Being a High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person has been described as the ‘golden ticket’.
How to manage being both HSP & HSS?
How do you juggle both of these traits of being a highly sensitive person who is also a high sensation seeker?
Dr Elaine Aron describes it using the analogy of living with “one foot on the gas, one foot on the brake”.
An analogy that I use is that it’s like being on a tightrope, balancing boredom on one side and overwhelm on the other, while on a unicycle and juggling multiple flaming torches at the same time.
It requires constant awareness to not overwhelm the HSP while providing sufficient novelty and stimulation for the HSS. Not a simple task, but when done right there is no limit to the multi-dimensional heights that can be reached.
Are you a High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person?
Do you feel and think very deeply?
Do you struggle with boredom and prefer new experiences over repetition?
Do you crave novelty, and often seek higher levels of stimulation but then feel overwhelmed?
Recognizing that these are parts of you, and they make sense, can be extremely validating.
Connecting with others who also understand this immense drive for stimulation and novelty can also be very validating.