Hi Peter ~ I am glad you posted this since I was just trying to figure out why I don't seem to "fit" with the typical HSP. Like you, it depends on the crowd I am around whether I feel uncomfortable or not. I enjoy the Native American drummings when I go to them in town and don't feel uncomfortable at all. But put me in an amusement park and I freak out. The frenetic energy gets to me there. I think I'd rather dig a ditch than go to a shopping mall. Sometimes I like to get out and pick up vibes in big groups but it is rare and usually involves art or music. I do love to have company at my home and I tend to get into conversations with people I don't know when I'm out at the grocery in line or in waiting rooms. I still wave at strangers and talk easily with them. But then sometimes I have to have total solitude, especially when I'm writing or painting. My favorite place to meditate is floating in the jacuzzi or sitting out in the woods. I have found this to be a wonderful practice to rejuvenate or calm, whichever I need the most (which is usually both).

Hi Pete, I think I'm one of those extroverted HSPs. I'm very sociable, everybody's best friend, the clown at work or school. Still I get irritable when I'm interrupted or if there's a pitching noise, loud music or something of that nature. I spend a lot of time on my own and I enjoy it. Some people don't understand this. I read a lot,I like museums, the arts and certain music makes me cry.

You mentioned this in your response to me DG, and in days of yore, I would have been more likely to pick up the phone and call you to discuss what you wrote. For that matter, I'm still more likely to do so, but I put that down to the weaknesses of the written word. There is no inflection, no enuciation, sarcasm comes across very poorly in the written word, and I could go on. In fact, I think over the years I've been meeting women on line, the biggest fights have always started over the way THEY thought I meant something I wrote, when it was either a joke, or a drippingly sarcastic statement. In fact, I don't even like the phone as facial expressions can change the meaning the of a sentence, or even of two words!! "F__K you!!", dependent upon the person's sound and face can mean just about anything! When we extroverts are used to having these cues to read, we're lost when we see such things used without the necessary cues to know how it should be taken.

I HATE email unless it's the only medium through which I can communicate. I will always look for the closest possible way to communicate as to best use my empathic abilities. The less personal contact I have with someone, the less likely I am to be understood by others correctly--unless of course the person knows me very well, and even then there are misunderstandings.

Of course, as I told you before, my needs have changed since that day in 2003, but before then, I would spend a night or two alone, listening to music, or playing computer games, and after that I was ready to go woman hunting once again (it seems 95% of my life has been spent chasing women, if not more).

All my best,

Dr. Art.

I read the Highly Sensitive Person over 7 years ago and loved it. Finally I understood why I hated attending my son's Karate tournaments so much. Way too much sensory input. I am also an extravert though. I love amusement parks, because I love the rides. I love concerts and dance clubs because I love the music or the dancing. I adore interacting with people if it is on a very human level and not artificial posing and emotional game playing. I need my down time too. 15 minutes of Vispassana breathing meditation, a walk alone near the lake, a visit by myself to a very quiet art gallery (usually that's only possible on a week day and not during the school year). Hot tubs are a great place to escape to as well. My personal environment is of key importance to my inner well being. I spent 6 months living out of a suitcase last year, with both my apartment and my ex-husband's house all packed in boxes to prepare for moves. I thought I'd go crazy. Definitely a huge need in my life for domestic order, tranquility and ambiance.

I am both. Introverted and shy: much prefer email. LOVE to talk when one-on-one: practically mute in groups. LOVE to box, LOVE doing the things that are more guy-like, like racing: love to go fast!

I balance by using my scheduling book to organize my time. My private client, hospital work, boxing at the gym, me-time, etc. are all carefully spaced so that I don't get overwhelmed. Due to my love of work, I HAVE to write things down and use the schedule, otherwise I'll just give til I'm gone. Not healthy at all. Took me a wee while to learn this.

My current goal is to help people see that we CAN be both shy and outgoing. Spiritual and Assertive. Healing & Boat-Rocking, etc.

I am very extroverted when it comes to meeting new people. I don't think I know what the word shy means. But I also need a lot of down times, especially when I am drawing or painting. I become annoyed when I am in my creative mode and am interrupted. Since painting and drawing is a right brain activity, I need to concentrate.

I work in a mental health environment where I work with a lot of needy people needing my attention. I become overwhelmed if I am asked by too many people for their attention. I have learned to have boundaries when it comes to work. Since multitasking is not a strong point, I literally have to focus on one task.

As much as I love parties, I find that if the environment is too loud with too many people talking I literally have to find a quiet place. The noise is abrasive. I know for me the change came when I started to deal with my abusive past in therapy. Prior to going inward I needed a LOT of people around me because at that point I could not be with myself and my pain. That is no longer an issue. Now I welcome the time to be with me and reflect and heal. Being an extrovert has allowed me to tell my story and comfort others who are still struggling to be whole. Maybe being an extrovert helped me as a child. I now can except the love of others and the support from them.