13 awesome characteristics of highly sensitive people.

This is one of my most praised and liked articles on LinkedIn that I would like to share again here. Because I have always loved it.

Do you feel like you process situations more intensely than the average person?

According to the late Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), a highly sensitive person (HSP) is a person having the innate trait of high sensitivity. The term ‘highly sensitive person’ was coined by Elaine N. Aron PhD in 1996. And, according to Aron, these individuals represent about a fifth of the population — to which, she concludes, such people process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly due to  biological difference in their nervous systems. (Much more to be explored in her book The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You.) 

Throughout my life, I’ve often found myself feeling confused, even guilty for feeling too intently, too intimately, too sensitively. Because of my over-feeling attributes, I’ve often resorted to behaviors that diluted my innate, sensitive superpower…I’d cowar, become shy, inhibited and/or extremely introverted — and I’d feel bad about who I was. I didn’t understand how to use this characteristic of my being so instead I’d also stress out for feeling overwhelmed by stuff that seemed easily manageable by other people…why couldn’t I just be more easy going?!

What was wrong with me? Well, nothing.

I’ve also always been hyper sensitive to vibrational energy, speed, heights, sounds, mass units of anything, smells and touch. I can’t count how many times going to concerts, workshops, gatherings, etc, has made me feel…insane. I’d still participate, but the vibrational energy would make me feel overly caffeinated, wired — and mostly freaked out, although I wasn’t afraid. Instead of trying to relax and embrace my emotional and physical states in these environments, I’d often just sit contorted in constriction and not relax until I was home.

For these reasons, I’ve always considered myself a shy extrovert. I’ve always found it easy to connect with people, but often when the connection would open to allow our experience to go deeper, it would feel like a blast to my core. I’d feel it in every molecule of myself and I’d typically withdraw so as to not make the other person or persons feel uncomfortable. This would often trigger a blush or a disconnect of eye contact. Many have told me that they found this behavior endearing, but not me. I thought I’d blush because I was insecure or weird even though I didn’t feel insecure (or necessarily weird — in negative way).

I realized much later that I just felt most things very intimately.

And violence is a no-go for me. I simply cannot unnecessarily expose myself to it in any of its forms — movies, television, newspapers, factory farms, war — you name it. When I am visualizing or listening to it, I can feel it penetrating every aspect of my being — and it has never, ever felt right or healthy.


It wasn’t until recent years that have I stopped negatively questioning my power, my presence and my energy for being so sensitive, and in that process I have discovered some of the awesomeness of being a highly sensitive person. I am still in this discovery process.

Here is a list of some of the awesomeness I have found thus far:

1. Intuitive — highly sensitive people tend to be aware of what is happening below the surface, in between the lines and without an articulated reasoning.

2. An ability to read the vibe — when entering a room, a conversation, a situation or when coming into contact with another person or group of people. Perhaps you can feel what type of mood or conversation was taking place just before you arrived, even if the people who were there are no longer present.

3. Picking up on the subtle — perhaps you’re able to respond to someone’s needs or questions before they even ask. Perhaps you can even tell when someone is lying to you o hiding something.

4. Empathy for what others are feeling — and this goes beyond just the cordial sentiments, but getting as close to being able to walk a mile in a person’s shoes without ever putting their boots on.

5. Experiencing the extraordinary — perhaps you’re able to experience, feel and see what is beyond the ordinary…a sound, a sense, a color not yet coined — dare I say magic?

6. Mental telepathy — this one is interesting and I’m still working this out, but it seems that highly sensitive people may have the ability to sense when someone is going to call them, send them a text message, stop over for a visit, or can even pick up on personal messages offered from others while engaging in other conversations.

7. Storytelling — because of your highly sensitive nature, perhaps you are able to elegantly and graciously use descriptive words to narrate and create the most divine of stories — played, written, painted or through movement.

8. Going solo with confidence — you’re able to be alone without feeling lonely. Sometimes your own company is all you need and want and that’s okay and sometimes even preferred.

9. Above average mindfulness — you’re able to move to the other side of the sidewalk so someone can pass. You’re more than willing to make room for a group of people coming onto the bus or you find yourself making eye contact with a by-passer…all in the name of making it easier for everyone — them and you. Often this trait is default and isn’t something you need to ‘activate’.

10. Easy to cry — showing our emotions in the form of crying can come easier for us sensitive souls, but it’s also a healthy release of constrictive emotions and thought-patterns — a cleansing of our windows to the soul and our lenses out into the world.

11. Work excellent in a team setting — due to our ability to pick-up on how people are feeling, we’re able to respond to the team’s needs to help them work in the most optimal way.

12. Hard working — you tend to be a deep thinker and perhaps a little bit of a perfectionist. Highly sensitive people tend to put everything and a little more into tasks at hands especially projects that others will witness and be involved in.

 13. Easily moved by artistic expression — and if there’s anything that keeps the world’s artists inspired and creativity in full rebellion is having those who are moved by it — and show it.

Recognizing myself as a highly sensitive person as helped me to see it in others. These others, by and large, have been the most profound teachers, artists, healers, dreamers and souls I have ever come across.

[VIA TANYA LEE MARKUL]

When was that last time?

Brain scientist Lara Boyd once said that human brain changes its shapes each time we learn something and learning ability is different, in fact unique, in every human being. This is why some of you might  be good at solving mathematical problem but some are good at sports. This unique ability can not be obtained with a medicine, practice or enforcing or guidance and coaching.

There is no way you can change your learning tendencies, so does your child. You must understand and find out what you are good at learning, that mainly depends on genetics but not 100%. After you find out, help your child to learn what he is good at.

One of another interesting thought patterns that make your life much easier and happier is to understand that 'Stress is bad for you, but only if you believe it is'. A health psychologist wrote a book on this topic in which she describes how our thoughts patterns directly effect our body. She once gave it a test with a friend's 12 year son who became a victim of bullies at school. She asked him  to sway and spin around fast, climb up and down the stairs. Then she asked him about his feelings and he said it feels funny. My heart is pounding and I feel all thrilled and excited and dizzy. She said to him 'well you feel happy and you think its funny doing that. But what if it happens in the school when some bullies run after you? teasing and taunting?. The feeling is entirely the opposite of that. It all depends the way we think and believe.

These are all our thought patterns. The way we take things is the main reason of stress. Brain scientist say that, there are 70,000 thoughts everyday in our  mind and only 5% of them are new. Think of Common placebos, that are inert tablets (like sugar pills), that work incredibly good for patients instead of a prescribed medicine and they actually remove their disease too. Just because they believe it works. That's only their positive thought that makes their disease go away with a placebo. But sometimes a disease wont go away with a real medicine and treatment. This is just because of the negative thoughts.

Think of this power of our thoughts over us. Think of those 70, 000 thoughts, 95% of them keep repeating themselves and how many of them are negative that tell you over and over again that that's good for them but not for me? They can do that but I am not capable or free enough to do that. Our thoughts make us judge things and people in split second. When we watch, listen or even read about them and these thoughts make our decisions and results.

Have you ever realized what you are thinking about right now? Do you check your thoughts ? Are they negative or positive? Most of our negative thoughts are taken as realistic or straight forward thoughts and we make them as good and positive but that's absolutely wrong.

Everyone has experienced something really bad in life. There are times that make you feel scarred, helpless and really angry and if you keep your focus entirely on your fears and despair you can never get out of that situation. Nelson Mandela was asked how he survived in jail for 27 years and his answer was' I didn't survive, I prepared'. We only need to get hold on our negative thoughts of fear despair and anger and change our focus towards positive thoughts that give us energy to fight back and succeed. They words you focus upon really matter. If we focus on the word survive you wont survive actually for 27 years. But  if you focus on the word prepare that makes you calm and content.

Another good way to take hold of the situation that makes your nerves tense your heart pounding, and you are about to lose control, is to change your physiology at that moment. Breath deeper, move your arms or sit up and try to divert your thoughts by switching on TV or radio or music and stop those negative thoughts to invade your mind and control you. You are in control of yourself nothing else.

You need to focus on good thoughts and for that you need to understand new ways to build your ability. Focus on what you can learn and reach out for those who learned and specialized those abilities. Learn from them and stop letting 95% of your thoughts coming back to you, replace them with new ones. When was the last time, when you did something for the first time?

Big Mistake

Like Morihei Ueshiba once said, ''Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust. When people show loyalty to you, you take care of those who are with you. It's how it goes with everything.''

Sadly, loyal people are often treated worse because they are loyal and thus would not go anywhere. Big mistake. Just because someone is loyal does not mean they can't reach a point of no return. Loyal people quit before they resign, when they had enough. Never push loyal people to the point where they don't care. Think twice about losing them because your own future depends on them.

When leaders throughout an organization take an active, genuine interest in the people they manage, when they invest real time to understand employees at a fundamental level, they create a climate for greater morale, loyalty, and, yes, growth.

Loyal people have their own high standards for what they want in a partner and how they want to be treated. They bring a lot to the table. Not talking about material things but what what they have to offer as a person - love and loyalty and all the things that make a good relationship.