition. Many highly sensitive people experience strong intuition or telepathy in certain situations.

Sense of justice. The PAS have a high sense of justice and like to work for the most disadvantaged. That is why many highly sensitive people are involved professionally or voluntarily in social projects. They suffer greatly under injustice when it occurs, whether in the work or personal environment.

Search for meaning. Highly sensitive people tend to process experiences more deeply. For example, they tend to think more about events, try to find their meaning, seek connections and a deeper understanding of the world.

Marked by nature and art. More than 90% of highly sensitive people feel very moved when observing nature, listening to music, watching movies, painting …

Giftedness. They process information in a more subtle, differentiated and precise way. They have the ability to think, analyze problems and find solutions faster, and a greater willingness to innovate. This is why many highly sensitive people are gifted in one or more fields. In many cases it happens that highly sensitive people are not at all aware of the great talent they possess, since their environment has never considered them gifted since they were little.

Indecision. Highly sensitive scanners have many interests and abilities. They quickly get bored when they focus on one subject for a long time. They go through phases in which it is difficult for them to choose which way to go.

They often hear their environment telling them that they should “focus on one thing.”

Attachment PAS often feel very close to their friends, family and colleagues, as well as to nature and the Earth. Most of them are “loyal souls” who constantly take care of the people and living beings in their environment (or outside of it).