7 Strengths Of Highly Sensitive People: Do You Identify Yourself?

The strengths of highly sensitive people shape a very particular personality. Every time we have more instruments, studies and works to identify and understand this psychological trait. We know that they are empathetic, reflective and that there are many stimuli that are stressful and even painful for them.

They have, like everyone else, their weak points and their remarkable virtues. There is also another fact. Despite the fact that the topic of high sensitivity has become increasingly popular since Elaine N. Aron published her book The Gift of High Sensitivity in 1996, today ideas that are not entirely correct are taken for granted.

Highly sensitive people are not necessarily introverts. It is not a female personality trait; it is also common in men. Likewise, their sensitivity is not synonymous with fragility, in many cases, they harbor strengths of which they are often not aware.

What are the strengths of highly sensitive people?

A psychological strength defines a virtue, a talent, a particular ability to face difficulties. This dimension has nothing to do with physical resistance, with enduring inclement weather or pressure. Above all, it defines various shades of a personality. Brushstrokes that enrich and give each person their own image.

It should be noted that character strengths were defined by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman in 2004. After a long research work, they managed to create the famous Manual of human strengths and virtues that, today, is a reference to understand the human potential.

Thus, it is more than interesting to know that highly sensitive people have their own characteristics. Let’s go deeper.

1. Authenticity, what you see is what they are

One of the strengths of highly sensitive people is their authenticity. They do not know how to pretend or consider lying as an option. Likewise, another type of reality appears. Not only are they personalities incapable of resorting to deception, but they are also  unable to invest time, effort and will in practices that do not fit their values.

This makes it difficult for them to maintain jobs that are not in tune with their principles, with their interests or personal codes. In these cases, it is common for them to suffer stress, anxiety, feeling mentally overwhelmed.

2. Perspective: emotional and social intelligence

The “perspective” falls within what Seligman and Peterson defined as cognitive strengths. In this case, it consists of a mental approach oriented to human connection and understanding. They are skilled personalities in tune with the social and emotional realities of others.

Not only does their empathy define them, something that characterizes them is concern for others, for injustices, for understanding the needs of others … They have a very broad approach (perspective) that makes it easier for them to get out of themselves to make contact with what surrounds them.

It is true that they may be affected by the realities of others from an emotional point of view. However, it is also important to highlight that cognitive aspect so prototypical in them: concern, interest, the need to reflect and understand the human being.

3. Strengths of highly sensitive people: caring and self-care

One of the strengths of highly sensitive people is caring and self-care. These personalities, according to a study carried out at the University of Melbourne, have highly valuable skills in these dimensions:

• They are people who develop valuable attitudes throughout their lives. They enjoy solitude, connection with nature and also contemplative practices. These areas favor internal well-being. They are dynamics that allow them to regulate their emotions and find balance in a world often full of chaos for them.

• They practice compassion and self-pity. It defines their ability to find vital meanings, purposes with which to move forward. They transmit positivism and hope, facets that are key to helping others, to be guides and valuable support.

4. Reflection, the need to understand the why of things

In the end, there comes a time when highly sensitive people understand their place in the world. It takes them more or less years, more or less lost battles and some hard disagreement. However, most do, they understand how they are and how to function in everyday life and in their relationships with others.

They achieve this thanks to their valuable capacity for reflection and introspection, all of them ways to be able to understand the why of things.

5. Creativity, the genius of emotional sensitivity

There is one of the strengths of highly sensitive people that they themselves recognize. Because the striking thing is that they do not always appreciate their previous worth, however, they do admit that they are skilled in creative tasks. If this is so, it is because they have their psychological refuge in all those practices in which the mind frees itself, plays, innovates and connects with art.

Their approaches always spread and delight with music, drawing, crafts … Their sensibilities need these spaces to feel free and fulfill.

6. Humility, the reflection of simple hearts

People with high sensitivity stand out for their simplicity and humility. They know well what they are like. They know their limits, their weaknesses and shortcomings. This

They do not like to compete, or to be above or ahead of anyone. This means that they do not adapt to aggressive work scenarios based on competitiveness. Likewise, although they have notable virtues, they do not always take advantage of them, they prefer to dilute themselves, not to attract excessive attention …

7. Love, one of the strengths of highly sensitive people

Indeed, love is also a psychological strength. In what sense? In the ability to know how to give oneself to others, in taking care of relationships, in understanding what the bases of this feeling are. And we are not just talking about emotional relationships.

If love is one of the strengths of highly sensitive people, it is because of their wisdom when it comes to understanding what this dimension consists of. It is caring, it is giving affection without harassing them, respecting spaces and needs. It is knowing that affection is based on reciprocity, on emotional communication and not on violent communication.

The problem is that this personality takes care of each of these aspects. However, you don’t always get what you give, but you still don’t give up. It is faithful to its principles, to its essences. High sensitivity is not something you choose, you come with it and that is how you understand life, relationships, your own existence …