Environment
With heightened emotions, sensory sensitivity and deep inner processing, it is easy to become emotional and physically overwhelmed
In fact, on a sensory level the HSP feels more intensely and more deeply than others. Many HSPs, particularly children, easily react to changes in air pressure and environmental pollution. For example, they may experience an aching body or headache before a thunderstorm or find themselves sleeping deeply. Indeed temperature, space and ventilation are the main prerequisites for the HSP. Though smell and noise such as perfume, food smells, background music or dripping taps can also invade the environment and (in extreme cases) can cause the HSP pain.
Clothes can be an issue particularly in childhood where the child will take shoes and socks off and complain they are too tight or uncomfortable. Tags and labels from clothes particularly from the back of the neck will cause irritation and distress.
HSPs tend to be extra sensitive to medication but tend to respond well to alternative therapies and a holistic approach to their ailments. When an HSP young teen embarks on decision to indulge in alcohol or drug abuse their depth of processing with regards to the decision especially the risk involved often holds them back.
By the time the child becomes an adult they will have developed their own strategies for dealing with being overwhelmed physically and emotionally. Their strategies may be healthy such as meditation, yoga and giving themselves space (timeout). However without any guidance, they may develop unhealthy habits such as withdrawal, medication (including alcohol) and destructive patterns of behaviour.
It is well documented that many HSP go onto suffer stress or idiopathic illness such as migraines, Chronic Fatigue and fibromyalgia.