HSP - A strength, not a weakness

I recently discovered that I am a highly sensitive person (HSP).

This realization feels incredibly validating and empowering.

Throughout my career as a counsellor, I have repeatedly tried to fit myself into work environments that simply weren’t suited to me. I pushed myself to adapt, regulate, do more, do better, try different approaches—constantly blaming myself, wondering if I was cut out for a career I had poured so much time and energy into. Open-plan offices, fast-paced environments with multiple conflicting priorities, high caseloads, being expected to respond instantly to crises, running groups at the last minute, or moving from one session to another without time to reflect—it all felt overwhelming.

I often wondered why I felt so drained at the end of each workday—why I needed to come home and shower, lie down with my eyes closed, disconnect from everything, and be alone. Why I needed to take breaks from social media and avoid the news, which felt heavy with violence and suffering. I already knew that my empathic nature sometimes spilled over into people-pleasing, hypersensitivity, and overwhelm.

But the truth is, being highly sensitive is exactly what drew me to counselling, and it is what makes me good at my work. I am attuned to others’ emotions, body language, facial expressions, and energy. I think and feel deeply—not just about the world, but about my clients. I am perceptive, thoughtful, sensitive to others’ pain, and intuitive. I have a rich inner life, a vivid imagination, and a deep appreciation for beauty.

My sensitive nervous system has also taught me the importance of regulation, which led me to yoga and nervous system work—tools I now use therapeutically with clients because they have helped me so profoundly. I am an attentive listener and a thoughtful communicator.

I believe that many women who enter caring professions do so because we are highly sensitive. We care deeply, feel deeply, and the systems we work in often don’t accommodate our nature—they can wear us down.

Highly sensitive people may also be more prone to eating disorders. Our nervous systems are reactive, sensory input and emotions can feel overwhelming, and we often develop strategies to protect ourselves from this intensity. We may avoid conflict, internalize experiences, and struggle with criticism, which makes self-compassion essential. It’s easy for HSPs to feel “wrong” because the world is often not built for our way of being. And one of the messages we absorb from society is that if we change how we look, we will belong more—an idea that can contribute to struggles with body image and eating.

Acknowledging my sensitivity has allowed me to embrace it as a strength rather than a flaw. It is the very thing that makes me an effective, empathetic, and intuitive counsellor for my clients, when I can work within the environment and pace that suits me.