{"id":278,"date":"2007-06-07T10:45:00","date_gmt":"2007-06-07T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondblue\/2007\/06\/defining-high-sensitivity-two-facts-to.html"},"modified":"2007-06-07T10:45:00","modified_gmt":"2007-06-07T10:45:00","slug":"defining-high-sensitivity-two-facts-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2007\/06\/defining-high-sensitivity-two-facts-to.html","title":{"rendered":"Defining High Sensitivity–Two Facts to Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you tested positive as a highly sensitive person in the self-diagnosis I posted yesterday<\/a>, you may benefit from knowing more about the HSP. Here’s a good start (from Elaine Aron’s book, “The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You<\/a>“).<\/p>\n


FACT 1: Everyone, HSP or not, feels best when neither too bored nor too aroused <\/span>[remember the author is not talking about sexual arousal].<\/p>\n

An individual will perform best on any kind of task, whether engaging in a conversation or playing in the Super Bowl, if his or her nervous system is moderately alert and aroused. Too little arousal and one is dull, ineffective. To change that under-aroused physical state, we drink some coffee, turn on the radio, call a friend, strike up a conversation with a total stranger, change careers–anything!<\/p>\n

At the other extreme, too much arousal of the nervous system and anyone will become distressed, clumsy, and confused. We cannot think; the body is not coordinated; we feel out of control. Again, we have many ways to correct the situation. Sometimes we rest. Or mentally shut down. Some of us drink alcohol or take a Valium (or six).

FACT 2: People differ considerably in how much their nervous system is aroused in the same situation, under the same stimulation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The difference is largely inherited, and is very real and normal. In fact, it can be observed in all high animals–mice, cats, dogs, horses, monkeys, humans. Within a species, the percentage that is very sensitive to stimulation is usually about the same, around 15-20 percent. Just as some within a species are a little bigger in size than others, some are a little more sensitive. In fact, through careful breeding of animals, mating the sensitive ones to each other can create a sensitive strain in just a few generations. In short, among inborn traits of temperament, this one creates the most dramatic, observable differences.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you tested positive as a highly sensitive person in the self-diagnosis I posted yesterday, you may benefit from knowing more about the HSP. Here’s a good start (from Elaine Aron’s book, “The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You“). FACT 1: Everyone, HSP or not, feels best when neither too…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anxiety"],"yoast_head":"\nDefining High Sensitivity-Two Facts to Remember - Beyond Blue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2007\/06\/defining-high-sensitivity-two-facts-to.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Defining High Sensitivity-Two Facts to Remember - Beyond Blue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you tested positive as a highly sensitive person in the self-diagnosis I posted yesterday, you may benefit from knowing more about the HSP. Here’s a good start (from Elaine Aron’s book, “The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You“). 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