{"id":4633,"date":"2017-05-10T13:00:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ankewebersmit.com\/?p=4633"},"modified":"2026-03-09T15:15:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T15:15:38","slug":"6-reasons-why-being-happy-can-be-a-challenge-for-hsp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ankewebersmit.com\/en\/6-reasons-why-being-happy-can-be-a-challenge-for-hsp\/","title":{"rendered":"6 reasons why simply being happy can be a challenge for (high) sensitive people"},"content":{"rendered":"

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During the research for my book about High Sensitivity (hopefully out in October), I discovered that the characteristics of (high) sensitivity<\/a> and gifted people can overlap. Both are sensitive, feel emotions intensely, have a high level of consciousness and are creative thinkers and doers. You can find 4 astonishing similarities in the next blog article (online on May 24th<\/sup>), but for now I will focus on similarities between (high)sensitives and (highly) gifted people when it comes to happiness.<\/strong>
\nI think that (high) sensitive people are not more complex or nagging than less sensitive contemporaries<\/a>. Yet, as with highly gifted people, having a loving and trustworthy partner, a harmonious family life<\/a> and satisfying career<\/a> may not be enough to prevent a (high) sensitive soul to feel discouraged, gloomy or even depressed<\/a>.
\nWhy?<\/em>
\nI can only speculate –\u00a0 and give you my 6 most favorite reasons why \u2018simply being happy\u2019 can be a challenge for (high) sensitive people:<\/p>\n

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<\/a>1) (High) sensitive people tend to judge themselves (too) hard<\/h3>\n

Many (high) sensitive people entertain a low self-image<\/a> because of the harsh judgement of themselves. They not only judge their successes and failures, but everything about themselves. With their deep, conscious and complex manner of analyzing everything they hold all their behaviors and actions against their highest standards. Even if done unintentionally, this habit gives (high) sensitive fellows enough reason to blame and criticize themselves constantly \u2013 and often for no reason. No wonder this can be a major road block on the road to happiness.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>2) (High) sensitive people tend to over-analyze<\/h3>\n

Besides analyzing themselves all the time, (high) sensitive people tend to over-think and (over) analyze everything that happens around them, on close range, at a national or even global level. This can be utterly demanding, especially when their thoughts leads them to conclusions which annoy, shock or frustrate them. Such conclusions weigh them down, but they can\u2019t help but keep thinking, no matter how draining the experience is. In the process of weighing pros and cons this person might quietly withdrawing him or herself from social interaction, to a point that might end in mental imbalance. While the (high) sensitive analyst often gets the answers to most questions plaguing him or her, these answers can be universally unpleasant and can bring them down with negativity and render them hopeless. And thoughts like \u2018the world is a disappointing place occupied by wrong people\u2019 really don\u2019t add to anyone\u2019s happiness. So sometimes the (high) sensitive thinkers do good to embrace the old saying of \u2018Ignorance is bliss\u2019. Because being able to see right through anybody or anything and identify the true situation – where\u2019s the point in over-analyzing?<\/p>\n

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<\/a>3) \u00a0(High) sensitive contemporaries aim for bigger things<\/h3>\n

They have a hard time being content with what they have in life because their creativity. Intelligence and figurative thinking seduces them to imagine<\/a> bigger things. They are always questing for a bigger purpose, a deeper meaning and a revealing pattern. Some (high) sensitives are distracted so much by their vivid and intense imagination, that it becomes (temporarily) impossible for them to enjoy what is right under their nose. Because, compared to the startling world in their imagination, ordinary life is very boring. However, nobody can find short- or longer term happiness with such thoughts swarming their minds because you cannot feel happy when you cannot accept the world you are living in, at least to a certain extend.<\/p>\n

4) The challenge to find like-\u2018minded\u2019 people<\/h3>\n

One of the greatest sources of happiness is human contact. You can share your worries which makes them easier to cope with. You can share your ideas which helps you develop and shape them. You can share your happiness, which makes it even more real and invigorating. For (high) sensitive people it can be difficult to find others with the same depth of character to help share their worries and ease their burden. With the right people around them, however, stress can dissolve in an instant. Regrettably it is often difficult to find a person who can indulge in a deep and meaningful conversation. This might be a result of the materialist and consumerist society we have crated. Yet having a meaningful conversation with like-minded people who understand their views and ideas on everything including personal life is a great source of happiness and balance in a (high) sensitives life and well worth searching for.<\/p>\n

<\/a>5) (High) sensitive people can develop psychological issues.<\/h3>\n

Just like with highly gifted people, (high) sensitive people can develop psychiatric disorders or symptoms that appear like a disorder<\/a>. Is it conceivable that disorders like bi-polarity, social anxiety and ADHD are by-products of a (high) sensitive soul in distress<\/em>? I cannot confirm this, as there are countless hidden mysteries of the human mind, waiting yet to be revealed. Fact is that (high) sensitive people are inclined to constantly judge and sum things up by asking unrelenting questions. It is easy to picture that this is not a healthy course of action if performed too often.<\/p>\n

<\/a>6) Happiness is the mind that settles- and that\u2019s hard work for complex (high) sensitives<\/h3>\n

A happy person is content with how things are. He or she is satisfied with whatever is and doesn\u2019t long for more or different. The happy fellow doesn\u2019t seek to alter what is; he or she just accepts it and acts accordingly. These are not the most natural characteristics of a sensitive soul. The (high) sensitive person is not easy to please and can easily think of the happy person as smug or even lazy. It doesn\u2019t help that (high) sensitives can also have social quirks and insecurities preventing them to \u2018just blend in\u2019 in a \u2018happy\u2019 company<\/a> that feels superficial to them. They are idealists<\/a> and striving to discerning the good from the bad \u2013 and subsequently to improve the bad. This can be a major frustration in today\u2019s society. It can cause much unhappiness to (high) sensitive people. But if sensitives give up on humanity, this can be the cause of enormous unhappiness. So calming their rich inner analysis and take just one step back from their ideal world helps (high) sensitives to re-gain a daily doses of happiness.<\/p>\n