We have discussed the highly sensitive person many times before, but if this is your first time hearing the term, here is a quick summary for you.
Before the 1990s, heightened sensitivity in humans was not widely talked about, but in 1991, a psychologist named Dr. Elaine Aron began to study this trait more closely. Surprisingly, she discovered that 15-20% of the population carries the trait that classifies them as highly sensitive, which means they respond to external stimuli more noticeably than non-HSP’s. They simply have a different way of processing sensory information due to parts of their brain that regulate emotions being more responsive than the brains of their less sensitive counterparts.
Are you starting a relationship with a highly sensitive person? Is your parent, child, or sibling a highly senstive person? Then, here are some pointers to keep in mind about how to love and care for the empath in your life.
11Â THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOVING A HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON
1. A highly sensitive person feels everything more deeply.
Highly sensitive people don’t know how to feel in any other way than right down to their soul – they get hurt easily, and wear their hearts on their sleeves. Everything seems intense for the highly sensitive souls among us, so if you get in a relationship with an empath, remember to pay attention to and honor their feelings. If you disregard them, you can be sure that this will make your sweetheart run in the opposite direction of your love.
2. A highly sensitive person needs lots of time to recharge in solitude.
Highly sensitive people are usually introverts, so that means they derive their energy from within themselves, not from external sources. They tend to avoid big crowds of people because it seems overwhelming and nerve-racking to them. HSP’s enjoy doing quiet activities, such as hiking in nature, drawing, writing, painting, or anything that allows them to express their creativity.
They easily pick up on other’s emotions and auras, meaning that their own energy can become drained or frazzled when bombarded with stimuli coming in from all directions. Solitude gives them a chance to align themselves once again and clear their energy of any negativity they may have picked up from others.
3. A highly sensitive person is highly intuitive to your emotions.
A sensitive person can automatically sense how you feel without you having to say a word. Loving a highly sensitive person means that your feelings will always be on display, because they can pick up on energy very easily. You can’t hide anything from an empath, so if you get in a relationship with one, make sure you feel comfortable with keeping your emotions in the spotlight at all times. This is a person with innate kindness, and they don’t take your feelings lightly.
4. A highly sensitive person doesn’t treat sex as just a game.
In order for an HSP to become interested in intimacy with a partner, he or she must feel completely comfortable with the person on a deep spiritual level. They might identify with the term sapiosexual, which means they find human intelligence to be the most attractive feature about a person.
They won’t consent to sex unless they feel a soul connection to another person. Sex is not taken lightly or seen as a game by highly sensitive people.
5. A highly sensitive person’s brain runs on overdrive, making them more prone to insomnia.
Their minds work on overdrive most of the day, so turning the lights out and laying their head down doesn’t do much good for a brain that doesn’t want to sleep. They might lie awake some nights just tossing and turning, contemplating life and all its mysteries.
Highly sensitive people often suffer from insomnia due to their overactive minds, and might sleep at odd hours of the day to make up for it. Most people know them as a night owl, because they seem to come alive at night.
6. A highly sensitive person can easily get overwhelmed in loud, crowded environments.
You will likely meet them in a quiet coffee shop or book store rather than at a bar or mall. They like places where they can hear their own thoughts and process stimuli slowly, which makes busy, loud establishments an infrequent stop for highly sensitive people.
If you date an empath, you’ll have to understand their desire to spend ample time in nature or at least in a quieter setting than most places today provide.
7. A highly sensitive person can’t change their disposition.
Oftentimes, people misunderstand the HSP because others think they just want attention, but high sensitivity is actually an inborn trait. They can’t help the fact that their brains are wired differently than others, but this makes them feel like an outcast much of the time, unfortunately.
If you date a highly sensitive person, don’t try to change them. Just love them for what they are, and try to understand and support them as best you can. They can seem more difficult to be in a relationship with, but their ability to love so deeply makes it totally worth it.
8. A highly sensitive person doesn’t like to get in fights.
Because they feel emotions so deeply, they don’t like to get into heated debates or arguments with people. They’d rather walk away from a confrontation, or at least talk things out rationally. Be patient if you need to talk things out with an empath. That’s because they must first collect their thoughts before they debate with you.
9. A highly sensitive person often feels misunderstood.
These types of people have been mislabeled and judged their whole lives for “being too sensitive.”
So if you do get into a relationship with one, don’t ever make them feel bad for their innate characteristics. Love them as they are, because they bring important gifts to the world, and they really are beautiful souls that should be cherished.
10. Highly sensitive people make the most loyal partners.
A highly sensitive person will never hurt you intentionally; they will give you their all in a relationship, and make you feel more adored and loved than you’ve ever felt before.
11. A highly sensitive person can offer great conversation.
They might seem quiet at first, but they have so much to say after they feel comfortable with you. They enjoy deep, meaningful conversations, so a relationship with them will never get boring because they always have a unique perspective to offer about the world around them, and the worlds within them, too.
