One in twenty people is considered a very sensitive person (PAS). This means that you may be sensitive yourself or someone you know is. 42% of the population is not very sensitive, which means that most things do not bother them as they would with a PAS. All the rest fall somewhere in between, and a few are completely indifferent to anything. (By the way, 20% of the entire animal kingdom is also very sensitive.)
Who are the PAS and what are they like?
We are the thinkers, the cautious, the conservative; The ones that say “Hey, wait a minute. Let’s think about this before we do something rash.”
Every society needs very sensitive people, just as we need warriors, leaders who are willing to take risks. However, we are the ones who help moderate the not-so-sensitive types, the ones who may be bold, reckless, and impulsive and may not have thought about the consequences of their actions. Highly sensitive people are often the people who find themselves in the roles of advisors, counselors, and advocates for restraint.
Unfortunately, in Western society, we have also been labeled as somewhat “flawed,” according to the way non-hsp view us. We are considered “too sensitive, too cautious, too shy, too shy, too introverted, too fearful.” The thing to keep in mind is that these are not “problems” that need to be corrected and solved with sensitive people. It is the labels that we adhere to that cause the problems. Many non-sensitive people are also shy, shy, introverted, and fearful, while there are many highly sensitive people who are outgoing, super-friendly, outgoing, and risky. We just tend to think things first and weigh all the factors that our senses pick up on before moving on.
Misinterpreted traits and characteristics
So what are some of the traits and characteristics of a highly sensitive person? Let’s look at some of the mythical facts and labels that have been attached to this special group.
Shyness
– You will probably find a higher proportion of shy people in the PAS group. That doesn’t mean that everyone is shy. That is a myth. Many non-sensitive people are also shy. Sometimes what is mistaken for shyness is actually an assessment of the situation and the people we just met. We are cautious. If our senses say that something is not right about the person, we will not be so open to them. First impressions count. It is not just the way the person is dressed, but all their demeanor, aura, attitude, and other little subtleties that we absorb with all of our senses. We process the thoughts, feelings and sensations that we receive in each new situation. This can make some of us appear “shy” when we are not.
Introvert
– Something like a myth. You will find that many PAS can be outgoing, extroverted, and fun-loving. You will also find that many non-sensitive people are introverts. Don’t confuse deep thinking and inner reflection with introversion. We need a lot more time alone. This is because our nervous system can become overloaded in a situation that an insensitive person would find somewhat stimulating. If we become exhausted and overstimulated, we need to find a quiet place as soon as possible to sit down again. This is the reason why many PAS tend to stay home most of the time, instead of partying. It’s not that we don’t want to … we just know that our systems can’t handle overload for too long. If we cannot escape, we will go into ourselves, as a kind of protective shield, to try to reduce the noise, sights, sounds and smells that bombard us in order to calm ourselves.
Terror
– Unless you are completely indifferent and have a conscious lack of consideration towards others, who can say that they have never been afraid sometimes? This is not an exclusive trait of sensitive people. New experiences often cause butterflies, scary thoughts, and inner turmoil in most people. PAS just tend to feel those emotions more deeply.
Shyness
– Caution, careful assessment of the situation, the need to see the “big picture” and the possible consequences resulting from our actions is in our nature. If everyone carelessly rushed into everything, we would have even more chaos in our world than we have now.
Too sensitive
– Yes, this is our main feature. We assimilate everything that surrounds us at the same time. Lights, noises, smells, energetic vibrations, all are absorbed, processed and evaluated. Unfortunately, when there is too much activity and noise around us, we cannot stand it for a long time. For example, what may be a low to moderate level of music to an insensitive person might sound like the level of a rock concert to us. Emotionally, we are affected by much of the disharmony in the world. We feel the distress of another person, we are aware of the low levels of anger or resentment in a room, we empathize with other people’s problems, and we feel great sorrow for horrible tragedies.
What does this all mean?
A very sensitive person will detect subtleties in the environment that many non-sensitive people cannot see or feel. This can give us great advantages. It can save us in many situations where trouble is coming. Our skills can prevent us from making disastrous business or personal decisions, if we follow our instincts. And because of our deep sense of the environment around us, we are often the ones who make others aware of potential environmental issues that unscrupulous companies ignore for their own benefit. PAS are often the ones that push for reforms and changes in government laws for the good of all.
As with everything, it is good to know that you are not alone, that there are others who have to deal with the same kinds of situations and “labels” as you. It is true that it does not hurt less, but you know that there are similar types that you can look up and talk about … and they will understand. Yes, we tend to exhibit more of the above traits and characteristics than non-sensitive people, but we are not exclusive owners of them either. Sometimes it is a misinterpretation of what is really going on in the mind of a PAS by non-PAS people. Only another very sensitive person could really understand it. The good news is that highly sensitive people have been around since man has walked the earth … and we will always be here, working to make the world a more understanding, considerate, and peaceful haven for all.
