Are You Highly Sensitive?

I am a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person). HSPs are people whose nervous system is particularly developed/sensitive. They perceive more details than others and are said to process input more deeply.

It's a bit like lacking filters. Other people's brains discard "useless" information and regulate the sensory input they get. HSPs are not able to do that. As a result, they are easily bothered by loud or repetitive sounds, background noise, strong smells, flashy lights... They also need more time than others to process their experiences, like conversations or movies, and those tend to affect them deeply. HSPs get easily over-stimulated or overwhelmed when too much is going on at once.

Do you wonder if you are a HSP? I cannot speak for others since we are all sensitive in different ways, but this is what it looks like for me:

I can't stand loud or repetitive sounds. Listening to loud music while dancing around in the living room for twenty minutes is okay, but that's about it. I suffer a lot at night clubs or loud parties, which is why I almost never go there. Even at the cinema, the sound is usually outrageously loud to me. Sometimes I wonder if everybody else is deaf or something. I tried to go to a big concert twice in my life and collapsed both times despite the earplugs.
I have a hard time with flashy colors. Most websites look way too aggressive to me, including my own! Fortunately I don't have to look at it much. The internal wordpress interface is decent.
Strong smells affect me a lot. When someone has a lot of perfume on them and comes too close, I almost faint.
I am very sensitive to physical sensations such as pain, cold, heat, hunger, clothes and materials...
Especially food has a huge effect on me. Eating unhealthy things like animal products or grains makes me feel very miserable very quickly. It leads to sickness, sleeping disorders, nervousness, etc. On the other hand, I also feel much better very quickly when I eat fruit and veggies.
I don't tolerate the anti-baby-pill, antibiotics, or other allopathic drugs. Even painkillers are a problem, I have found only two kinds that I can take. I avoid all kinds of pills and only take painkillers once a month when my period would drive me insane if I didn't.
I am prone to addictions. Since my nervous system tends to over-react, addictive substances have a huge impact on me. I get drunk from drinking half an alcohol-free beer (seriously!). I tried to smoke pot a few times in my life and got extremely sick from it. When I start eating sugar, I feel very crappy, but even crappier when I stop eating it. That is something I need to be watchful for.
I am sensitive to energy. As a side-effect, I have strong empathy and can feel other people's emotions. Electric devices make me nervous. I am easily unsettled by negative energy in places or people. When they are scared, aggressive or angry, it truly feels like a physical aggression to me, even when their emotions are not directed at me at all.
As you can imagine, I dislike crowded places. I'm not scared of other people. It's just... too much input! Too overwhelming. Sometimes I get nervous breakdowns in crowded places.
I totally hate having conversations in places with a lot going on around or background noise/music, like bars or streets with lots of cars. I am unable to switch the background stuff off in order to focus on the conversation. In such situations I often can't hear what they're saying. Or I hear it but somehow just don't understand it. My brain is too busy processing everything else. I can do it, but it costs me a lot of energy and is extremely stressful for me to follow a conversation under such conditions. This too can sometimes lead to uncontrollable crying, panting or nervous breakdowns.
When a police car or ambulance with a siren drives past me, I usually protect my ears with my hands and whine, or scream "Aaaaahhhh!!". It's so stressful that I get totally aggressive and feel like killing everybody in that moment, especially the car driver.
I startle easily. Don't shout "Boooo!!!" behind my back! I'd immediately turn around and hit you on your nose, or alternatively have a heart attack. ;-)
I am unable to watch violent or scary movies. When I say violent, think Lord of the Rings... Usually, movies recommended for children above 12 are too violent for me. I'm easily scared and hide. When it gets too violent, I just can't stand it, I cry and run out. When I watch any movie, it resonates in me for days until I have fully digested it.
Music moves me to tears! Or books, movies, art, nature...
I feel emotional pain as physical pain in my chest. When I am very happy, it can be so strong that I cry or puke. I am easily over-excited, over-stimulated, and also very easily bored!
I need a lot of time to do nothing, recover and process input. I totally freak out when I don't get enough time alone, when I get repeatedly interrupted or woken up, or when too much is going on at once.

Well, I think that is enough. You get the picture. :-)

Do you recognize yourself in this to some extent? Then you could be a HSP too. If you want to investigate the topic further, see this website. There is a self-test you can take as well as some resources. I haven't read her books, so I don't know if I recommend them or not. If you happen to speak German, I recommend this book. It has helped me tremendously to acknowledge my high sensitivity and deal with it in a practical way.