thoughts i've written in my notes app about being highly sensitive

1. I used to think all my different health issues over the years were separate. Now I know they share a common thread: being highly sensitive.

2. I know there’s a connection between HSPs, people pleasing, and chronic illness. A sensitive body stuck worrying about everyone else and not stopping to take proper care of themselves is bound to get sick.

3. I worry I won’t ever have romantic love again, because who would want to be the life partner of someone who needs so much attention, care, and tending to? Maybe that’s a silly thought.

4. Is this my sensitivity acting up or am I just being dramatic?

5. What does “too sensitive” or “too much” even mean?

6. People relate to others in the same way they relate to themselves. If someone labels you as too much, it’s only because they do not have the capacity to hold what you bring to the table. And that is neither person’s fault.

7. Do other people look for meaning in everything they do?

8. I wish I didn’t have to look for meaning in everything I do. Sometimes it keeps me from truly enjoying the moment.

9. What would happen if I just pretended I wasn’t sensitive and put on a brave face more often?

10. Maybe ignoring my sensitivity is why all these health issues pop up for me so often. Maybe I don’t need to be stronger; I need to be softer.

11. Sometimes I come across as cold because I just don’t have the energy anymore. I know when it’s happening, but I just can’t stop it.

12. I am so grateful I found nutrition. I think eating well and intentionally is the reason for my success so far. I think it’s the reason I’ve been able to thrive as an HSP. And I think it’s why I’m so happy all the time.

13. I toe the line between wanting to acknowledge and support my sensitivity in all aspects of my life, and knowing that the more I pay attention to my sensitivity then the more I’ll notice it.

14. I want people to understand my sensitive heart, but I don’t want them to think I’m fragile because of it. And I don’t want them to treat me as something that needs to be fixed.

15. Am I crying because it matters or am I crying because I’m sensitive? Is there a difference?

16. I love how deeply and carefully I consider everything, but dang, it sure is exhausting to be inside my brain sometimes.

17. I think I need more sensitive people in my life who get it without me having to explain.

18. I think I need more non-sensitive people in my life to remind me not to take life too seriously.

19. I wonder what those strangers in the grocery store are shopping for right now. I wonder what they’re thinking about.

20. How do I balance being both highly ambitious and highly sensitive? How do I make sure I don’t burn out trying to achieve all my big goals?

21. Are the other HSPs of the world craving connection like I am?

22. Sometimes it’s hard to believe 30% of the population is highly sensitive. The world makes us feel like we’re so abnormal.

23. I need to spend more time in nature. I always feel better by a body of water, at the top of a mountain, or with my arms around a moss-covered tree.

24. I love the gifts my sensitivity brings me: my empathy, my attention to detail, my big heart, my care for others, and my ability to make connections between things that others aren’t able to see.

25. I think my sensitivity is the reason I enjoy my own company so much. It’s never a dull moment inside my own brain.

26. It annoys me that everyone assumes that sensitive = sad. I wish people understood that many HSPs are extremely happy and grateful most of the time. Thanks to our sensitivity, we appreciate even the smallest, most mundane of moments.

27. I wish I could watch horror movies.

28. People have always said they feel safe opening up to me, but they can’t explain why. I think my sensitivity is the reason for that.

29. I feel bad for people who will never experience the world in this way.

With love,

— Naomi

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I’m a Registered Holistic Nutritionist & writer based in Vancouver, BC who helps you change your life by changing what you eat. You can learn more about me here.