38. The Highly Sensitive Writer

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High sensitivity is a term coined by Elaine Aron who wrote The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, and refers to how deeply you perceive and respond to the world, both your physical and emotional environments. The more deeply your brain processes information, the more sensitive you are. Sensitivity is a fundamental human trait (we’re all sensitive to some degree), but those with a higher degree of sensitivity experience and process the world differently. As creatives, this can be powerful, but it also means we need extra tending, rest, and recovery time. Tune in to learn more about thriving as an HSP writer, and how to support yourself along the way.

Highlights

• The acronym that makes it easier to understand the HSP trait

• How much of your sensitivity is genetic vs. the environment you were raised in

• 8 signs you might be an HSP

• My personal journey to embracing sensitivity

• 5 ways you might encounter sensitivity in your writing life (and how to work with it)

Links + Resources

• The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron

• The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World by Jenn Granneman & Andre Sólo

• 21 Signs You’re a Highly Sensitive Person

• 3 Sets of Genes That Make You Highly Sensitive

• Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry

• Wild Words: Rituals, Routines, and Rhythms for Braving the Writer’s Path

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