7 Signs Of A Highly Sensitive Child

by Eileen Burns | 4 comments

7 Signs Of A Highly Sensitive Child

Common signs of a highly sensitive child? Want to learn if you have a HSP Child? Lets explore some of the challenges and traits of highly sensitive children.

So what are some of the more common signs of a highly sensitive child or HSP?

Thankfully research todays recognises the most common traits of the highly sensitive child or highly sensitive person.

The Highly Sensitive Child Is Intuitive

HSP’s are usually very intuitive and are good judge of character. But because of  deep compassion and empathy will often let their heart rule their head. It is important they learn to trust and be guided by their inner guidance.

Highly Sensitive Children Are Easily Overstimulated

The easily over stimulated child is often a HSP. Thus they are more easily stimulated; noise, visuals, smells, touch, movement and taste. For some the sensitivity can be so extreme, it can seriously impact their life. For example they may not be able to tolerate touch or find specific or loud sounds extremely painful, certain clothes too itchy or uncomfortable.

Highly Sensitive Kids Need Time Out

They will usually need more time out and alone. Highly sensitive kids and teenagers need more time to unplug from technology and other’s, Even if they appear sociable and talkative. They burn out and get over stimulated very easily. This can appear as high energy or fun to be around, but can often be over stimulation or over excitement.

Highly Sensitive Child Struggles With Violence In Media, Stories

Dislike Violence, Horror Movies, many highly sensitive children will find even the slightest violence quite disturbing. They can appear very cautious or fearful in doing certain activities which may appear to have a risk such as climbing.

Highly Sensitive Children Over Identify With Other People’s Stuff

They are very sensitive to not just stimuli but are often sensitive and highly empathic to other people’s emotions, needs and pains. In-fact they will often over identify or take on other’s emotional pain, especially as they find it difficult to set healthy boundaries. Which can seriously affect their physical, mental and emotional well-being. They can suffer from Irrational or irrelevant guilt due to their highly empathic nature and difficulty identifying their own emotions with others.

HSP Children Are Often People Pleasers

They tend to be people pleasers, often to their own detriment. Many HSP’s will go out of their way to be kind, please others as they don’t want to hurt others or cause conflict.

Powerful Yet Simple Life Tools You Can Teach A Highly Sensitive Child

Highly sensitive children need calm and respite from the over stimulation and information over load of modern life. As a healer, therapist and stress expert I have witnessed for many years, the huge benefits highly sensitive children achieve from learning meditation. Especially the right meditation skills and the right relaxation techniques. The right type of meditation helps one access inner calm and peace no matter what is happening around them.

Highly sensitive children who struggle and don’t learn how to harness their gifts and traits tend to really struggle in adulthood. The more we can learn how to love, accept and honour ourselves as children, the more happier and healthier we become. But if we are misunderstood, not given the support we need, not taught the skills we need we end up carrying those wounds into adulthood. That is why Inner Child Therapy has became so popular, why so many highly sensitive and highly empathic adults are attracted to Inner Child work.

Tools For The Highly Sensitive Child

Healthy Boundaries

The highly sensitive child needs to learn about personal boundaries from a young age. Be able to learn how important it is to set and maintain healthy emotional and energetic boundaries between other people, parents, siblings, friends and family.

Highly Sensitive Kids Need To Learn To Switch Off And Relax

The HSP Child should learn how to become more resilient to anxiety, stress and any form of over-stimulation. It is important for them to be able to take time out,switch off and relax.

Traditional meditation techniques can help the sensitive child or sensitive teenager find their own inner calm, own inner peace. Guided meditations for sensitive children are extremely common as they can help encourage not just deep relaxation, but help them nurture a safe space within them self.

Highly Sensitive Children Need To Ground More

HSP’s and empaths

often struggle with being grounded and centred. So it is important that they do daily activities that will help them become more earthed and grounded. They can easily do that by spending time in nature, around plants, flowers, trees and animals. The use of essential oils and flower essences can also be very helpful.

Improve A Highly Sensitive Child’s Self Worth And Self Esteem

Parents of a highly sensitive child should work on helping the highly sensitive child know they are enough, the need to learn and develop self-love and self-worth. Not base their worth on being the rescuer, helper or healer to other people’s needs.

Inner Child Work For The Highly Sensitive Adult

Inner Child work when approached safely and effective way can be extremely helpful. But in many ways most inner child healing is about healing trauma so there is certain approaches that must be used. It is not something that can be approached lightly.

As someone who has studied a variety of therapeutic approaches for 30 years. Not just different healing  and therapy modalities but counselling, psychology, psychotherapy, archetypes and inner child work. I use a variety of safe and effective tools and approaches in my work to ensure my sessions and courses are safe and soothing.

Eileen has worked with many highly empathic and highly sensitive children and highly sensitive adults, HS  kids with Autism, Aspergers and other sensory processing issues. She offers 1-2-1 inner child support for highly sensitive and empathic adults LEARN MORE