The What

The Highly Sensitive Vet is a blog rooted in humanness and authenticity from the perspective of a highly sensitive person, Me!

So, what is a highly sensitive person (HSP)?

The concept was first described by Dr. Elaine Aron in 1991. Being a highly sensitive person is not a disorder or a condition; it’s a character trait. It is estimated that 15-20% of the population have a personality trait known as “highly sensitive”. I’d be willing to guess that this number is quite a bit higher within the veterinary community.

Persons who are highly sensitive are more aware of subtleties than others. HSPs may find that they feel more connected and “in touch” with the environment around them than others seem to be. This is due to a difference in how their brains process information and these individuals tend to reflect more deeply. As a result, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. With a richer inflow of information in addition to more extensive reflection, the world can feel very intense and chaotic at times.

HSPs tend to be more sensitive to stimulation and can have one sense that seems especially amplified. Bright lights, strong smells, loud noises, or coarse fabrics are examples of input that can be overstimulating. Other common traits of HSPs are heightened empathy, hyperawareness of others’ moods, and higher highs accompanied lower lows.

Being a highly sensitive person is a wonderful gift and it comes with responsibilities. HSPs require a heightened self-awareness and special attention to self-care. We may find that we need more sleep, have more profound h-anger (and sensitivity to garbage food), require more alone time, and need more rigid boundaries than most people. These can be especially challenging to accommodate during vet school.

Check out https://hsperson.com/ for more info and resources!