Your dominant sensitivity type is…
SENSORY SENSITIVE
Please note that this is only your dominant sensitivity type in this moment in time.
We humans all have combinations of different types of sensitivity, so you can always go back and take the quiz again if there were multiple choices that were right for you.
With that said, let me share with you my insights around Sensory Sensitivity…
To be Sensory Sensitive means that you have more awareness of sensory stimuli than other people, and that there is depth in how you process sensory information, and that you need more time to process sensory stimuli than the average person.
This probably leads to feeling that you have strong sensory experiences and that it’s difficult to regulate the amount of sensory information that you allow in. You probably feel like a sponge when it comes to sounds, tastes, smells, colors, light, and tactile stimuli. And that sensory information is more alive and intense for you than for other people.
It can be that you experience all sensory stimuli to be heightened or that it’s certain types of sensory stimuli that is more alive or intense. This sensory sensitivity can make it feel like the world is too much. Too loud, too noisy, too smelly and so on.
In the world of science, Sensory Sensitivity is called Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) or Environmental Sensitivity (ES), and is seen as a biologically-based trait characterized by increased awareness and sensitivity to the environment. When this trait is not supported or tended to it can lead to, for example, difficulties focusing, anxiety, extreme irritability, restlessness, and feeling “wound up”.
When it is supported it will give you a richer, deeper, and more alive experience of life.
As a Sensory Sensitive you probably recognize places and people from their scent or sound. You know who clothes belong to due to how they smell. Maybe you as a child identified familiar places from their scent, and could tell people apart according to how they smelled or the sound of their voice.
You are probably easily overwhelmed by artificial sensory stimulus such as laundry detergent, blinking neon lights, food with a lot of artificial additives, fingernails on a blackboard (I apologize if reading this brings back the memory…), polyester fabrics. And feel more drawn to natural sensory stimuli such as the sound of birds, the feeling of water against you skin, the colors of a sunset, the taste of fresh and organic food, the scent of summer rain in a forest.
Without ways to support yourself in you Sensory Sensitivity is can easily lead to overwhelm which then leads to even greater sensory sensitivity, and it becomes a taxing downward spiral. Ways to notice that you are in sensory overwhelm can be that you are experiencing blurry vision, ringing in your ears or that sounds get muffled, food or drink aversion that you normally don’t have, extremely heightened sense of smell and extreme sensitivity to being touched. Or simply that you want to cover your ears, eyes, and so on.
I find that it is important to distinguish between Sensory Sensitivity and sensory overwhelm. When you learn how to harness the power of your sensory sensitivity it makes the world feel alive, welcoming and beautiful, and when you are experiencing sensory overwhelm it can feel almost like the world is attacking you with it’s sounds, lights, smells, and so on.
Engaging in activities that build resilience, confidence, self-awareness, and self- or co-regulation are ways to begin to support yourself in your Sensory Sensitivity. Through such practices you can begin to understand your sensitivity and how to best support yourself, and how to process and even regulate sensory input. Practices that support you to explore how to feel safe and comfortable in your own body are alos avenues towards harnessing the power of your sensitivity.