April 9, 2011

HSP's Unite!

my H entry today is hope, but my friend Olivia's entry is about HSP's or Highly Sensitive People.

read this description, and if you think you're an HSP or know one, Olivia has a longer description on today's post and also in a link on her sidebar to a great article she put up last year on HSP's. she also has several links to sites that will help you figure out if you're an HSP.

Excerpt taken from HighlySensitivePeople.com:
 Pearl S. Buck, (1892-1973), recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938, once said about highly sensitive people:

"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this:
A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive.

To him...
a touch is a blow,
a sound is a noise,
a misfortune is a tragedy,
a joy is an ecstasy,
a friend is a lover,
a lover is a god,
and failure is death.

Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create —— so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating."

—Pearl S. Buck

yes, this is me. we're told that we're too sensitive, that we should just get over it, that we should develop thicker skin. we want to fit in, we try to overcome, but it's very difficult. it's how we're hard wired. it's easy to feel like we're alone, or even worse, a freak.

until i read Olivia's article a few months ago, i'd forgotten that i even was one. i'm glad she reminded me. it showed me i wasn't alone. Olivia is an HSP too. so is 20% of the population. i would imagine it applies to 20% of the bloggers out there, and probably a higher percentage of bloggers who are also writers. the two seem to go together sometimes.

if you're an HSP, i'd love to meet you. we're even planning on doing some kind of blogfest in the near future. we'd love to have you participate.

11 comments:

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Well this explains a lot. And I say, NO, we do NOT need to get over it! Great post, Michelle, I'm going to check out the link. Thanks!

Julie Dao said...

I'm pretty sensitive myself! And to make it worse, I'm a perfectionist. So not only do I hate criticism, I criticize myself ALL the time. It's a strange cycle, but for some reason, it turns into motivation and drive on good days. You are not alone!

MJ said...

Wow sounds familiar! Thanks for the post!

-MJ fellow A to Z blogger
http://creativelyspiltink.blogspot.com/

Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré said...

Michelle, I am so happy to have you in my life. And all the other HSP's I'm meeting on blogger. I feel a confidence and solidarity that is new and exciting.

We ARE different. Physiologically. We're wired different than the other 80% and, yes, you're right about our fellow writer friends. I'd venture to say that closer to 80% of them are sensitives.

Can't wait to get our bloghop/fest off the ground!


~ that rebel, Olivia

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I can be highly sensitive! The two sensitive personalities are Sanguines and Melancholies (who are also highly artistic) and I am a blend of both. Lucky me! Let me know when the blogfest happens.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I try not to be too sensitive...

K.C. Woolf said...

Hi Michelle,

I was wondering if you recognise yourself in this description.

I have a theory there might be a strong correlation between HSPs and personality types INFP (introverted - intuïtive - feeling - perceiving) and ENFP (extraverted - intuitive - feeling - perceiving).

I don't know if you're familiar with the MBTI (it's going to be my letter M), but I've found it incredibly valuable.

Wendy Lu said...

Yep, I'm an HSP through and through. I saw that post by Olivia and thought it was really interesting.

Thanks so much for following my blog. :) If you're interested, come sign up for my 100-Followers Blogfest, titled "Inanimation," it's going to be great!

http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com/2011/04/100-followers-blogfest-inanimation.html

~TRA

KM Nalle said...

I have never heard of HSP. I will go check out the other link!

I'm not sure if I am one, but this is fascinating.

Susan Kane said...

It really helped to know that I am not alone in this HSP. Thank your for looking me up. I enjoyed your post!

LittleWomen21 said...

YES YES YES this is me!!!! Please stop by and read my post on the Many Layers of You (in which I off handedly propose a viritual tea party for like-minded souls) - yes I am an HSP and I think an HSP blogfest would be great! - curious to see your idea for that - as I'm also brainstorming on how to do a virtual tea party :)