I was born and raised in Austria and have now lived longer in Canada than in Austria. My life in two cultures often reminds me of life as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). You are part of a society yet you are always aware of your differences and uniqueness.

I love to travel, to take pictures, to hike in nature, and also to explore big cities. During my travels I discovered my natural curiosity and ability to easily connect with all kinds of people. I have also learned that nature helps me to be grounded and how to manage sensory overload in busier environments.

As an extroverted Highly Sensitive Coach (HSP) I struggled a long time to find a balance between me time and enjoying time with others. Writing and sharing my blogs is rewarding and sometimes difficult, because like many HSPs I am a very private person. My desire is to inspire and encourage other HSPs to think, and to look at their life from different perspectives, to ask themselves new questions and to find their personal answers.

Too often and too long many HSPs have tried to conform and be someone they are not. This has led to pain, disappointment, exhaustion and frustration. My passion is to empower HSPs to discover their unique, sensitive strengths, to express themselves fully and freely and to change their life and world through their business.

Others say about me that I am a gentle, kind, open hearted listener and that I ask the right questions to help them find their answers. They say that I am insightful, intuitive, and fun, with a kind sense of humour. We often end up laughing together even when we are working on difficult problems. They tell me that they appreciate that I hold a safe, loving space for them to explore, change and to discover new ways to express them self fully.

An Experience of a Highly Sensitive Person

The term Highly Sensitive Person (also referred to as sensory processing sensitivity) seeks to describe individuals who perceive stimuli more deeply than the average person. Other qualities or experiences related to Highly Sensitive People are deep cognitive processing, overstimulation, empathy, and emotional overreaction. Can you relate to this?

“6:30. Weather? Sounds overwhelm. Too hot or cold? What needs to be done? What are the feelings around it? There is work to do. Day should start slow but already running. To-do list. It doesn’t cover everything. It is the tip of the iceberg. What is the focus? What is important? Who’s calling? No time to take it. The call beckons. Conversation would be nice. No time. Guilt. Music plays off from the side, it needs to stop. Alarm goes off, message popped up. An email needs to be sent. Message comes in again. 6:31.”

You feel emotionally exhausted even though you haven’t started your day yet. Your ability to deeply process a wide variety of information often works against you. This isn’t appreciated by others because it seems as if you only see the problems when in fact you are dissecting the problems. This process seems longer, more complicated yet in your experience it saves a lot of time in the long run. Others don’t see the specific points that you clearly notice.

Often you become over-stimulated by the sheer quantity of information you naturally want to consider. You are easily sidetracked and lose focus because of your innate curiosity and desire to learn and understand.

This often leads to frustration and snapping at a person, especially if you are overwhelmed or uncomfortable in your environment. When you work in a busy, loud environment you notice everything that is going on around you all the time. You are the one everyone in the team comes to share their worries with. They feel better after sharing, while you still think about what was said. The official work day is over but you can’t relax.