Ayesha Ashley

You are not alone!. About 15% of our population is afflicted with hypersensitivity; if you ‘can’t stand’ sounds that are ‘too loud’, light that is ‘too bright’ and clothing that has irritating labels that scratch your skin, you might be one of us!

You probably dress for comfort, since anything that is tight or scratchy can drive you crazy. Probably you have been criticized for being too fussy and sensitive.

There is a good book called, “Too loud, too bright, too fast, too tight” that explains this syndrome (my apologies to the author of this excellent book if I have forgotten your name—I hope this will be enough information for others to find your book and read it—you opened my eyes and made me understand something I thought I’d just have to live with and be embarrassed about.)

If you are hypersensitive, you will probably be thought of as ‘neurotic’ by your tougher-skinned friends. What’s more important, though, is to recognize that 15% of everyone is a LOT of people—you are NOT alone/neurotic/whatever—you ARE super-aware of the environment around you and if it is loud, glaring, scratchy, tickly or whatever gets your attention, you react to it more than most people… (rap music has its own place in my array of Things to Avoid like the plague because of its loudness and underlying angry vibe).

You will probably need to tell your lover about your sensitivity (although they probably know about it already) and reassure them that it’s not THEM, but your condition that makes you so fussy about your surroundings (music, lighting,softness and how you are touched.)

Patiently explain to them/show them how YOU like to be touched…and reward them when they get it right!

And, no, we don’t need a handy drug from Big Pharma to ‘correct’ this condition—you have probably already created a surrounding environment that works for you. You just need to be OK with yourself—then other people will accept it more readily.

Remember—the world loves us as much as we love ourselves!