Living Gently in a Harsh World: A Guide for Highly Sensitive People
Living as a Highly Sensitive Person: Understanding Sensory Overload and Embracing the Gift Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, the idea of being a "highly sensitive person" wasn’t something many people talked about. If you struggled with bright lights, loud noises, strong perfumes, or certain foods, you were often dismissed as overreacting or being difficult. For much of my life, I thought I was simply too sensitive and that I had to push through discomfort like everyone else. It wasn’t until much later—especially after seeing my younger daughter experience anxiety from similar sensory stressors—that I finally understood that what I was dealing with was real. I wasn’t making it up. The Early Signs: When Sensitivity Feels Like a Burden From a young age, I was always overwhelmed by my environment. The fluorescent lights in classrooms gave me headaches, the smell of synthetic perfumes in department stores made me feel nauseous, and loud, chaotic places left me drained. I struggl...