How to be successful as a highly sensitive person
As a highly sensitive person, you might already have found there is something you need to solve regarding how you live your life. How to be successful as a highly sensitive person is first and foremost about understanding the trait. When all of this is clear, you can define your success and start moving towards it.
What makes a highly sensitive person different from someone without the trait
Elaine Aaron began researching high sensitivity in the early 1990s. She says the trait is normal, and it is found in about 15 to 20% of the population. This is too many to be a disorder but not enough to be well understood by the majority of those around you.
The trait is innate and can be found in more than 100 other species, as well. It is not a new discovery, but it has been misunderstood for a long time. Many times HSPs have been called shy, but shyness is learned not innate, Elaine says.
To understand what the trait is all about, and to make it easier to grasp we can look at a model created by Elaine. This model of hers describes the basic characteristics of the highly sensitive person. She calls it the DOES model, and it refers to the key attributes of sensitivity.
The DOES model
- D depth of processing
- O overstimulation
- E emotional reactivity and empathy
- S sensing the subtle
Studying this model and trying to make sense of explains a lot about high sensitivity. The key, in my opinion, is to understand how these attributes can be both the strength of a highly sensitive person as well as weaknesses. When understood and managed, your high sensitivity can be an enormous strength.
What are your strengths as an HSP (highly sensitive person)
Mark my words, your high sensitivity can be a great superpower for you.
1. Depth of processing and sensing the subtle
How you process information is to go in deep, learn more, sense the subtle, and analyze what you´ve got. By doing this, you are most likely able to combine information others aren´t necessarily aware of. Your depth of processing information can be an asset if you learn how to harness it.
2. You are empathetic and easy to talk to
As a highly sensitive person, you are also likely to be very empathetic. This is due to a higher level of activation in one area of the brain. An area, associated with empathy. In addition to this, you might also feel other people’s emotions more easily. And you tend to pick up on the energy in a room.
This trait might also give you the high potential to be a great leader. Why so? Because highly sensitive people have that high level of emotional awareness and dedication to treat people fairly. A combination of these two is something we need in today’s corporate world as we are growing to understand how people are our most important assets.
3. Find your creativity
Your sensitivity also encourages creativity, as there seems to be a strong correlation between the two. I have no evidence of this but it seems there are a lot of musicians and artists that are highly sensitive. Might it have something to do with how they use their sensitivity to their advantage in what they love doing?
As you learn more about your strengths AKA superpower, you are already many steps ahead of many on how to be successful as a highly sensitive person. If you haven’t found your superpower yet, I will guarantee you your life will change completely, when you do.
Don’t let overwhelm become the pilot of your life
The other side of the coin will, however, be very tangible if not paid attention to. You should learn to know yourself. You also need to pay extra attention to how you live your life. The feeling of continuous overwhelm is something highly sensitive people tend to experience frequently. Particularly, if they don’t see to it to have enough time to recharge.
When you truly understand you need downtime to recharge, you will be able to use your superpower. Finding the balance between the expectations from society on how to live your life, and how you need to live your life, is something you should teach yourself.
As an emotional individual, when overwhelmed, you might feel emotions such as sadness anger, or anxiety very strongly. But in the same way, you will feel the beautiful emotions strongly as well. in life we will experience both ends of the spectrum of emotions. This is the way it should be.
But for me, strong and heavy emotions are welcomed, but not for long. I’d rather see the beauty in life and enjoy it to the fullest. I’m going to do my darndest to keep overwhelmed astray and enjoy the trait that has been given me.
Define your success and move towards it
Thinking about how to be successful in life as a highly sensitive person has hopefully been given a broader perspective. Instead of defining success as an abundance of money, I hope you realize it can be so much more.
To me, success means abundance in many areas of my life. Money is only one of them. Equally, if not more important, I find the opportunity of having the freedom to create a life that suits both me and my family. A life built for me, as a highly sensitive person.
What does success, as a highly sensitive person, mean to you?
…and a final note
If you want the create the life you want, I am almost certain you would be interested in learning about life balance. Creating a life balance for yourself will give you energy, happiness, and joy. It will be the key to harnessing your can your superpower.
To learn more about life balance check out this:
Learn more about high sensitivity:
