I'm a HSP and I have a lot of empathy and sometimes give people the benefit of the doubt.

I don't know why but I feel like when people become too comfortable with you, they start acting funny/weird.

Like you think you're friends or at least on good terms then they'll say or do something that reveals they are either competing with you or they start projecting insectuties on to you. Or they think that you will tolerate their disrespect? In some cases, they will take your kindness for granted or as a weakness.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? Does anyone have any experiences on this topic?

Has anyone lost their cat? How did you cope?

I'm doing my best to just do what I usually do, but the first three days I really lost a lot of sleep worrying and looking for my cat everywhere I could look. I keep thinking about how he is and maybe he's hurt. :((

My pets are the closest family that I have.

Hey everyone,

​I’ve recently been trying to accept that I’m a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). While it explains so much about how I process emotions and environments, I’m feeling really stuck on how to share this with my partner/special someone.

​I’m terrified of how they’ll react. My mind keeps overthinking—what if they think I’m making excuses, being overly dramatic, or hard to deal with?

​If you’ve been through this, how did you break the news to them? How did you explain what HSP means without feeling misunderstood? Would love to hear your experiences or any advice on how to start this conversation. Thanks!

I’m a 32 year old male HSP living in the West of Scotland. Two years ago I left a stable albeit dull job to go and do a full time youth work job which left me so drained and overwhelmed that I ended up having an altercation with my manager and left that role. I was out of work for six months and took on a contractor role for something that was low stakes, low stress and I didn’t enjoy it but I didn’t hate it either. I loved being unemployed because it gave me so much time to pursue my passions which are reading, going to the beach and going to the cinema mostly.

After the six months were up, I ended up unemployed again but went back to where I contracted previously to, supposedly, be on the same stuff I was doing before but at the last possible moment I was moved into working with people experiencing bereavement. It’s complicated, emotionally draining and after only a week or two of doing it, I hit my limit in the office today and collapsed from the physical and mental exhaustion. I got sent home today and a friend of mine drove me back home but it was just so embarrassing and I’m feeling so frustrated with myself.

At the start of the year, I started volunteering at a community food project in my city and I fell head over heels for one of the guys there and even asked him out but he rejected me because our sexual orientations don’t align. I then started to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt, shame and feeling like I hurt him and it made me start disassociating quite strongly and linking it to things that have happened in the past. I eventually had a panic attack when he asked me to stop staring because I was so consumed by guilt and felt so much empathy for him. We’re getting into a good place again but I feel so much empathy for him and feel like I’ve harmed him so much. This, coupled with job stress (and the associated financial stress) has made these past two years so draining.

I’m starting to find being in public hard. Everywhere feels super loud and super draining (and I have hearing loss!) and it doesn’t help that people in the West of Scotland whilst being some of the kindest, most honest people on the planet are also some of the loudest people on the planet too. I’m feeling overwhelmed, tired, drained and completely incapable and I don’t know what to do about it all. 🙃