HSPs and Sense Sensitivities

The touch sensitivity. This one is really tough to live with.

You are constantly feeling things. Clothes that are itchy. Tags on clothes. Textures of food. Seams on socks. Short sleeve shirts. Those are a few of the things that make an HSP uncomfortable.

Being a sensitive is not only about emotions. There are the physical sensitivities too. Smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste—all these senses can be overwhelmed.

Too much stimuli can override our senses and send us into a state where we shut down. But the sense of touch is harder to avoid. You’re constantly having to touch things or have things touching you.

The clothes we wear can be a big factor.

Some materials are hard on an HSPs skin and can leave them feeling raw and exposed. You also handle things throughout your day such as raw food, fabrics, cleaning products, and anything else you work with. It’s hard to escape the touch sensitivity.

With sight sensitivity we can turn off lights or wear sunglasses.

With the taste sensitivity you can simply not eat things you find unpleasant.

But there are things we may have to take that tastes bad such as medicine. The smell sensitivity is a bit tough because you can’t control the smells in the places you have to go throughout you day, week or month.

Hearing is a bit touchy as well. Most the time you can’t control the surrounding sounds. All you can do is cover your ears or leave the room/area where the loud uncomfortable sounds are.

These sensitivities range in degrees. They can be too overwhelming or can be slightly tolerable depending on the person’s level of sensitivity. It doesn’t mean that it’s not just as hard for a lower level sensitive though. It can be just as overwhelming as those with higher level of sensitivity.

I don’t know how to make the physical sensitivities get better.

I don’t know if there is any way to get used to them but for me it doesn’t. I’m never used to it. My body feels raw to these things like an open nerve. It’s hard to be exposed like this. Every sense is amplified.

All we can do is try to minimize the struggle. Try to alter our environment or remove ourselves from the uncomfortable stimuli. It’s hard to live this way.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are also so many wonderful things we experience.

The smell of flowers or a great home cooked meal. The sounds of laughter and of music. Watching children play or taking in the sights of awesome nature. The taste of fruits or a lovely hot tea.

And touch, as hard as this one is, it can also be beautiful. The feel of a baby’s skin or the fur of your beloved pet. There is so much beauty for us to fill our souls, we just need to be open to it, to see it.

What other physical sensitivities do you have? Are they bothersome or tolerable?

 

Pic credit via Fotorech