Highly Sensitive?
I have heard many social anxiety sufferers express being sensitive to noise or light and this has also my own experience. I used to find noisy pubs, loud voices and blaring music quite unbearable at times and around such noises I used to feel disorientated and anxious. Bright lights and sunlight were also intense for me, and although they would not trigger me to feel anxious they were certainly uncomfortable.
From this, myself and other anxiety suffers could come to the conclusion that we are highly sensitive people and that this is also why we get anxious and are very sensitive to criticisms. It is understandable how people may come to this conclusion, but it is an inaccurate one. It is not that we are anxious because we are sensitive, but rather that we are sensitive because we are anxious, and regarding sensitivity to criticism, this is a separate matter and it is not a sensitivity that works in the same way. Sensitivity to criticism comes from our perceived inadequacies or vulnerabilities and the way they cause us to take criticisms more personally.
Senses, such as vision, hearing, touch and smell, that become heightened do so because of the the ‘fight-or-flight’ response wich creates feelings of anxiety. The adrenaline that is released when we become anxious prepares us for danger and causes numerous physiological changes in our bodies. One of these changes is to heighten our senses and in evolutionary terms, this has most probably been important to our survival. For example, being better able to detect noises or movements in the undergrowth when faced with danger could mean the difference between running into danger or running away from it.
With social anxiety and other anxiety disorders we can end up so anxious, so much of the time, that we can almost be in constant state of alert. Therefore, we can end up being highly sensitive to light, noise, touch or even smell most of the time. This may lead us to think that we are just a highly sensitive person, but once we start to overcome our anxiety and feel more relaxed we will find our senses will return to a more comfortable levels.
Tags: Criticism, Evolution, Heightened Senses, Hypersensitivity, Inadequacies, Light, Noise, Sensitive, Sensitivity, Smell, Sound, Touch
November 4th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
These are good points made on sensitivity, i often wondered myself if some people are born more sensitive than others, me being one of them having suffered with sa for a number of years. Saying your highly sensitive is another excuse to not face the phobia and to stay stuck feeling sorry for ones self.
July 6th, 2010 at 1:48 am
Thanks for posting this. I do not have SA, I have paranoia. Its terrible. When I start thinking someone is moving agianst me, anxiety and that same fight or flight kicks in and my senses go into overdrive. Recently, I had a problem. One of my friends was talking on a cell phone, I could hear the guys voice, but not understand him, it was too quiet. She even asked me. But after she asked me, she looked at me and turned the phone down. My paranoia immediately kicked into overdrive, and all of a sudden, even with the phone turned down I was catching full sentances of what the guy was saying. When I mentioned it, she got mad, saying I was lying and had only told her I couldn’t hear so I could evesdrop. It was terrible.. I showed her this, she still doesn’t beleive me.. but it still made me feel a bit better. Thanks!
September 6th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Thanks for your comments, and I’m glad this post made you feel a little better, Deborah. I hope you managed to patch things up with your friend.