8 signs you're a highly sensitive person

1. You’re prone to feeling overwhelmed

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HSPs are more attuned to their surroundings, and process information deeply. You may therefore be more sensitive to external stimuli, like traffic, shrill sounds or bright lights.

“HSPs may feel anxious when overwhelmed. All of us have a threshold for [external] stimuli, and HSPs may have a lower threshold," explains Sarah Poh, Psychotherapist and Founder of The Therapy Platform.

As a result, a change in environment may cause you great discomfort. That includes travelling to new places, switching jobs, or even an annual company retreat.

2. You feel emotionally exhausted easily

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HSPs are prone to feeding off, and therefore mimicking, other people's emotions. Apart from being more intuitive than others — that is to say, being able to sense slight changes in mood — HSPs tend to absorb emotions. This often results in mental and physical exhaustion.

So while it’s normal to feel overwhelmed when your workload piles up (or when a friend or colleague confides in you), getting easily exhausted from these demands might be a sign you’re a HSP.

“HSPs often identify with the need to withdraw and recharge after exposure to multiple sensory, emotional and physical stimuli,” says Dr Yang. “This may be similar to introversion, where personality traits include recharging or being alone after prolonged stimulation. However, being a HSP and introvert are not synonymous, though most HSPs do identify themselves as introverts, too.”

3. You react strongly to visual pieces

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Just as HSPs may appear jumpy or on edge when exposed to loud sounds, they tend to have a stronger appreciation for all things beautiful — and, consequently, stronger reactions towards gore or jump scares. This may be why you feel emotionally stirred by strong visual pieces, whether the rich colours of an artwork or a bleak dystopian film.

4. You tend to overanalyse things

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HSPs think deeply. When body language and words don’t match up, you spend inordinate amounts of time wondering what someone actually meant. This tendency to worry excessively may also spill into your friendships and romantic relationships, in which you pick up on even slight changes in behaviour. In fact, this is rooted in a fear of rejection.

“While being sensitive to sensory-processing stimuli is not considered as having anxiety disorder, it’s associated with greater neuroticism,” says Dr Yang. For this reason — and if you regularly struggle with negativity — it may be helpful to speak with a psychologist or psychotherapist.

5. You tend to people-please

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Getting validation from people you care about is a great feeling. For HSPs, that approval matters more so than ever. You may find yourself finding it hard to say no for even the most insignificant things — like agreeing to a meal in a cafe you aren’t actually a fan of.

This tendency to people-please can be frustrating, but HSPs are prone to it because of their fear of conflict, or being perceived as difficult to please.

6. You can’t socialise the same way as others

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We mentioned feeling overwhelmed easily earlier — and the same is true when it comes to socialising in larger groups. If a noisy, crowded environment is the recipe for feeling overstimulated, then congregating in a large group would likely have a similar effect on you. You may feel awkward, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to behave.

In such instances, Dr Yang suggests taking some time away from your environment to process things and help you unwind.

7. You’re conscientious and/or a perfectionist

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Falling short of your goals isn’t cause for beating yourself up — but you do it anyway. You also make it a point to try your best in your work, because you’re wary others may be judging you.

This perfectionist streak stems from being conscious of how others perceive you, but may also be a reflection of your core beliefs: that to be accepted, you have to constantly perform to your highest (self-imposed) standards.

8. You’re compassionate

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It’s one thing to be compassionate, and another to be a compassionate HSP.

If you’re a highly sensitive person, you may seem more perceptive than others, and that’s a strength worth playing up. Because you’re more attuned to slight changes around you, you’re likely to display greater empathy for the underprivileged, and put yourself in others’ shoes.

Compassion isn’t a quality everyone’s born with — so work it to your advantage in tangible ways, whether volunteering in a soup kitchen or at an old folks’ home.

“HSPs can be well-adapted individuals. We’re unique in our own ways, and the key lies in practising greater empathy and compassion towards HSPs, and one another,” says Sarah.