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Sensitive Dude: Trouble Thinking?

You're not the only one. What makes it harder? What makes it easier? And why do I smell smoke?

By Sensitive DudePublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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A highly sensitive person (HSP) finds it difficult to filter out the world around them. This makes concentration a challenge in many situations.

Sensory-Processing Sensitivity is a big deal to those living with it (15-20 percent of the population). I have SPS, so my pen name is Sensitive Dude. If you're a highly sensitive person (HSP) or want to learn more about SPS, then I'm writing to you.

I'm at a playground right now with my daughter. She's pretty happy at the moment... but I'm struggling. I'm not upset or anything, it's just difficult to make my brain think here. What gets me is that I've noticed a few parents actually writing emails and taking business calls while at playgrounds with their kids. None of those overachievers are here today, but my point is: I don't know how they do it. Between keeping an eye on my little bug, and being bombarded by the noisy chaos, it's taken me fifteen minutes just to write these few sentences. Literally. Fifteen. Minutes. I'm going to give up and finish this later.

Okay. I'm back. Dang, that first paragraph was written over eleven hours ago. It's 10:20 PM. Wife and kids are finally in bed. Now I can think. So, as a highly sensitive person, what makes thinking more difficult? What makes it easier? Let's get right to it.

What makes thinking harder

  • Interruptions. Conversations, calls, texts, email alerts, doorbells, and deliveries, etc. Side note: Turns out my wife isn't sleeping. She's blowing up my phone, even though she knows I'm working. I had to put my cell on silent, and place it somewhere I couldn't see it light up.
  • Having too many priorities. Do one thing, whatever matters most. Research has shown that's all you can really do at one time anyway. Multitasking is a myth. Start saying no to others and yourself. Instead, focus.
  • Light and temperature. If it's too bright, too hot, or too cold it'll be a drain on your attention span.
  • Textures and smells. These can keep you from concentrating if they're unpleasant enough. Enticing aromas have done the same thing to me (think cinnamon apple pie, just pulled out of the oven).
  • Lack of sleep. Think that you can outsmart fatigue with caffeine, exercise, or willpower? You can't. Nothing compares to being well rested. For the sake of your health, and the sake of your sanity, sleep!

What makes thinking easier

  • Time of day matters. I know I'm more sharp-minded in the morning. Fresher.
  • Exercise. Exercise has been proven to kick-start your noggin.
  • Silence. Silence is golden. Sometimes, if it's raining, windy, or a fan is running, I like it even better than silence by itself. Go figure.
  • Solitude. If people are around, I can't help but notice them. It's profoundly distracting. Even if people are behind me where I can't see them, a good chunk of my attention is spent on the fact that there are people around me. It's like knowing there are lots of spiders in the room; you keep on thinking about it, and checking to make sure there's not one hanging an inch above the back of your neck.
  • Clean surroundings, both indoors and out. No visual clutter. No eye-crossing colors or intense patterns. I'm a big fan of empty rooms and thick fog. Each, in their own way, makes the world seem to be a simpler place.
  • Nature. Trees, grass, rocks, water. It all counts. A big ol' view is a plus but not necessary.

Yes, but in real life...

I get it. I know some of you are scoffing because of how damn inconvenient this information is. What are you supposed to do, live alone in a shack in the woods? My answer to you is this: Yes. And your shack had better be at least 500 feet away from my shack.

I'm mostly joking.

I recommend at least test driving all of the the items on the easier and harder lists. Experience what they feel like. Select a couple of items that seem make the biggest improvement in your mental clarity. Afterwards, fight daily to make those changes permanent in your life.

I used the word 'fight' because it may very well be a battle. This is the obligatory reality check.

The vast majority of the population doesn't know what a highly sensitive person is, nor understand how HSP's could ever feel justified being so picky. If your gut tells you to run around excitedly (or even calmly) telling people the good news that you're a sensitive person... don't listen to your gut. If you're expecting prompt understanding, support, and cooperation, hit the pause button and lower your expectations. Count yourself lucky to be understood and supported by even one person. You're luckier still if that person is immediate family, a close friend, or an employer. Be willing to start small. You can (and will) build your support group over time.

To be fair, I can't blame others for not getting it and I hope you don't either. I had Sensory-Processing Sensitivity for 46 years before I knew what the heck my 'deal' was. People have their own busy existence to worry about. Learning about HSP's is a form of homework. Some people may be willing to do it, most will not.

So, you have to stick up for yourself.

It's your life. You're the one that has to live it. Choices that are appropriate for you may appear odd, extreme, or selfish to others. That's just the way life is sometimes. It's a trade off. Select between pleasing others or living a life that fits you. If you've discovered some other option that I don't know about, by all means send me a memo.

Don't chop everything out of your life that overstimulates you. Not all at once, I mean. That's the barbarian-with-an-axe method. It would cause as many problems as it fixed. Approach the task like a jigsaw puzzle. Rearrange your life over time, making the pieces fit the way you need them to. That's a much safer pace, with fewer unpleasant surprises since you're attempting to stick to a logical plan. You'll still catch some flack (even from good, caring people) because your final image will not look like the one on the lid of the puzzle box. Shrug your shoulders and keep on going.I also encourage you to visit hsperson's website to borrow strength and inspiration from others. This site belongs to psychologist, researcher, and author Elaine Aron. It is ground zero for all things SPS and HSP. There's a blog to read where you can leave comments and ask questions.

To wrap it up, the ability to think, and think well, is the core of who you are and how you function. If you can't think, then who are you? If you can't think, what can you do? To reference that old cliche, thoughts are worth more than a penny, my friends. If you agree, then do everything you can to protect yours.

'Til next time,

- Sensitive Dude

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About the Creator

Sensitive Dude

Sensory-Processing Sensitivity is a big deal to those living with it (15-20 percent of the population). I have SPS. If you're a highly sensitive person (HSP) or want to learn more about SPS, then I'm writing for you.

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