WHY AM I SO SENSITIVE?

Commonalities Between ADHD and Highly Sensitive People (HSP) 

Have you ever been called overly sensitive by friends or family? Do you avoid violent movies and TV shows? Are loud noises, strong smells, or bright lights overwhelming to you? Do you need to withdraw to a dark room to calm down when a lot is going on? Are you profoundly empathetic and sensitive to others’ emotions? If so, you might be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). 

A highly sensitive person (HSP) has sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), which makes a person more sensitive to external stimuli. People with SPS often have deeper cognitive processing, greater attention to subtleties, are more emotionally reactive, pause before acting, and have a greater awareness of external stimuli, such as the moods and emotions of others. 

Research on HSP

Some studies suggest that about 20% of the population may be highly sensitive. More recent research suggests that sensitivity is a continuum, and people can fall into low, medium, and highly sensitive groups. 

ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and SPS (Sensory Processing Sensitivity) overlap in many ways, as people with either condition often experience sensory and emotional overload, are creative, and have strong intuition. ADHD’ers get easily overwhelmed, leading to highly sensitive reactions. Research suggests that ADHD and SPS are also often comorbid conditions. One study found that sensory sensitivity was positively associated with ADHD, meaning that many people frequently have both. 

5 STRATEGIES TO MANAGE ADHD AND HSP 

It can be exhausting to manage both your ADHD symptoms and your HSP reactions. To help you manage them in your daily life, you can try the following strategies: 

1. Take the Highly Sensitive Person Test

If the definitions and characteristics of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) resonate with you, you can take the quick highly sensitive person test to evaluate if you are one. You can take the test here. Dr. Elaine Aron developed this test. She is a clinical research psychologist who has extensively studied sensitivity and coined HSP as a personality trait. 

Finding out you are a highly sensitive person can help you feel that you are not alone. Additionally, knowing you are highly sensitive can help you adjust your lifestyle, as people who are highly sensitive need to live differently to be comfortable. 

2. Pause before reacting 

Highly sensitive people can often have very intense emotional reactions to external stimuli. It’s important to take a moment before reacting to get in tune with your emotions. Breathing exercises are a great way to get out of fight or flight mode when a strong emotion arises. Practice strategies to calm your body when your threat response is overactivated. It also helps you move into a more mindful state to feel more calm and in control of your emotions. To begin, try this breathing exercise or this mindful meditation with breathwork. Regular practice can help you develop mindfulness to tap into when in stressful, highly emotional situations.

3. Utilize stress-reducing techniques 

Reducing your daily stressors can help you reduce your sensitivity and emotional reactivity to external situations. One way to do this is by starting a journaling practice. Journaling is a great way to relieve stress by putting your thoughts down on paper. Additionally, journaling can be a great way to identify your triggers as an HSP. Knowing your triggers can help you avoid and manage them in the future. 

You can also try other stress-reducing techniques, such as meditation, yoga, and regular massages, to lower your overall stress levels. You can try this meditation site and this guided meditation video, both created specifically for highly sensitive people. 

4. Block out distractions

External stimuli can often trigger HSPs. Knowing your specific triggers can help you develop strategies to mitigate them. For example, if you know that sounds, such as humming or air conditioning noises make you overwhelmed and uncomfortable, consider wearing headphones to drown these out. 

Creating relaxing zones in your home can also help you avoid overwhelming triggers. Having a calming space where you can have things like aromatherapy, soothing music, and warm lighting can help regulate your nervous system and minimize distractions. 

5. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine 

There is a reason why exercise is often prescribed to alleviate many ADHD symptoms. This is because regular aerobic exercise greatly improves symptoms in ADHD adults by changing your neurochemistry mix, oxygenating your body, and dumping cortisol. Incorporating exercise into your life can help you regulate your emotional responses and manage your ADHD and HSP symptoms. Even small movements can help, such as taking a short walk after dinner or regular stretching before bed. Check out my article on how aerobic exercise helps ADHD symptoms for ideas on incorporating exercise into your daily routine. 

CONCLUSION 

Being a highly sensitive person (HSP) with ADHD can be overwhelming and greatly affect your career, relationships, and overall happiness. Identifying your triggers and practicing strategies to minimize your emotional reactivity is key to managing your life with ADHD and HSP. Do you find yourself struggling with enhanced sensitivity? As a certified ADHD coach, I’d love to discuss it with you and see if I can help. Book your free Discovery Call with me today.