According to psychologist Douglas Eby, one of the primary characteristics of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is the inability to process change. The uncertainty of a new path generates anxiety, sometimes so crippling that the person is unable to move forward on the new path in front of her. I am reminded of that this month as I make the significant transition from a job as a defense contractor–a communications advisor to a cloud computing company, with comfortable benefits– to an unstable gig as a freelance writer crafting pieces of mental health. I am following my heart alright, as it’s racing to catch up with me. Every time I sit down to write a piece, I second guess myself and list all the reasons why I’m unqualified to write articles that will technically be read by a few people.
I have felt this way every time I move through a transition. I would panic at the beginning of every semester in college and call my mom in tears, lamenting that there was no way in hell I would be able to complete all the items on the syllabus, that I may as well drop out. She would remind me that I felt the same way last semester and I ended up with okay grades.
Transition does that to us sensitive types.
Love this! Thank you!
Thanks for this article – and for interviewing me a while ago about the personality trait of high sensitivity (“Gifts and challenges of being highly sensitive” http://shrd.by/zbO9Yp ). But, a couple of corrections: I am not formally a psychologist; I do have a Master’s degree in psych, but am a mental health and creativity writer, researcher, curator.
Highly sensitive persons (HSPs) do not, as part of the trait, have an “inability to process change” – although many kinds of life change events are emotional, and, as psychologist Elaine Aron notes, “high sensitivity increases the impact of all emotionally tinged events.” [See my post Sensitive to anxiety http://highlysensitive.org/358/sensitive-to-anxiety/ ] Also, HSPs tend to process more information and take longer than more impetuous people to make decisions and important changes.
Thank you, Douglas! Appreciate the corrections and the additional info!
Thanks for sharing helpful information with us.