An online personality quiz taken on a random weeknight can sometimes alter your life's trajectory – first offering liberation, then constructing a prison of the mind.
This was the experience of journalist Miranda Luby, who for as long as she could recall, had navigated the world with a profound intensity. She describes moving through her days feeling flayed open, acutely aware of smells others missed and becoming overwhelmed in bustling social situations. A single act of cruelty, like a driver intentionally hitting a snake, could trigger an overwhelming wave of empathy for all suffering.
The Validation of a Label
Then came the quiz and the subsequent label: Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). The term, originally coined by psychologist Elaine Aron in the 1990s, describes individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity. This is considered a biological personality trait, much like introversion, where the nervous system is wired to be more responsive to stimuli and to process experiences more deeply.
For Luby, discovering this identity was initially a profound relief. She immersed herself in HSP communities and newsletters, finding solace in a shared experience. It felt validating and empowering to finally have a framework for her lifelong feelings.
When Empowerment Becomes a Cage
However, this newfound identity soon began to constrict her. The very online spaces that had offered validation started to dictate her life. Articles listed sounds to avoid and triggers to identify before every social outing. The narrative shifted from empowerment to fragility, suggesting HSPs were perpetually on the brink of burnout.
Luby found herself turning her personality into a pathology. She began meticulously rehearsing future events to avoid overwhelm, her thoughts spiralling into anxiety. The world transformed from an occasionally stressful place into a minefield of potential triggers. The label, once a comfort, had become a mental cage, teaching her to see herself as vulnerable and in constant need of protection.
The Wider Problem of Self-Diagnosis
This experience reflects a growing trend where people turn to online information for self-labelling. Clinical psychologist Hannah Jensen warns that while access to information is valuable, self-diagnosis can be problematic. It can lead to hypervigilance towards symptoms, heightening distress without professional support, and risks pathologising normal emotional experiences like sadness or grief.
Luby realised she had gained a label that made her feel understood but had lost the ability to experience life moment by moment. She was no longer just a human reacting to the world, but a trait dictating her every move.
Reclaiming Freedom from the Label
The turning point came with the understanding that the brain is malleable. While her nervous system might be wired for sensitivity, it was not a fixed identity. By learning cognitive retraining and grounding practices, she discovered that her attention was still hers to direct.
Unsubscribing from the HSP newsletter was a pivotal act of liberation. By stopping her constant scanning for threats, she became available to notice the magic of being alive once more. Her life now involves far less overwhelm but just as much beauty and awe. She traded the feeling of being seen for the profound experience of feeling free.
