Two years ago, I realized that I might be a highly sensitive person, that is, a person who is more sensitive and easily stimulated and influenced by the outside world compared to the general population. Perhaps for this reason, my upbringing was often accompanied by negative comments, and I was called "pretentious" or "petulant".
During my adolescence, I often wondered if I was really "abnormal" and why I was always different from other people. I was easily influenced by other people's emotions, like watching a slightly melodramatic movie, and my tears often did not follow my instructions. Although it is someone else's story, I couldn't help but to be in it.
I hate the pungent smell and noise, even if others say it is only a little, but those irritations always make me feel uneasy, and in such an environment I easily feel tired.
However, I now accept and enjoy this "gift" that I have. I have learned about highly sensitive people and realized that I just process things differently than others. I am sensitive to subtle changes in people's emotions and can support the people I love before they even ask. I love to feel subtle scents, like the smell of flowers brought by the wind or that inexplicable sweet smell. I enjoy the taste that comes when I like desserts. I have become more adept at feeling the right environment for me and accepting my own ideas and preferences, gradually finding my own rhythm and rhyme. But maybe two years ago I would have been anxious and upset about why I was different from everyone else. I don't have to be like everyone else, I have my own time zone and my own rhythm.