The mantra “Knowledge is Power”
can be especially relevant to a Highly Sensitive Person
For most of my life, I felt like there was something fundamentally wrong with me. Like I was broken in some way, unable to keep up with the world around me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I felt different — more intense, more overwhelmed ... more than most people seemed to be. And for years, I assumed that these feelings meant something was wrong with me.
As a kid, I was the one who cried at birthday parties, the one who recoiled when the room got too loud or when there was a sudden change in routine. I couldn’t stand crowded places, and I was especially sensitive to the textures of fabrics or the sound of certain noises. It wasn’t just physical sensitivity, either. I would feel emotions so deeply, I’d feel exhausted from a conversation where someone shared their struggles with me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be there for people — it just drained me in ways I didn’t understand.
Growing up, I was often told to "toughen up" or "stop being so sensitive." I remember thinking I was somehow defective for not being able to brush things off like others seemed to. Every day felt like a balancing act of pretending to be like everyone else. I’d hear people talk about their day, how they easily handled conflict or laughed off a stressful situation, and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with myself for not being able to do the same. I wondered why I couldn’t just "get over it" like they did. Why did I take everything so personally? Why did I react so strongly to the smallest details? And why did I feel physically and mentally drained by things that barely seemed to affect anyone else?
Even as I got older, nothing seemed to change. I often found myself in situations where I felt overwhelmed by stimuli — too many people talking at once, the buzzing of fluorescent lights, the chaos of a noisy street corner. In those moments, I would retreat to a quiet space, my heart racing, trying to find my balance. It wasn’t until my late thirties that I finally stumbled across a term that explained so much of what I had been experiencing: Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).
The moment I read about HSPs, it was like a lightbulb went off. Here was a term that not only explained all my quirks but made me realize that I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t broken or weak or overly dramatic. I was simply more sensitive to the world around me because of the way my brain processes stimuli.
Learning about HSPs helped me understand that it’s not about being overly emotional or too fragile. It’s about the fact that our nervous systems are more finely tuned to the world. This heightened sensitivity means that we process everything more deeply — emotions, physical sensations, and even the energy in a room. What might seem like a small inconvenience to someone else can be a massive sensory overload for us. And what might be a fleeting thought or conversation for others can feel like an intense emotional experience for us.
Understanding this has been transformative. It’s given me permission to stop apologizing for who I am. It’s okay to feel deeply, to need quiet moments alone, and to seek out environments that are calming rather than overstimulating. In fact, I’ve realized that these needs are part of what makes me who I am, and they allow me to be deeply empathetic, creative, and intuitive. It’s not about being “too much” — it’s about being deeply connected to the world in a way that others may not be able to understand.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that I no longer struggle with being a Highly Sensitive Person. There are still days when the world feels too much, when I need to retreat to recharge, and when I wonder if I’m just too different. But now, when those moments arise, I remind myself that it’s okay. It’s not something to be fixed or suppressed. It’s something to honor and embrace.
If you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt like there was something wrong with you because the world feels overwhelming or you’re more emotional than those around you, I want you to know that you’re not alone. You may be a Highly Sensitive Person too. And while it might take some time to fully understand and accept this part of yourself, I promise that it’s not a flaw. It’s simply a unique way of experiencing the world — a gift, even, when you learn to navigate it with self-compassion.
For me, understanding that I’m an HSP has been one of the most freeing realizations of my life. To my fellow HSPs, please leave a comment to this post sharing the experience you had when you first learned that your unique - and formerly confusing - personality had, thank goodness, a formal name and framework that validated who you are!