Holy HSP is Moving + HSP Basics...

We're moving to Substack!

Greetings! After some debate, I’ve made the decision to move over to Substack! It’s more user friendly, it’s FREE for me to use and for readers, and there are more opportunities for community over here!

If you had subscribed to Holy HSP previously, I’ve moved you to this list, but feel free to unsubscribe anytime. No hard feelings.

What’s an HSP you might be asking…

Before we can explore what it means to THRIVE as an HSP rooted in Christ, we first must understand what we're talking about when we use the term, HSP.

HSP, or Highly Sensitive Person, is the pop-culture term used to describe this trait and the term comes with some flaws. Our western culture tends to associate "sensitive" as being a negative thing and we tend to have an incomplete picture in our minds when we say someone is highly sensitive. I think of a scene from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. where Rachel takes out the trash only to end up in tears. Mr. Treeger, the maintenance supervisor, is unkind to her and when she gets back to the apartment, Rachel is in tears. Monica rolls her eyes and says "if you gonna cry about it!" and then snatches the trash from Rachel. (Watch the scene here)

Would most people would be upset by Mr. Treeger? Absolutely! Are highly sensitive people more likely to end up in tears over it? Yes. But this isn't exactly what we're talking about when we say someone is a "highly sensitive person". The official, scientific term is "Sensory Processing Sensitivity*." The word "processing" in the term is important. It refers to how someone with the trait processes everything around them. Their nervous systems are literally wired differently and their brains have more mirror neurons (which leads to higher empathy). Just like blonde hair and blue eyes are passed on from parent to child as a trait, someone inherits the Sensory Processing Sensitivity trait. And, just like Rory and Lorelai Gilmore have REALLY BLUE eyes, some people are more sensitive than others with the same trait. There is a spectrum to the trait.

(*Please note it's important to know this is not the same as Sensory Processing Disorder. While there may be some overlap in what bothers each group, and the very similar names - they are very different.)

You can read more about the trait and the work done by Dr. Elain Aron HERE. There is a SELF-TEST and a test you can take to see if your CHILD is highly sensitive.

Let's go back to that word "processing" and see how that might play out in real life. A "Non-HSP" enters a busy restaurant and thinks "Hey, it's kinda loud in here!" A person with sensory processing sensitivity is going to PROCESS more sensory information and process it very deeply.

• The music will register as LOUDER to the HSP than someone without the trait.

• The ambient noise from all of the people talking over one another will feel chaotic because they're hearing all of it.

• The HSP will notice the waiters who seem stressed and maybe even absorb their emotions (thanks to those extra mirror neurons).

• The smells from the kitchen might be a bit too overstimulating and instead of feeling hungry, the HSP might be feeling queasy.

• The HSP will notice and register the 12 different TVs playing 12 different sports games and their brain will also be processing all the people, colors, & activity on the screen.

• The HSP brain will process deeply the colors on the floor, the brightness of the lights, the mood of the customer at the table next to them (we notice moods, a LOT) and so much more.

*The HSP has also noticed & processed deeply all of this in about 2 seconds. Because it's all happening at once it can feel like an onslaught to our nervous system*

We notice and FEEL everything. The temperature of the room, the brightness of the lights, the scents wafting from far away. The lawn mower that's running way down the street as I type? A non-HSP likely wouldn't have even registered it. My HSP brain, on the other hand? My brain noticed it and could not tune it out. HSPs are the first to notice the refrigerator has an issue, because we hear the faint buzzing. We're the first to know someone is sick or sad because we notice the tiniest changes. We sense when someone is lying because we are extremely perceptive.

We also care very deeply. We are deeply concerned with how our actions affect others. We can't imagine being rude to a store clerk (and if we are, we feel horrible about it). We notice and absorb everyone's emotions and are deeply in tune with the needs of others. We tend to be people-pleasers, but not because that's how we get our self-worth. No, we are people-pleasers because we deeply care for others and their experience and want them to be happy and certainly don't want to be the reason they're not happy.

It is important we recognize that this is a TRAIT and not a disorder. It's perfectly natural, it is God-Given and the experts even say it's an evolutionary advantage to have the trait. We're the first ones to notice the water is tainted or a storm is approaching. It is a GOOD thing. It does, however, come with challenges in our modern, past-paced world. HSP nervous systems are more easily overstimulated and, subsequently, we are often exhausted. (Pssst, this is why HSPs usually need more sleep than non-HSPs). In order to thrive we have to be intentional about self-care & rest. We also have to accept that we need more of it than others, and that's OKAY!

So, why Holy HSP? Because there just isn't much content out there for Christian HSPs. It's very common for HSP content to be driven by New Age philosophy. It can be hard for a Christ following person to find helpful tools, tips, and general encouragement without having to sift through a worldview that doesn’t see Jesus. My hope is that highly sensitives will know they're not alone in their struggles, that the trait is a beautiful gift from God, and that CHRIST is our help. 

Do you have questions about highly sensitives? Are you an HSP?

Love, Light & Blessings,

MM