Too sensitive

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/sensory-processing-issues/sensory-processing-issues-fact-sheet


I've mentioned before that I work at a high school.  I keep up on information about how to work with students with behavioral issues at school.  One that I am learning more about is sensory processing and the living with being too sensitive.  It was startling to read a chart that described me so completely.  My counselor also told me that I was too sensitive for the environment I am in.  He described that some people are like puppies that love to rough a tumble bite and play and no feelings are hurt.  Others are more like bunnies wanting to sit quietly and be left alone.  I'm a bunny in a puppy world.  I am starting to recognize students that are bunnies expected to function in a puppy world.

I discovered that I can't turn into a puppy however I can learn a number of helpful skills.  I am learning to recognize when others are being playful but not malicious.  I am learning to express a need for quiet time and leave me alone time.  I am learning that bunnies can be quiet ferocious.  Don't piss off the bunnies.  Puppies are startled when bunnies turn ferocious.  Sometimes they really were just kidding and I need not take their behavior seriously.  I can share my perspective to help them see that not everyone appreciates the same type of play.  I spend a lot of time alone because I spend 7 and a half hours with people at work and sometimes I need to be alone.  Taking a day off to be alone is a legitimate reason to call in sick. I'm sick of too much information, too much commotion and just too much of everything.

A chart like the one above helps me see that:
1. I am not alone.
2. There are ideas and ways to cope.
3. Too sensitive can be an asset when it is understood.

Hyper-sensitive I often anticipate the needs of others.  I look out for and am aware of others that are also feeling overwhelmed.  I am willing to give other people space when they need it.  I check in with others to make sure that I am not overstepping boundaries.  I stay aware of non-verbal clues that other people may miss.  I still need to be alone a lot but I no longer feel guilty about it.  It is simply a need that I have.  Nourish that need and I can function better the rest of the time.