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.