aCCEPTANCE

THE hsp DILEMMA 

The single greatest problem highly sensitive people face on their journey is not knowing that they are HSPs.  They go through life struggling and not understanding why.  And because they don't know why, they assume that there must be something terribly horribly wrong with them.  Why else would they be having such a hard time with "normal" life?

But even when HSPs reach the awareness stage of their journey, they often get stuck for a bit.  You see, they are now faced with a new dilemma. 

Should they fight their sensitivity?  Should they try to "fix it"?  Should they disapprove of their natural tendencies?  Should they continue to do everything in their power to be and live like "everyone else"?  Should they just "grow thicker skin"?

Or should they strive to understand and learn to love their sensitive nature?  Should they care for themselves so that they can minimize the downsides of their trait?  Should they emphasize and celebrate the upsides of their trait?

Should they choose the path of war or the path of acceptance?

If they ultimately choose the path of acceptance, it starts with understanding why highly sensitive people exist.     

why do highly sensitive people exist? 

Even though you may have at times felt flawed and different and even though some of the characteristics associated with being highly sensitive can feel like a burden, there is a good reason why we are the way we are.  

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of the human population are estimated to be highly sensitive.  It is very unlikely that this many of us would have survived evolution if our trait didn't give us - and our fellow humans - some kind of an advantage or advantages.  And one of the greatest advantages we have is that we are really good at anticipating danger.  We are sensitive (duh!) so we notice things before others do.  And we think things through pretty carefully.  Throughout evolution, this has meant that we have approached potentially dangerous circumstances with caution and we have been quick to alert others of potential risks.  This has paid off enough times that our kind has survived!

And there are many other positives too.  If you want more reasons to feel good about your sensitivity, check out the articles below!