Let’s be real — if someone’s ever told you to “just get over it” or asked you why you cry during commercials, you might be part of the HSP club.

Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) isn’t a weakness. It’s not something that needs to be “fixed.” In fact, once you understand what’s actually going on, it becomes a map — a compass pointing you toward deeper self-acceptance, spiritual growth, and even your purpose.

So, how do you know if you're an HSP?

5 Signs You’re a Highly Sensitive Person

1. You feel everything. 

   
   

   Someone else is upset and suddenly you feel like crawling into a hole. You pick up on moods, tones, and energies like a human tuning fork.

   
   

2. Loud noises, strong smells, or bright lights feel like a personal attack. 

   
   

   Crowded rooms? Overhead fluorescent lights? That bass-boosted truck rolling by? No thank you.

   
   

3. You cry. A lot. 

   
   

   Happy tears, sad tears, angry tears, confused tears, existential tears because you just felt the heartbeat of the universe for a second. You know.

   
   

4. You need a lot of downtime. 

   
   

   After being around people, you’re like, “I love you all, but I’m going to disappear into my cocoon for the next 6 hours.”

   
   

5. You’ve been called “too sensitive” your whole life. 

   
   

   Or maybe, “too emotional,” “too intense,” or “too much.” Sound familiar?

   
   

So... What Is a Highly Sensitive Person?

A Highly Sensitive Person (a term coined by psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron) is someone with a nervous system that processes sensory data and emotions more deeply than the average person. HSPs are often more empathetic, intuitive, and affected by both their inner and outer environments.

Roughly 15-20% of the population is considered highly sensitive. This isn't a disorder or diagnosis — it’s a trait. And within that trait, there’s a spectrum.

Some HSPs are highly spiritually attuned — their sensitivity opens doors to mystical experiences, intuitive insights, and deep inner knowing. Others may be neurodivergent, such as living with ADHD, autism, or complex trauma, which can also heighten sensory and emotional perception.

Why Am I This Way?

The “why” is layered — just like you.

You might be highly sensitive because of:

• Spiritual attunement – Your soul came here to feel deeply, to notice what others overlook, to be a tuning fork for divine guidance.

  
  

• Early life experiences – If you grew up walking on eggshells or needing to read a room to feel safe, your nervous system may have developed heightened sensitivity as a survival skill.

  
  

• Neurodivergence – Sensory processing differences are common in ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence, creating a natural depth of awareness.

  
  

• Ancestral and karmic imprints – (If you’re into the deeper stuff) Sometimes we’re carrying wisdom — and wounds — from lifetimes of being open-hearted in a harsh world.

My Own Story: When the World Was Too Much

I didn’t realize I was an HSP for a long time. I just thought I was “too emotional” — the one crying 30 seconds into the music on a Disney movie or because I watched a video of a kid playing the piano like a boss. I’d pick up other people’s energy like lint on a sweater, and then wonder why I felt exhausted after even small social interactions.

My sense of smell is a thing. I realized that I could smell a person from 30 feet away when they were behind me, I could tell what someone ate 6 hours prior, I could tell the health of a person just by sniffing them, I even smelled that someone was going to die before it happened.

I recognized that my vision was full of colors that other people just don’t see. That very subtle shades and shadows altering could draw my attention from 200 feet away, and that I could read street signs other normal people couldn't.

When I look back at my life through the HSP Lens, I can see that things like ripping the tags out of all my clothes and being so overwhelmed by looking at the sky that I start crying in awe—it all has meaning and can be explained, and that is liberating.

Sometimes I’d get overstimulated to the point of shutting down, and I couldn’t understand why things that seemed “normal” to other people were so intense for me. I'd try to push through — force myself to be chill, to be normal, to “just get over it” — but it never worked. It only disconnected me more from myself. This was especially destructive when it came to having sex. At a point, even drugs were a coping mechanism for my constant sense of overstimulation.

It wasn’t until I started learning about consciousness, self-awareness, and nervous system regulation that things began to click. I realized: I wasn’t broken. I was built differently — deliberately. My nervous system was wired to feel deeply, to sense the invisible, to be a bridge between the seen and unseen.

And once I began honoring that... my whole life started shifting.

The Inner Landscape of an HSP

Being highly sensitive means your emotions don’t knock politely — they kick the door in. Joy is ecstasy. Sadness is grief. You feel beauty so deeply that it can make you cry. You feel injustice like it’s happening to you personally. You feel everything — even when it’s not yours.

You might often wonder:

• Why do I feel so overwhelmed?

• Why does everything affect me so deeply?

• Why can’t I just be like everyone else?

Let me tell you this:

The world needs people who feel. Who care. Who notice. Who cry. Who pause. Who create safe spaces. Who sit with the pain of others and transmute it into love.

Being Highly Sensitive Has a Purpose

Your sensitivity is not a flaw — it’s a function. It’s how you receive divine information. It’s how you empathize, connect, and hold space. It’s how you heal.

Highly sensitive people are:

• Artists, healers, teachers, mystics, caregivers.

• The ones who sense what’s broken before it cracks.

• The ones who speak for those who can’t.

• The ones who can’t ignore the ache of the world — and are here to change it, not escape it.

If You’re Struggling, Here’s What You Need to Hear

You’re not crazy. You’re not dramatic. You’re not too much.

You’re sensitive — and that’s a strength.

You might need more rest. More alone time. More nature. More music. More softness. More boundaries. That’s not weakness — that’s wisdom. Honor those needs like sacred rituals.

Because when you protect your energy and regulate your nervous system, your sensitivity becomes a superpower. A compass. A guide. A gift to everyone you meet.

If this resonated with you, take a deep breath. Put your hand on your heart. And remember:

You’re not broken. You’re beautifully built for depth, feeling, and truth.

The world doesn’t need you to harden. It needs you to stay soft — and strong in that softness.

Welcome to the HSP club. We’re glad you’re here.

How did you realize you were an HSP? How has it felt to love an HSP? Leave it in the comments below!!