10 Strengths of a Highly Sensitive Person & Weaknesses

As a highly sensitive person, you may not be aware of your strengths. Many people view sensitivity as a one of the top negative qualities you could have. It is seen as a sign of weakness by some, and others think it makes you less productive.

However, if you know how to use your strengths, you can easily turn your sensitivity into a desirable quality. It can improve your quality of life, improve your efficiency, and help you in the workplace. If you want to know how to make this positive transition, read on.

In this article, we will outline why sensitivity can be a strength and how you can build your sensitivity into a strength.

Why Is Important To Recognize the Strengths Of Highly Sensitive Person & Their Benefits

If you or someone you know is a highly sensitive person, it is extremely important to recognize their (or your) strengths. Many individuals begin to view their sensitivity as a weakness as they grow up.

This leads to feelings of despair, decreases in passion, less productivity, and many more negative consequences. Recognizing your strengths can help you avoid these negative outcomes.

Some of the many benefits that you gain with exploring your sensitivity strengths include:

• Becoming more confident in your abilities while also being self-aware
• A boost in happiness and adoption of a positive mindset (glass half full rather than empty)
• Being able to build better bonds with those you care about, both in your personal and work life
• Increasing your productivity and focus
• Making more intelligent decisions about your career
• Knowing which risks are worth taking for you and which you should avoid
• Creating goals that are more personalized to your strengths
• Helping you effectively deal with criticism and feedback without taking it personally
• Helps you stay motivated and passionate about your job
• Increases your ability to acquire your dream job and succeed at meeting your goals there

10 Strengths Of A Highly Sensitive Person

Now that you know some of the many benefits of knowing your strengths, you may have some additional queries. For example, what specific strengths do highly sensitive people have?

To answer this question simply, there are a plethora of unique strengths highly sensitive people possess. Every sensitive person is different, though.

Still, some of the most common strengths highly sensitive people have include:

Extremely empathetic

Empathy is truly an amazing strength. It allows you to build strong bonds with individuals, making you a memorable friend, coworker, or boss. Being empathetic not only improves the lives of those you speak to, it also improves your own life.

Empathetic people are typically more passionate and satisfied with their careers. Plus, the bonds people form from their empathy are using long-term and far more meaningful than those of non-empaths.

Great observation skills

As a highly sensitive person, you will notice even slight changes in your environment. For example, if their friend seems a bit more sad than typical, the highly sensitive person will pick up on these cues. They will do everything they can to help the individual.

Great observation skills also help highly sensitive people in the workplace. They can notice small changes in coworker tension, and report these changes to a manager so conflict is avoided.

They can detect danger

Some say that highly sensitive people may have a fifth sense. This is so because they can very effectively predict, and thus avoid danger. The ability to detect danger stems from their heightened connection to their senses.

As previously noted, even small changes in the environment are picked up by highly sensitive people. Danger does not have to mean “life-threatening” either. This ‘fifth sense’ helps them avoid unnecessary conflict and competition.

Amazing social skills

Highly sensitive people have great people skills. They can easily make friends and form long-lasting bonds with people. One reason why this happens is because of their ability to ‘read people.’ Sensitive people can pick up on body language cues.

They can spot changes in a wide range of qualities, ranging from less eye contact to increased sadness in one’s tone. These social skills help them work well in teams, and it allows them to boost positivity in the workplace.

Gentle and kind

Picking up on these changes is one thing, but responding to them is an entirely different strength. Not only do highly sensitive people recognize these abilities, but they do everything they can to help those in need.

Highly sensitive people are naturally empathetic and kind. They are willing to give up their time to ensure those they care about are happy, or at least happier.

Strong sense of intuition

Individuals who are highly sensitive tend to also have a strong sense of intuition. People describe the power of a highly sensitive person as “psychic-like.” When asked how they know so many hidden facts about their environment and those around them, many HSP does not have a clear, rational answer.

They simply “just know.” It is their intuition that guides them when making decisions. It allows them to simplify the decision-making process and fully trust themselves.

Feeling deeply

Having strong emotions can be both a blessing and a curse. However, if you learn how to properly utilize your emotions, you can acquire incredible strength. Finding meaning in life is easier for those who feel deeply.

Your relationships, work, and even of time will feel much deeper and more satisfying. This will decrease the risks of anxiety, and depression, and increase the likelihood you remain at your job. It boosts motivation and productivity at times, too.

Find the good in everything

Highly sensitive people are very appreciative and humble. They ensure that they thank those they care about for being in their lives. While this may not seem like a standard strength, it does offer many benefits.

For example, finding the good in everything allows HSP to stay positive and motivated. They become far less likely to leave their jobs or their partners. Plus, the humbleness generally makes HSP well-liked by their team members and bosses.

Self-care skills

Taking care of yourself well is one of the many benefits of being an HSP. Some people neglect their self-care, which leads to a plethora of negative consequences. Such individuals are less satisfied with their lives, less productive, more negative, and much more.

Highly sensitive people learn (through trial and error often) what brings them joy and what makes them feel down. They are very in touch with their feelings. So, they can effectively avoid their triggers and lead a fulfilling life.

Great memory and learning skills

Amazing learning skills are often overlooked on the list of HSP strengths. They can come in handy when you are in complex situations and must remember key facts about the environment.

For example, HSP can naturally remember more about their coworker’s working styles so they can suit their communication to each coworker’s needs. They also remember the desires of their regular customers. Semantic memory, or long-term memory, is a fantastic strength for HSP.

How To Identify & Master the Strengths Of a Highly Sensitive Person

The previously described strengths undoubtedly help many highly sensitive people. However, every highly sensitive person is different. So, how can you find your strengths and grow them? Many people avoid investing in their strengths because they believe it must be expensive and timely.

While there are many options for identifying your strengths, some of the best options are also free and efficient. For instance, there are numerous online tools you can use to find your strengths as an HSP.

One of the most accessible and simplistic ways to find your strengths is through an online strengths assessment. HIGH5 is a strengths test that will give you your unique list of strengths. The test takes only around 20 minutes and you will be given specific but easy-to-understand results.

Best of all, HIGH5 is completely free to take. There are a few other strategies you could use for pinpointing your strengths. Think back to the times when you formed the strongest bonds you have, whether it be friends, coworkers, partner, or someone else.

Ask yourself: what made that person interested in you? How are you able to maintain your relationship in the long-term? These questions will help you uncover some of your basic qualities as a highly sensitive person. If you ever need additional input, don’t be afraid to ask someone you trust for help.

Those around you can help you master your strengths and further develop your top abilities. They can also help you learn from their mistakes so you don’t repeat them.

How To Improve Strengths Of Highly Sensitive Person in The Workplace

Once you know your strengths, the next step to self-improvement is growing and fostering them. Without any knowledge or support, this task seems extremely daunting. But, don’t worry. There are a few key strategies you should keep in mind to make the strength improvement process relatively seamless.

Firstly, you need to become more in control of your emotions. Try to learn what triggers you most. Stay away from those triggers, or remove them from your workplace.

If you know that a certain song reminds you of your best friend who recently left you, for example, find a quiet place to work or ask the person playing the song to respectfully avoid doing so. Or, if you know certain websites give you negative feelings, avoid using them during the workday (if possible).

Another way to further improve your strengths is by spending more time with your friends. Ask them to do more activities for them and be willing to help them whenever you can. This will give you more chances to work on your strengths.

But, there is a fine line between working to improve your strengths and your friends starting to take advantage of you. Ensure you are still able to say “no” to doing something. Finally, you have to become brave and take some risks. You should already get a boost in confidence after acknowledging your strengths.

Do not let your humbleness and care for others get in the way of you taking opportunities for yourself. You need to be willing to advocate for yourself. This will open many career opportunities for you.

How To Highlight Sensitive Strengths In Resume & Job Interview

When you are writing a resume, you may think: where should I place my skills? Should I make a separate list? Include them in my job description? Or, is there a better strategy? Everyone creates there resume in slightly different ways.

However, nearly all HR directors and managers agree: simply listing your strengths is an unconvincing way of showing you have them.

You have to bring examples and specific feedback from prior clients as well as bosses to truly convince an interviewer you have a strength. When it comes to sensitivity strengths, you could even bring up personal examples of how you used your strengths.

For instance, if your friend had immense hardship in their life, but your helped them, this is an appealing example of using your strengths. Interviewers know that the strength can translate into the workplace.

If you can bring work-related examples of you using your strength, the examples would be more relevant, though. For instance, bring statistics that show your observation skills stopped waste in the workplace. Or, you could show how multiple employees quoted you as one of the most caring individuals at the organization.

You can include your strengths in various sections of your resume. Some decide to create a separate strengths list. Again, support these claims with some examples or be prepared to bring examples to the interview.

You could also include some of the strengths you acquired through education in the ‘education’ section of your resume, and work-related sensitive strengths where you describe your past work experiences.

Bonus Tip: 5 Weaknesses Of a Highly Sensitive Person

As you have seen, there are many benefits and strengths that come along with being a highly sensitive person. You are more empathetic, pay closer attention to your environment, and find the good in everything. However, nobody is perfect.

As such, highly sensitive people also have their unique weaknesses. You should not obsess over your weaknesses, though. Instead, be aware of them, but focus on growing your strengths.

Some of the common weaknesses of highly sensitive people include:

• Being too attached to people
• Overstimulation
• Easily hurt
• Pain sensitivity
• Less likely to take risks

Strengths of a Highly Sensitive Person FAQs

Why being highly sensitive is a strength?

Many people grow up being told that their sensitivity is a weakness. However, this does not have to be the case. Many people learn how to use their sensitivity as one of their core strengths.

Being highly sensitive is a strength because with allows you to see the good in everything and everyone. It lets to truly feel connected to your coworkers and clients, thus making you more motivated and passionate.

Sensitive people also form strong bonds with others and are extremely empathetic. They are well-liked in teams and receive attention for that. Also, many highly sensitive people have incredible intuition. They are naturally aware of their environment and can easily avoid dangerous and risky behaviors.

Can being sensitive be a strength?

Contrary to what you may have been told, sensitivity can absolutely be a strength. Many of the world’s successful artists, entrepreneurs, and everyday employees attribute their success in part to their sensitivity. Some of the best bonds and relationships form between highly sensitive people. They have incredible people skills, as they can easily sense changes in their environment.

These people are also extremely caring. They work hard to please others, but also get personal rewards for doing so. Such rewards include being more positive, passionate, motivated, and satisfied with their personal and work lives.

What are the secret superpowers of highly sensitive people?

Highly sensitive people have many secret superpowers that may not immediately be apparent. These individuals have an incredible sense of intuition. They can naturally sense when someone is having a bad day, to their amazing observation abilities.

Because of their empathy and keen observation skills, highly sensitive people make friends with nearly everyone. They are able to form genuine bonds with people and have long-lasting relationships.

In addition, highly sensitive people feel deeply. This allows them to feel emotionally connected to their work. As such, they can feel more satisfied, happy, and passionate about their work, which decreases anxiety and depression.