Bought chicken breast. Grossed out and threw it away. I feel so guilty.
Fat, muscle, chicken sensory nervous system blood and receptors.
I'm so done😹
And soya tofu gives me stomach ache :(
How will i ever get my proteine to fitness
Am i exaggerating or any one relates
Hey guys, my name is Cindy (f30) and I have know to be a HSP for quite some time now. And I have been struggling to find a job ever since I finished my BA in Cultural Anthropology, since it is quite a niche field. I'm from Vienna, Austria, but I am ethnically Chinese, so growing up in a predominantly white environment has been quite a struggle. Well, I started this new job as a travel coordinator at an classical music festival agency with their main base in China and I am already physically and psychologically drained. Even though they work under Austrian employment laws, their work ethic is still very Chinese. For example, it is quite normal for Chinese to yell from a to be if they need anything. And I am cramped into a small work space with my boss and another employee. My boss is constantly on the phone with our partners or colleagues on the mainland, which makes it a lot harder to concentrate and she speaks so fast, that my brain can't keep up. Another thing that I am struggling with in this job are numbers. I have always hated math. The last time I've used math in any capacity was 11 years ago in High School. I made the same mistake yesterday three time, bc it took me longer to figure out how to add formulas in Excel, that's why she is accusing me off being no detailed enough. And she expect us to learn anything we don't know for work in our free time, which might be the norm in China, but is not allowed in Austria. Anything we do for work, should be done during work time. It might be great she done that when she started first, but the law is still the law. I am constantly overstimulated when she is in office. To be honest, I am grateful that my fiancé is supporting me and we are not in any financial troubles, but I would also like to be financially independent as well. Yesterday, she told me that I need to rethink if I fit the job or not, which I think indirectly mean that I should quit haha. Well, one perk of being HSP is that you can read between the lines I guess. XD So my question to you guys would be, if you are in my situation, would you stay bc of the money, even though it's not a lot (1600€ after taxes) or would you quit?
17F. I'm new to the community and have never shared this with anyone before. My father is a narcissist and I'm now sick of him. I can't bear his behavior anymore. He stays at home all day and does no work. He will comment negatively on anything and everything and we can't talk back because he is very aggressive. Due to culture and financial conditions, I can't leave this house. I don't know what to do. A few days ago he started screaming because I didn't put the spoon facing downwards after washing it. I couldn't bear it and started crying. The next day, I made tea for everyone and he started saying "Saying it's disgusting. Why is it like that. I don't like it at all" and kept on repeating the same thing over and over again.
I’m in a deeply vulnerable place right now, and I’m honestly embarrassed even writing this.
I have almost no real support outside my family. I have zero close friends. Over the past few years, I’ve gone through one traumatic experience after another, and I also went through a divorce recently. On top of that, I hate my job. I’m very good at it and it pays well, so I’m stuck with it, but there is nothing else about it that I actually like.
I first started seeing my psychiatrist because I was dealing with palpitations and a lot of trauma-related distress. I still remember that at the beginning he asked me to get an ECG, and even in those early appointments I could feel a huge difference in how I felt before seeing him versus after. I would go in feeling utterly overwhelmed and leave feeling calmer. Over time, I think I developed some kind of infatuation or attachment or transference, whatever you call it.
He has no role in this except being the amazing person he is. He has always been professional, principled, and appropriate. He was just doing his job. He has no role in what I’m feeling. This is coming from me and from how starved I am for this kind of connection in real life.
What makes this so painful is that I don’t really have anyone around me who feels as kind, intelligent, emotionally sensitive, and understanding as he does. Something about his voice and the way he smiles when he looks at me. My family is my only support, and I’m grateful for them, but they’re fairly simple people and I often feel profoundly alone at the level of emotional and intellectual depth I need. Being around someone who felt calm, sharp, kind, and deeply understanding affected me more than I expected.
I know I don’t actually know him as a real person outside the professional setting. I know I may be idealizing him. I know therapy can intensify these feelings. But it still hurts. It hurts because it feels like I will never meet anyone like that in real life, and I know I can’t have that kind of relationship with him.
I’ve already requested a transfer because I think the attachment was becoming too painful. Last night I even had a dream where I was in his office and just fell asleep there while he worked. Nothing romantic or sexual happened in the dream. I just slept. Even that feels sad to me, like my mind is just clinging to the feeling of safety and relief I feel when I’m near him.
Has anyone else experienced this with a psychiatrist or therapist? How did you deal with it? How do you come to terms with the feeling that you’ll never be understood that way in real life?
I am extremely sensitive to work mistakes and just my colleagues opinions of me in general. I always assume people are upset with me, thinking of me negatively, and that everything is my fault; that I didn’t try hard enough and that’s why things aren’t perfect. I’m so sensitive at work I constantly get close to tears. But not because of anything anyone else explicitly says or does, it’s my own mind. Sometimes I just wonder how I can be normal and stop being so extreme. Other people don’t seem to take things as personally or go so deep with possible veiled meanings.
Does anyone have any advice
Hey everyone! It’s me again Justin 30M.
I’ve been struggling with something for a long time and I’m curious if other HSPs can relate.
How do you actually make a living in a job you don’t mind doing?
I don’t even mean a “dream job” just something that doesn’t feel draining or pointless. I find that if a job doesn’t feel meaningful or aligned with some kind of purpose, I really struggle to stay motivated. It starts to feel heavy very quickly, like I’m going against myself just to get through the day.
I’m 30 now and I still don’t know what direction to take, even after completing 3 degrees. On paper, it probably looks like I should have it figured out by now but internally, I feel just as unsure as ever.
As an HSP, I feel like I can’t just “switch off” and do something for the sake of money. It affects me too deeply. But at the same time, I know I need to support myself and build some kind of stable life.
I guess I’m wondering:
- Have you found work that feels okay (or even meaningful)?
- Did it come from following your interests, or just trying things until something stuck?
- How do you balance sensitivity with the reality of needing an income?
Would really appreciate hearing your experiences especially if you’ve felt this same tension between needing purpose and needing stability.
Hi 24F. Everything affects me. I get ghosted after a week of intense texting and it takes me five months to get over it. I constantly feel like strong waves crashing on me. I catch feelings so easily and strongly and always am left confused how the other side never felt anything. Sometimes it’s so hard to breathe. I am so sorry I am going through a really rough time in my life rn with career and realizing no matter how hard I try I never fit in anywhere. Does it ever get any easier?
I feel that 99% of my mental problems can be traced back to my high sensitivity. I feel ashamed for being like this and I know that being sensitive has benefits but since I was a child I felt like this and I experienced way more negative things because of it.
I think that I progressed a lot in accepting myself and in loving myself more but sometimes I feel that my life would be so much easier if I wasn't this sensitive.
I know that I am still young (18) but at the same time I am progressing so slowly and I fear that I will never be okay with myself.
I feel internal hsp phobia and shame. I cant find similar hsp men. I can't find people to compare myself with.
I feel alien
Its dark. This voice tells me to stfu and man up.
Its also my nervous system trigger.
It calmed when i went to nature for few hours. Sunlight. Birds and then at end i saw a hsp man. And i felt such a validation and relief
Sorry this is a bit dark but I’m dealing with a lot. I love spreading positivity but seeing how people kick me while I’m at my lowest makes it so hard not to become jaded. I know it’s probably impossible for me to become that way because I refuse to become what broke me. Anyway it’s just painful to be treated so badly and be sensitive on top of that. I don’t know if I’m asking for advice. Just wanted to vent.
Morning! Glad to be here! I just had to do a corrective action on an employee and it just about broke me. The meeting went off the rails and I got emotional and flustered and my boss just doesn’t understand. She’s very matter of fact and lacks emotion. I did not feel her support at all during the meeting and that stung.
What was worse was last night she was texting me telling me to be strong yada yada yada. When I pointed out to her that this one employee is literally the only one on my team I’m having issues with, she replied that I may think my team respects me as a leader but don’t know what’s said behind my back. And then said she questioned whether of not I was really a manager before 😭
How does one not only deal with the repercussions of a write up gone wrong, with a follow up blow like that all while being an hsp???
I didn’t sleep last night. I dread working today.
Thanks for insights. This js new to me.
Hey guys,
I'm a highly sensitive guy (HSP) who's been dealing with limerence for a long time. I really tried to talk to girls normally without catching feelings, but I failed again and again. No matter what I did, I would end up getting limerent.
A few days ago I finally made a firm decision: I'm quitting it all cold turkey. No more talking to girls online at all no Snapchat, no random chats, nothing.
Today I went to the doctor's clinic and a girl kept staring at me the whole time. I suddenly got super anxious, my heart started racing, and I had bad palpitations. This never used to happen to me before.
But over the last year, I've become extremely sensitive to anything involving girls. Even small things trigger me badly now.
So I've decided that until I fully heal, I'm not talking to any girls. Maybe only the ones I find completely unattractive or totally out of my league, but even that's rare. Otherwise, I've made up my mind no talking to girls for the next 2-3 years.
I'm in my late twenties right now. I believe the best way for me to heal is to avoid this trigger completely. I already don't talk to girls in real life, but I used to chat with different girls almost every day online. That chapter is now closed for good.
I'm doing this for my own peace. I just want to focus on myself, heal properly, and build a better life.
Has anyone else gone through something similar? How did you handle the strong urge to talk to girls? Any tips for staying strong with this cold turkey approach?
Thanks for reading.
Being sensitive has its perks but dammit, when they lows hit, they are LOW. I am HORRIBLE at taking online criticism, absolutely horrible. I'm an online plush seller and had people comment that my prices were too high and I took it way too personal as if they were insulting my entire family. I ruminate for hours on these comments and I'm so sick of letting these things get to me. I've considered becoming a content creator but I know that I simply cannot handle the negativity that I would unfortunately inevitably receive. I'm so tired. I just want to have tough skin but I feel like no matter how hard I try and no matter how much therapy I have, I can't seem to harden. My partner loves this about me. He loves how sensitive I can be to animals, to nature, and how joyful the smallest things make me, but the cavoite to this is just how absolutely detrimental the smallest things are to my mental health. I'm so over it.
I think a lot of my problems are rooted in having an imbalanced dopamine system (shocker lol). It’s honestly only gotten worse with age.
I’m 25 now and I’ve felt since my teens that I’ve kind of been constantly chasing a dopamine high. Whether that was scrolling, new experiences, whatever… it always felt like I was looking for that next “hit.”
Now I’ve kind of hit a point where I feel really numb. Big things don’t really excite me anymore in the way they used to. And I think part of that is also just… life? I’ve had a lot of disappointment over the past few years and I feel like I almost became too afraid to fully feel things or get my hopes up. But still I can’t be fully content with a routine life and will always search for more dopamine.
Social media definitely plays a huge role too. TikTok and Instagram feel like they’ve completely rewired my attention span. I used to be obsessed with TV shows and movies since I was a kid, I could rewatch the same things on loop and be completely into it. Now I can barely even finish something without getting distracted or bored. I also don’t have any real hobbies anymore like I used to, I used to love being creative and making stuff. On top of that my only way to get that quick dopamine hit is smoking weed, I don’t mind that I smoke but I do think it’s messing up that dopamine issue further.
I’m starting to wonder how people actually “reset” this. Like not in a fake detox way, but genuinely getting back to a place where normal things feel enjoyable again and I’m not constantly overstimulated or numb at the same time.
Has anyone here gone through something similar? What actually helped you reset your dopamine balance (if that’s even the right way to put it)?
I’ve been working with a woman for over six months now we’ve had a lot of intense interactions for lack of a better word it’s all been very positive but this past Friday was the first time she’s ever asked me for help of course I agreed, but I wasn’t able to find what she was looking for and she did so she was still actively involved and not just trying to get me to do do something for her is this a breakthrough?
Yes the title.
Feeling like the people i love dont wanna spend too much time with me as i do with them is killing me on the inside and i dont know how to escape this feeling
I’ve got a social event coming up soon, and I already feel pretty drained from everything else going on in my life.
I originally said yes after some pressure because I tend to people-please, even when I don’t really want to commit. The thing is, I don’t naturally enjoy social events. I can be polite, listen, and seem fine on the outside, but I much prefer being at home or having quiet time to recharge.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out how other people like me handle situations like this without completely burning out or feeling overwhelmed.
My parents don't like it, and I often get called antisocial, but that's not entirely true either. When I am in a new situation, like a new job or college class, I tend to observe and connect with someone else who's in the background. I'm just very, very selective.
Do you set strict limits, sometimes cancel, or approach it differently? Also, are there others out there dealing with anxiety? Sometimes I struggle to pull myself out of the negative spiral.
Being sensitive ruined my relationship, let my emotions be a lesson.
I shut down a lot. Asked for reassurance on all of that. For example, one of the big ending things of our relationship was my emotions. Every talk which muttered the word “break-up” resulted in instant tears. Then, I would try to push for conversation but then my ex felt guilty. It made resentment grow.
Near the end, they shared a few deep things and I responded in tears. Since, it's crazy to think the person you love could go through that. But I shut down. Never truly forgave me after that.
Now, when we broke up, I went out drinking with a friend. When I got home, being me, I spewed nonsense the typical begging. The next morning they had said:
I never think. My emotions control me.
I hurt people with this.
I'm cruel.
They hate me for this and will never get over it.
And I can't be angry. I don't even feel like I'm allowed to cry now, because all I am is an emotional burden. Being emotional and crying destroyed our connection. Anytime I did something wrong I felt the tears well, and I said I'm sorry. Then, they would say something slightly off and I would cry. I don't have anyone stable right now — and talking about emotions after this feels like hell. I don't feel comfortable feeling now.
So let my story be a lesson. Please, get the help and emotional support you need before it all explodes.