Physical Sensitivity (The HSP Owner’s Guide)

This post elaborates on the Physical Sensitivity section of The HSP Owner’s Guide.

In a world that often feels loud, fast-paced, and overstimulating, it’s not uncommon to feel impacted by sensory input. For some, this experience is more pronounced. If you’ve ever found yourself deeply affected by bright lights, strong smells, or the hum of a crowded room, you might be someone with heightened physical sensitivities or Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS).

Understanding your physical sensitivity and learning to notice your reactions to stimuli, situations, and environments can be transformative. It allows you to make choices that align with your needs, nurture your well-being, and help you harness your unique strengths.

What Is Sensory Processing Sensitivity?

Sensory Processing Sensitivity is a trait found in approximately 20-30% of the population. It’s not a disorder or a flaw—it’s simply a way of experiencing the world more deeply. Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) have nervous systems that deeply process the world within and around them and absorb more information from their environment. This means they may notice subtle details others miss, feel emotions more intensely, and process information more thoroughly. However, it also means they can become overstimulated more easily, especially in loud, chaotic, or overwhelming environments.

Common Physical Sensitivities for HSPs

Physical sensitivities are a common aspect of SPS, and like most traits, can have a mix positive and negative effects. These sensitivities can manifest in various ways, and not every HSP will experience them all. The degree and intensity of these reactions also vary from person to person. Let’s explore some of the most common physical sensitivities and how they might appear in everyday life.

Noise Sensitivity

• Sudden, loud sounds: A car honking, a door slamming, or a loud alarm can feel jarring and unsettling.
• Sustained or repetitive sounds: The hum of an air conditioner, a ticking clock, or someone tapping their foot can become distracting or even distressing.
• Sound as anchor: Certain sounds may provide sensory grounding. For example, rain, distant traffic, or even rhythmic noises like train tracks that help calm the nervous system.
• Environmental attunement: Shifting sounds can stimulate a state of safety or alertness – e.g. footsteps, an appliance being turned on, or a key turning in the lock
• Commotion: Busy environments like crowded restaurants, bustling streets, or noisy offices can feel overwhelming.

Visual Sensitivity

• Bright lights: Fluorescent lighting or harsh sunlight can feel glaring and uncomfortable.
  Flashing lights: Strobe lights or flickering screens can be disorienting.
• Visual rhythm: Certain repetitive sights may feel regulating. For example, tree branches swaying, candle flames flickering, or a ceiling fan.
• Detail connection: Some find meaning in small visual cues, like how light changes through a window over hours or the way shadows form in familiar spaces.
• Clutter: A messy or cluttered space can feel chaotic and draining.
• Crowds: Being in a large group of people can be overstimulating, especially if there is a lot of movement and activity.

Temperature Sensitivity

• Hot: Overheating can feel unbearable, leading to discomfort or irritability.
  Stagnant air: Poorly ventilated spaces can feel suffocating.
• Cold: Being too cold can distract and make it hard to focus.
• Temperature as signal: Some may associate certain temperatures with comfort, like the warmth of a sunlit corner or the crispness of autumn air that evokes memories.
• Microclimate awareness: Changes like a breeze through a window or stone tiles underfoot might feel particularly noticeable.

Olfactory Sensitivity

• Bad smells: Strong or unpleasant odors, like garbage or chemicals, can feel intolerable.
• Strong scents: Perfumes, candles, or cleaning products can feel overpowering and even trigger nausea or headaches.
• Scent as time travel: Some smells may unexpectedly connect to memories, like a school cafeteria smell, petrol reminding someone of childhood road trips, or a musty book’s familiar paper scent.
• Air quality noticing: Shifts like rain arriving or bread baking nearby might be detected earlier than others notice.

Sensitivity to Flavours and Mouth Textures

• Strong tastes: Spicy, bitter, or overly sweet foods can feel too much.
• Subtle flavours: HSPs may notice and appreciate subtle flavors that others might miss.
• Food texture: Lumpy, dry, or slimy textures can feel unpleasant or even intolerable.
• Too hot or cold: Extreme temperatures in food or drinks can feel uncomfortable.
• Memory and flavour: Certain tastes may anchor moments, like the first sip of morning coffee, a childhood candy’s specific sweetness, or how water tastes different in various places.
• Texture meaning: Some find comfort in specific mouthfeels—crunchy snacks for focus, silky soups for calm, or chewing ice when anxious.

Touch Sensitivity

• Coarse textiles: Rough fabrics like wool can feel irritating against the skin.
• Clothing friction: Tags, seams, or tight clothing can feel distracting or uncomfortable.
• Skin contact: Light touches, like stroking or tickling, can feel overstimulating.
• Touch as communication: Some may find meaning in textures, like how a loved one’s sweater feels familiar or how grass underfoot signals summer’s start.
• Pressure modulation: Things like heavy blankets, cool washcloths, or loose braids might serve as subtle regulation tools.

Sensitivity to Internal Sensations

• Hunger, tiredness, or low blood sugar: These physical states can feel more intense and impact mood and focus.
• Medications, stimulants, and depressants: HSPs may have stronger reactions to substances like caffeine or alcohol.
• Physical injury and illness: Pain or discomfort may feel more (or less) pronounced. It’s not always the case that HSPs experience pain more acutely – some report unusually high thresholds in certain contexts.
• Body as barometer: Some notice how internal shifts connect to emotions, like hunger amplifying irritation or fatigue making sounds sharper.
• Recovery rituals: Certain physical actions—stretching, drinking tea, or lying prone—might feel particularly restorative.

Distinguishing Between Needs and Preferences

One of the most empowering steps in understanding your sensitivities is distinguishing between needs and preferences.

Needs are non-negotiable and essential for your well-being and ability to function. For example, if bright lights give one a headache, wearing sunglasses or avoiding fluorescent lighting might be necessary.

Preferences, on the other hand, are things that make life more enjoyable but aren’t necessarily essential. For instance, you might prefer quiet environments but can tolerate some noise if necessary.

Understanding this distinction helps you advocate for yourself without guilt. It’s okay to prioritise your needs and honor your preferences. Doing so isn’t being “too sensitive”—it’s being self-aware and proactive about your well-being.

Embracing Your Sensitivity

Physical sensitivities can provide practical benefits, but they also require conscious attunement. The sensitive nervous system processes a significant amount of sensory information to process. However, by befriending and working with this trait, HSPs can learn to focus on specific sensory experiences more effectively.

For instance, heightened taste sensitivity doesn’t equate to superhuman abilities, but with practice, it can help in distinguishing subtle flavours, whether in cooking or selecting quality ingredients. Similarly, acute hearing allows for noticing finer details in music or environmental sounds, while visual sensitivity can aid in detecting small changes in surroundings, useful in tasks requiring precision.

A keen sense of smell can make everyday experiences more vivid, and tactile sensitivity can enhance activities like crafting or working with materials. These sensitivities are not about having superior senses but rather about processing sensory input more deeply. With practice, HSPs can learn to channel this depth of processing into specific areas, making their sensitivities a practical tool for engaging with the world in a more detailed and intentional way.

Managing Physical Sensitivity

Understanding your physical sensitivities can create environments and routines that support your well-being. Experiment and play with approaches and techniques that work for you.

Over to You

Do you notice physical sensitivities in yourself or someone you know? How do these sensitivities impact daily life, and what steps can you take to respect needs and preferences?

Remember, there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to experience the world.

Any stories? Let’s enjoy the weird, wonderful, and amusing ways we experience the world – share your thoughts in the forum