How Does a Highly Sensitive Person Survive the Hell of the American Workplace?

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/labor/how-does-highly-sensitive-person-survive-hell-american-workplace



For those who are new to the term, "highly sensitive person," it was coined by psychologist and personality researcher Elaine Aron to describe a trait found in up to 20 percent of the population. People in this group react distinctly to their environments, both inner and outer. They tend to have a heightened awareness of emotions and respond more intensely to loud noises and other sensory stimuli. They also exhibit distinct patterns in the way they think and work. They are especially imaginative and have a tendency toward what Aron calls “deep processing” of information. HSPs tend to be conscientious, loyal, good at catching mistakes, and committed to high performance. (Take the online test to find out if you are an HSP.)

The good news is that HSPs are extremely valuable workers, contributing their intuition, wise counsel, conscientiousness, and creativity across a broad range of industries and professions. The bad new is that today’s typical office setup is completely at odds with their working and thinking styles. HSPs typically need quiet and calm, and do their best work when they can plunge into a task without interruption. They tend to be uncomfortable being watched and don’t like being drawn into office politics. They need downtime and they can become especially distracted if they are physically uncomfortable at work.

Unfortunately, in today's work environment, employees are expected to tolerate noise, be good at multi-tasking, enjoy meetings, excel in networking, tolerate long hours under florescent lights, and thrive working in teams that sit face to face much of the day. The International Management Facility Association estimates that 70 percent of American employees work in open-plan environments — what used to be called “bullpens.” These layouts are designed to maximize space, minimize cost and reduce or even eliminate private spaces or offices. Basically, it’s goodbye doors and walls. Hello cubicle and group workstation.

[magical thyme]

1. hell is the right word. it's why I've hated work my entire life

except for a brief few years at the peak of my career when I worked at home 2 days/week.

Even cubicles don't provide enough comfort or quiet, and the lighting is horrible.

And how anybody expects a writer to work in an "open" floor plan is beyond me. I couldn't conduct interviews in peace. Imagine having to ask senior managers or executives at major corporation to repeat themselves over and over because you can't hear them over your co-workers. Or having some idiot at the desk across from you interrupting an interview with, say, the Director of User Interfaces at Microsoft, loudly demanding to know who you are talking to, what are you asking and why.

[meaculpa2011]

11. Early in my career I worked in a cubicle.

It was adjacent to the art department which was always bustling with activity. I had no problem with it since I can shut out nearly everything when I'm working.

I was promoted soon after and got a very nice little office. I found that I preferred quiet and soft lighting. Then I switched jobs and got a bigger office with real windows. It was paradise.

I've been a freelance writer for 35 years now and I've become accustomed to having my work environment precisely the way I like it.

Whenever I have to work for a client onsite it brings me back to my old cubicle days. I can still shut out distractions but it's easy to see how it can be torture for some.

[btrflykng9]

25. Hahaha, I am a sometimes writer and worked as a copy writer in an open floor plan office so I relate

to your post above big time, magical thyme. Nothing worse than trying to be creative while someone is staring at you or flossing their teeth at the desk next to you.

[magical thyme]

27. flossing their teeth?!? I hope you are making that part up!!!!

Blech! Yuck! eeewwww......

Holy here have a bit of my cold embedded in this partially digested crumb of bread that I've just flung across my desk and into your face!

[btrflykng9]

33. Oh that I were... Sadly, it really did happen, every day after lunch.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. I took the test

It confirmed what I have known for years, that I am quite the sensitive type.

[a kennedy]

3. and on top of it all, they usually pay sh*t wages.......

Hell is right.

[betsuni]

4. My mother and Marcel Proust were the most highly sensitive people ever.

Noise, clothing on their skin, food, smells, change of any kind, everything. For me, it's florescent lights, they destroy me.

From Alain de Botton's "How Proust Can Change Your Life":

"Unwillingness to get out of bed: Proust preferred to spend most of his time in bed. He turned it into his desk and office. Did it provide a defense against the cruel world outside? 'When one is sad, it is lovely to lie in the warmth of one's bed, and there, with all effort and struggle at an end, even perhaps with one's head under the blankets, surrender completely to wailing, like branches in the autumn wind."

I AM UNWILLING TO GET OUT OF BED WHERE IT IS NICE.

[pipi_k]

10. OMG

Fluorescent lights!!!

I hate them.

I can hear them hum. I can feel them on my skin.

If I'm in a store, for example, with fluorescent lights and shiny floors, I am near non-functional

Are you also sensitive to movement?

Like if you just happen to glance out a window and notice a very slight movement and it's a bird or something that wouldn't catch the attention of most people

[btrflykng9]

26. Birds are so distracting! I sit in a cubicle about 50 feet from a window and there

are sporadic suicidal birds that nearly fly into the window when the blinds are raised. I catch it out of the corner of my eye and look around to see if any one else has seen and no one else seems to even notice.

[arcane1]

31. Add crowds and lines to that store, and I'd sooner starve than enter.

[BlueJazz]

107. Oh Boy. Crowds in stores. Like writhing blind worms with everywhere to go. Standing in line but...

...they don't really stand in line. They stand on your sides, acting like they'll jump ahead at any second in order to win some imaginary prize.

If that's what I read in your post and what I feel.

[smirkymonkey]

42. Ugh! I hate fluorescent lights. I always tried to have the bulbs unscrewed or

at least not replace when they went out at work because I swore they gave me the worst headaches. But no, company policy dictates that lights must be on at all times. F**k what the people working under them want. It's so aggravating. I am one of those people that can't really deal with anything brighter than 40 watt incandescent bulbs. Having to labor under bright fluorescent light all day is just hell.

[ND-Dem]

60. imagine if a sensitive person like you were forced of necessity to work in an amazon warehouse

where your every movement was watched and timed and you received demerits and ultimately firing if you didn't move x number of products in x amount of time. also with fluorescent lights. and no windows at all.

[giftedgirl77]

76. I'm reading this on my Kindle wondering if I should smash

it while cursing the evildoers at amazon.

[appalachiablue]

90. God & nature have some way to look out for them since many thrive in very different

occupations. This warehouse work would slay any but the hardiest most well tempered in an hour. There's a need for all types, obviously.

[ND-Dem]

93. Most people don't want to destroy their health for $11 an hour, no benefits, and no UE insurance

if something happens (because the temp company goes to court to deny your claim...)

Some people -- many -- have no alternative.

[pipi_k]

110. A few points

1. What makes you think I've never worked in a really shitty environment before? I have. I didn't like it. It was hell, but I did what I needed to do as long as I needed to do it.

2. If I worked in a place like that again, being older and more experienced, I would contact my former co-workers to ask how they felt about banding together to form a union.

And

3. I would definitely not waste my time being pissed off at people who patronized the company where I worked, no matter how badly I hated it. Because the only way I would be "forced" to work somewhere would be if someone were holding a gun to my head. There are always choices. Night job. Two part time jobs...or three, if necessary.

If there are no jobs anywhere, there are always homeless shelters for the short term.

Some people are actually grateful to be working anywhere at all, no matter how shitty anyone else thinks the labor practices are.

[ND-Dem]

111. well i just hope it didn't have fluorescent lights! I'd hate to think you had to go to work "near

non-functional" for too long.

If I'm in a store, for example, with fluorescent lights and shiny floors, I am near non-functional


If there are no jobs anywhere, there are always homeless shelters for the short term.

And yeah, thank the lord for homeless shelters!!! three cheers!!!


Some people are actually grateful to be working anywhere at all, no matter how shitty anyone else thinks the labor practices are.

Yeah, like the guy who walks 21 miles for $10.50 an hour and has been doing it 12 years. And has worked at that company even longer. Exemplary.

Three more cheers!!!

But god forbid anyone post anything negative about Amazon on the internet. That's just a waste of time.

Nevertheless, so glad you don't have to work around fluorescent lights anymore. that must have been tough for you.

[pipi_k]

117. sigh...

well i just hope it didn't have fluorescent lights! I'd hate to think you had to go to work "near

non-functional" for too long.

If you'll go back and READ what I wrote, I said fluorescent lights AND shiny floors.

I never had to work with both.

Where I worked it was fluorescent lights and carpeting.


It's usually STORES that have fluorescent lights and shiny floors.

If there are no jobs anywhere, there are always homeless shelters for the short term.

And yeah, thank the lord for homeless shelters!!! three cheers!!!

Yeah, thank the lord. Because some people (and I know this may be hard for you to believe) are actually grateful for homeless shelters.

Yeah, like the guy who walks 21 miles for $10.50 an hour and has been doing it 12 years. And has worked at that company even longer. Exemplary.

Three more cheers!!!

Yeah, too bad he had someone holding a gun to his head for 12 years forcing him to do that.

Did he have any other choices? Let's see...second hand bicycle so he could ride to work. Car pool. Those are two other choices he may have had

Nevertheless, so glad you don't have to work around fluorescent lights anymore. that must have been tough for you.

It was, but like I said, I did what I HAD to do when I had to do it.

Unless and until you understand certain sensory and anxiety disorders, you have no business being sarcastic to people who deal with them on a daily basis for years...decades.

And finally, you have no business deciding for someone else what working conditions are, or should be, intolerable. As I've already pointed out, there are many people who, looking at any other choices they have, decide that working at a particular company is the least of all evils.

[LiberalAndProud]

112. There is truth in what you say.

Some people are actually grateful to be working anywhere at all, no matter how shitty

Sad truth. It's wretched to notice how we Homo sapiens sapiens continue to organize our societies around this premise. Truly sad.

[ND-Dem]

120. yes, and many more point to this fact as though it were a sign of individual virtue and societal

well-being.

people are grateful for homeless shelters too, as the poster has noted.

I'd bet there are people who are grateful to find a piece of plastic that they can construct a rain shelter out of. or a used cigarette butt. or a half-eaten sandwich from the trash.

so the hell what? what is the point to these claims, except to minimize socially-created suffering?

[Tom Ripley]

41. My wife is highly sensitive to lights, sound, smells; I call her "Roderick Usher"

[appalachiablue]

89. Hope she takes that well, with humor. Roderick was a piece of work indeed.

[One_Life_To_Give]

5. Laboratory

The nice part about being in a Lab with a unique specialty. Quiet!

[Sherman A1]

6. Interesting

thanks for posting. I work with someone that is rather sensitive and she often has trouble at work.

[cyberswede]

7. Was it wrong of me to be annoyed that I had to count my answers myself?

I wanted to hit a "submit" button.

[arcane1]

101. Indeed! I spent twice the time looking for that button than it took to just count.

[snooper2]

8. more psych woo from alternet...are you touchy feeling and really deep, oh how will you make it

LOL

Questions are funny though, just what I expected-



Check the box if you-

"I have a rich,complex inner life."

[Orrex]

15. .

[Brigid]

23. Maybe you just don't know what it's like . . .

to be an HSP in today's workplace. That photo at the top of the article? That looks almost like something out of Dante to me.

[Orrex]

35. Without questiong the existence of the HSP personality type...

A trite online self-test offers no help in identifying, diagnosing or managing the condition. It's every bit as useless as the MBTI or a self-diagnosis of Asperger's.

Again, that's not to dispute the reality of the phenomenon, but it questions legitimacy of vague, open-eneded questions when it comes to self-diagnosis.

[Brigid]

38. I don't know if there will ever be a clinical definition of HSP.

But this article describes me very well. I didn't even bother with the quiz.

[RedCappedBandit]

32. Honestly that test was really fucking silly

Shit, I probably am a bit more sensitive to external stimuli than others.. but those questions are incredibly generic.

[Orrex]

36. "If you score 14 or more, you're probably HSP"

"If you score less than 14, you're still probably HSP."

Got to love those falsifiable results!

[pipi_k]

9. HSP or...

Sensory Processing Disorder.

Which is my favored term for it, since HSP sounds like it's only a matter of a person choosing to be less sensitive.

Anyway, yes.

Working in a traditional job was hell, especially having to multitask in a busy, noisy environment and having to finish certain computer jobs while fielding phone calls and visitors. I would get terrible and painful IBS symptoms that persisted for about a year after I left my last job.


Even in my own home, I can't stand a lot of stimuli like light or noise or temperatures that are too hot or too cold. Each day we turn the TV off right after lunch and we have quiet time till around 4 PM.

When things get too noisy, I wear earplugs.

If I'm forced to spend time in a noisy environment (like a family get together) I can have fun, but get echoing noises inside my head for hours afterward.

People who don't have the problem can't even imagine what it's like.

[nruthie]

13. I can't imagine what it's like to not have the problem.

Noise of any kind makes me feel homicidal. The older I get the worse it gets.

[pipi_k]

18. Same here

When I see people who don't have the problem thriving in a world full of noise and lights and excitement, it makes me cringe.

And, yes, the older I get the worse it gets too.

In fact, it's gotten to the point now where even some human voices grate on my nerves, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Especially women with high cartoon character voices. And if they speak very quickly, that's it. Get me outta there!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. The more I have a quiet life, the less tolerant I am for noise.

Being retired has been heaven, there are only 2 of us, and Mr. Dixie spends most days in his shop, where HE gets the solitude that is important to him.
I get the house.
No tv, no radio, and very very little noise outside because we are in a secluded area.

Once in awhile I have to go to town, and those time, listening to the high pitched nasal twang of some women makes my ears hurt.

In retrospect, I can see I made it thru the work days because I had several hours each day of paperwork time, and a lot of control over my client groups.
Plus a lovely commute on country roads with very little traffic, which also offered down time to think.
Honestly, down here, if I can see 3 cars in front of me, it is a traffic jam!

[pipi_k]

113. Have you ever noticed

the difference in sound level between when the tv or radio are off and when the power goes out completely?

It's funny how much background noise there really is even when extra noise is gone.

When we lose power here in winter, there's no furnace noise. No water heater noise winter and summer. No refrigerator hum. And there's also no very very high frequency noise from the lights.

Only the tick tick tick of the pendulum clocks in the living room. That's it. Complete silence.

I love going outside in a snowstorm because it's so quiet I can hear snowflakes falling and hitting each other as they pile up. It's a gentle "shushing" sound.

Oh, and dense fog. I love it. It's like being enveloped in a soft white cocoon.

[dixiegrrrrl]

115. the sound of snow...yes!!!!!

I lived on a very isolated island, and when it snowed, there was no traffic noise at all, of course. I remember standing outside and hearing the snow falling.
I was entranced.
this was many years ago, the memory is still clear as can be..

thank you for that replay of a wonderful moment.

[pipi_k]

119. Entrancing in seclusion...

and downright haunting in the city where you expect to hear traffic noises but it's silent.

Sometimes I think that being sensitive to sounds and such is like how animals experience life

Right now I'm watching some deer at the feeder about 70 feet back from the house. If I were to close a kitchen drawer with any level of noise, I know that they would hear it and their heads would swivel and their ears would perk up and alert them to possible danger.

[smirkymonkey]

43. Same here.

I work in a company that has an open office plan. The timbre of people's voices, the sound of chewing gum, the sound of anything just drives me insane. It's so hard to try to tune it out. I wish I could be given an IV valium or something at the start of the work day. I almost always leave with a tension headache.

[magical thyme]

14. when I was a kid, I would disappear from family get togethers

and hide by myself someplace for an hour or two, in quiet.

The noise, activity, and other people's energy just tire me out so much.

[pipi_k]

19. Oh yeah!

there's another thing...other people's energy.

Especially small children.

Small yelling, screeching, screaming children.


But it applies to adults, too.

[magical thyme]

20. yelling screeching and screaming adults are just as bad

at my shit job yesterday, well...never mind...

[pipi_k]

118. Hah...true!

Often they're even more irrational than the kiddies are

[adigal]

52. Energies bother me more than noise

I can feel anger at 100 feet.i can tell the bad mood if a kid who,walks ino my classroom without even looking up.

It's not easy but on the other hand, the energies of the ocean and trees soothe me.

[mindwalker_i]

12. Holy shit, this descripbes me to a T

I worked for Intel for 12 years, and it nearly killed my on several occasions. That's a place where networking is key, loud conversations are ALWAYS going on, and the corporate culture is to beat the crap out of people. And the fluorescent lighting is direct.

Now, I'm in an open office, but have a computer on my desk with an audible fan to drown out most stuff. Totally different culture, and I love the place. This article goes a long was to confirm what I suspected.

[leftyladyfrommo]

16. I don't know how anyone survives the modern work place.

No one should have to endure every day what millions of Americans put up with.

And the hours people are working right now are ridiculous. Everyone in my my neighborhood leaves at 5:30 in the morning. And they don't get home until 6. It's crazy.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

34. "And the hours people are working right now are ridiculous."

First world folks got it pretty damned good. I'm pretty sure anybody in the third-world scraping working dawn to dusk at back-breaking labor for a subsistence living would love to trade problem sets with us.

[ND-Dem]

61. yes, compared to eating shit, eating frozen pee is much more appetizing

[Nuclear Unicorn]

63. There, there.

[ND-Dem]

65. Luckily, there's always someone to tout the benefit and positive *healthfulness* of frozen pee.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

66. Whatever, man. You're obviously determined to fight to feel special so go feel special.

[ND-Dem]

67. nope, just another frozen pee eater trying to avoid the shit

[Nuclear Unicorn]

69. You're hiding behind meaningless statements. "Frozen pee" means nothing.

My husband and his crew work outside repairing diesel machinery. They do it 6 days a week, most weeks, and they do it regardless of the weather. It can be over 100 in the summer and sub-zero in the winter. Last year they did a 22 hour shift because it was -20 and the equipment kept freezing up. Injuries are frequent. Yet, their morale is constantly high and he is happy and enjoys his work.

Before that he was a soldier. Just hearing the stories about the conditions soldiers endure while training is enough to leave me in awe.

Meanwhile millions are silently praying they won't be deported because they're desperate to cling to what you dismiss with meaningless words.

I can't compete with any of that, nor do I want to. My life has been pretty good and for that I'm grateful. A cramped construction trailer with flaring lights and an old metal desk ain't so bad compared to how the boys look at the end of a shift.

[ND-Dem]

78. does your husband make $11hr; is he searched before lunch (taking part of his non-paid lunch break)

and after work (taking part of his own time, for free)? does he have his pee breaks monitored? does he get any benefits?

are you saying amazon's workforce does that because it's composed of illegal aliens?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

79. The thread isn't about Amazon. I didn't say there is no such thing as bad working conditions

what I said is what some people consider bad pales in comparison to those who have grueling jobs making subsistence livings.

As much as my husband works he still considers himself blessed by what we have together and recognizes it could be worse -- much worse.

[ND-Dem]

80. and i gave an example of people who have gueling jobs making subsistence livings. i'd bet that

your husband's job, while physically and mentally demanded, is also decently paid and benefited and not monitored such that he has to ask if he wants to pee; am I wrong?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

81. How does that square with either the OP or the sub-thread I replied to?

I could yell, "Drowning puppies is bad!" and I would be correct (presumably) but that wouldn't have any bearing on the subject at hand nor entitle me to the winning argument.

[ND-Dem]

82. please reread your own responses to post 16, starting with your post 34.

34. "And the hours people are working right now are ridiculous."

First world folks got it pretty damned good. I'm pretty sure anybody in the third-world scraping working dawn to dusk at back-breaking labor for a subsistence living would love to trade problem sets with us.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

84. Okay. And?

16. I don't know how anyone survives the modern work place.

No one should have to endure every day what millions of Americans put up with.

And the hours people are working right now are ridiculous. Everyone in my my neighborhood leaves at 5:30 in the morning. And they don't get home until 6. It's crazy.

All these people are working at Amazon?

Or maybe they're these poor souls --

[ND-Dem]

88. you're asking the amazon workers to be grateful they only have to eat frozen pee. One wonders

why frozen pee is even on the menu in the richest country in the world. And more frozen pee than ever, though the country's wealth is still rising.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

92. Again, I, the OP and my orignial interlocutor are not addressing workers for Amazon.

[ileus]

121. Been there...surface and underground....every type of weather.

24 hour shifts were common...

Now my biggest problem is getting called in on the weekends or middle of the night. Desk jobs are nice.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

122. Lover Boy says he appreciates the fact the work is "uncomplicated."

The individual jobs may have complications but the work itself he describes as, "Red light bad, make fix." For that he enjoys it.

Did you see it that way?

Me? I hate the hours he's away and from time to time he can get a little banged up but the money is good and -- ahem -- stays fit and trim (and momma likes her yummies!).

[Codeine]

70. "Oh no, there was light an' noise an' stuff! And I was there for a little over eight hours!"

Such delicate snowflakes.

[Skittles]

17. I work nights, in a job I can often do solo

that's how - and even then it is quite taxing

[Brigid]

22. And I thought it was just me.

No wonder so many of the jobs I have had, particularly the call center jobs, have been absolute hell for me. This article will be useful for me to keep in mind when I go job-hunting after I finish school. Thanks, xchrom!

[kentauros]

24. How? With headphones/earbuds

and noise-masking

[hifiguy]

28. I am dx'd Aspergers and some of those things

DO freak me out. Ticked 11 on the test but probably am an HSP. I need private space to think and work effectively.

[alarimer]

29. Cubicle farms/open plan offices are bad for everyone

Why they persist is beyond me.

Now I don't know if I have this issue or not, but when I am trying to concentrate, noise really irritates me. And the folks where I work do NOT have indoor voices at all, it seems. One constantly whistles tunelessly all damn day! So, yeah, I am truly annoyed.

Still, I am skeptical whether HSP is a real phenomenon or just a manifestation of how introverts deal/don't deal with the real world. Society in this country still belongs to extroverts. And these open-plan offices seems designed to drive off anyone else.

[arcane1]

30. Sounds like me.

And according to the test, it IS me!

I can see some value in the open office plan, but that value only happens once a day at most.

The rest of the time, it's like trying to work while a prison riot is going on around me. And don't get me started on the lights!!!!!

[lumberjack_jeff]

37. Absent actual legitimate sensory integration disorders, they suck it up. n/t

[Prism]

39. I just finished reading "Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking"

It's a really interesting read and talks about modern business culture and the mistake that physical work space should mirror the success of social media. As a result, open floor plans are slowly being abandoned, and closed offices are returning.

Psychological studies have shown that people need quiet, and that group brainstorming behaviors are actually worse for creative thinking.

It's a good, light read, and the author is careful to balance the advantages and disadvantages of introversion and extroversion - this isn't a "yay, introverts. Boo, extroverts," kind of screed.

She also goes into a lot of the psychological research. Generally summarizing, high reactives who typically become introverted in adulthood show characteristic nervous system reactions during infancy. There's something in the amygdala among about 20% of the population that makes them more sensitive to stimuli.

Worth a gander if you're interested in the subject.

[smirkymonkey]

44. I just finished reading that book as well.

It made me feel like less of an outcast in the corporate world in which I try to survive in. I found the subject matter discussed in your last paragraph most interesting.

[Prism]

57. I really liked the author's sense of balance

Providing examples of how to remain true to one's temperament while still finding methods to navigate the extroverted ideal in Western business.

I deal with difficult cases everyday (social work), and I always referred to it as "the wiring in my noggin is starting to fray and short circuit." Since reading the book, I've been trying to use breaks to do things like take a quiet walk or find a cocoon to recharge. It's definitely elevated my mood and ability to cope with the long days.

[appalachiablue]

47. Excellent book esp. distinctions between intros & extros. Wish it was around decades ago.

Good on workplace environments as you say. Low tolerance for extroverts here.

[Prism]

58. So very much talking!

I refer to the extroverts I work with as my ear gremlins =)

[adigal]

53. I have to read this...I had all sorts of twitches growing up

And my lips quivered when I was a baby, so my adoption was held up for four months.

[Prism]

56. Here's a quick article on Kagan

http://www.loc.gov/loc/brain/emotion/Kagan.html

He did a lot of the high reactive work on infants, and other psychologists have been refining and exploring it ever since. It's really interesting to note how early on introverted/extroverted personalities are observable based on nervous reactions. Of course, these reactions don't set temperament in stone, but there is a high correlation between the two.

[likesmountains 52]

77. I felt so vindicated after reading that book.

Some days at work I just want to tell all the talkers to please stop and let me have a quiet shift for once.

[stage left]

86. Thanks I'll look for it.

This theory explains a lot to me.

[Prism]

94. It also has some solid coping strategies

Both for business applications and interpersonal relationships.

I'm usually pretty leery of pop psychology/neuroscience, but the book is solidly sourced, and the author is very careful not to make broad over generalizations venerating one personality type over the other.

[stage left]

103. That sounds really great!

Thanks again, Prism.

[Tom Ripley]

40. Xanax

[adigal]

54. Meditation and exercise work better for me nt

[Tom Ripley]

75. They also work well for me

but the Xanax is so much fun

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

45. Working for a living is a highly overrated pastime with few redeeming features.

THE redeeming features being quitting time and a paycheck. That's when life begins and one has the necessary funds to live it.

[Taitertots]

46. I'm not HSP and open cubicles infuriate me

I've been pretty fortunate to work at places that don't think you can maximize productivity by making everyone unhappy all the time.

At one point I had to share a cubicle because of a shortage of space. No two people should have to spend that much time so close to each other.

[bhikkhu]

48. You get used to it

I still remember my first job, boxing donuts for customers, when I'd break out in a stress-sweat if there was more than one person in line, or if I had to fill a complicated order or deal with indecision. Then I worked nights at a convenience store - best time was 2am to 4 am, when it was just pushing a broom or restocking the cooler. It was always a challenge dealing with people. Then as a mechanic, fixing cars was fine, but dealing with customers took years to get the hang of. I worked in the office end of it for awhile, but there was only stress and no satisfaction - like having to put on a face all day long, and that was the work. I could never imagine how that was something real, and never felt the least bit secure that I was doing anything of value that I deserved to be paid for. Back to mechanics, I enjoyed working in a small shop by myself mostly, most at ease with a line of work in front of me and no distractions.

Now I work in a busy shop, elbow to elbow with a bunch of other guys, and plenty of personalities to deal with. The work is physically hard and mentally challenging, but its really the constant interaction is exhausting. But - its a good job, I do good work, the pay is very goods for my area, and I've gotten used to dealing with all sorts of people and managing the stress level.

[killbotfactory]

49. Sounds like HSP's are quite similar to introverts.

US culture that dominates most things, by and large, does NOT respect either of them.

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts?language=en

[Samantha]

50. Overly intelligent people are often overly sensitive (nt)

[adigal]

51. I'm a HSP and a teacher and I love the kids but the new bureaucracy, criticism,

Ridiculous extra paperwork and politics is killing me. I'm retiring at 55 and starting a second career.

[Ex Lurker]

55. I sought out jobs where I could work independently, with minimal interaction

even if it meant a job below my level of skill and education. Now I'm self employed and control my own work environment.

[Hekate]

59. I'm so glad to be retired. My husband and I test almost exactly the same for HSP, but his niche ....

....is perfect for him. Computer programming, systems analysis, teaching, and now data base administration, always in an office of his own. The company he works for now is a madhouse of politics to hear him tell it, but he and his boss just stay out of the way and keep the system running.

I never found quite the right niche, though I worked hard and did good work. Square peg, meet round hole. If I had to work work under the conditions described in the article, I think the stress would kill me.

Note to the scoffers and skeptics in this thread: you have no idea what you're talking about.

As for hubby and myself, we have not read or taken the online test. A number of years ago we had a few valuable joint sessions with a therapist who suddenly pulled out a sheet of paper and started peppering my husband with questions. As he answered "Yes" to every question but one, I silently concurred with every question but one on my own behalf. It was the first time either of us had ever heard of HSP, and there we were, two people very different from most of the rest of the world.

[ms liberty]

62. My IPod is my friend. I plug in and the cube farm disappears...

I like my job and my company, and many of my coworkers, but I hate the cube farm.

[AngryOldDem]

64. I knew when I started the test that I would be classified as an HSP.

After the first couple questions, I knew where the survey was going.

And thanks to my job, and my workplace, my life is a living hell right now. The office is dysfunctional, I never know from one day to the next what the climate is going to be, I have to turn around complicated documents in literally minutes (and they have to be perfect), and deal with difficult people.

Add to that work days that are often six days long, 12 hours or more. My anxiety and stress are off the charts. I started seeing a psychiatrist to find ways to deal with the stress, and after I described to her a typical workday, her eyes got wide and she asked, "What do you do to relax?" I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream at that question. That was exactly WHY I was seeing her, FFS.

I can't do much right now but work, and hope I didn't make some kind of monumental mistake along the line. It is no way to live.

A band-aid approach I take is plugging into my iPods (music and podcasts, usually comedies) and trying to pick and choose my battles, both with the work and the people. But that isn't always possible. I half-joke when I say my job is going to kill me.

[Codeine]

71. The test is designed to reach that conclusion. It's about validation and special snowflake-ism,

not any sort of real diagnostic tool.

[Phentex]

68. Physically, I am a sensory mess. Emotionally, I am zen...

In my case, it's called ADD. I need calm to survive and would prefer to live underground if I could. Fortunately I have always had jobs that allow me my own space. I was always first to volunteer for the closet type office, away from windows. With one of my jobs, we moved to a new building and i was given a big office that was almost all windows. I am sure my boss thought this was good thing. I traded with someone next door for less windows but still had one whole wall of them. I don't know how i got anything done!

[alcibiades_mystery]

72. Short version: "How do the awesomest awesome people put up with all the morons?"

"There's this thing called HSP. You WANT to be that, because everything about it is awesome. Then there are these other people who are crude and boorish ASSHOLES. Anyhoo, us HSPs (because you wouldn't still be reading this if you weren't an awesome HSP, amirite?) are constantly forced to interact with the ASSHOLES, which gives us a sad.

The end."

Ay. Yay. Yay.

[FLPanhandle]

73. What do they mean "today's work environment"?

?w=640&h=531

And it's not just American offices. I've worked in Europe and Asia and Latin America, and, in many ways it's better working conditions here in the States than in Asia and Latin America (Europe being about equal).

[Gidney N Cloyd]

95. What's missing from the old pictures? Phones, keyboards, printers, all manner of other noisy shit.

[appalachiablue]

96. Also missing - fans, a/c, elevators, fire equipment, cafeterias, refrigeration, automobiles,

40 hour workweeks & worker benefits. Yet they managed and were hardy, highly intelligent folks. We have had many more comforts since their time. I'm always amazed how my parents were both more broadly read and practical than us. Their education was excellent and disciplined. They were hard workers, active enjoyers of nature, dancing and sports. Also fairly social and very healthy- no obesity, allergies, chronic diseases, auto immune illnesses. Same for their parents and grandparents.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

99. Point taken but I think the thread is focusing on noise and distractions in open workspaces.

[appalachiablue]

105. This section focuses on noise issues true, but up thread folks mentioned other things they

are sensitive to like climate, how things feel to their skin (clothing, fluorescent light, etc.). That's why I mentioned conveniences like a/c, fans & refrigeration that make for a very uncomfortable workplace if lacking.
Besides temperature, ventilation and weather, the stairs, lots of walking and street noise factors wouldn't be as significant since they're outside the workplace per se.
I've known several very sensitive types at work and have a couple relatives like this, good people who have much to offer but express often how they experience discomfort about these many issues- dislike of change, smells, noise from people, lighting, meetings, too large gatherings; preference for solitude and quiet. A woman I was associated with for 6 years would complain for 3 hours after a person came in with what she thought was too much after shave or cologne; she also was fatigued very easily from the slightest physical exertion. Listening to it frequently was very hard for us, the staff. A kind, gentle cousin doesn't travel or socialize well and is easily stressed. During visits he'll go on the entire trip about room temperatures, problems with the motel pillows or mattress, dear man. We love him and understand.

[FLPanhandle]

97. What about typewriters

Far more noise than a keyboard, printer, phone ringing, etc...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

98. Those would be noisy but I don't see any in the pictures you posted.

[FLPanhandle]

100. Well, they were all around

Those old offices were quite noisy too. I think people overstate how "rough" their carpeted, climated controlled, modern office is compared to what they were just a generation ago.

[pipi_k]

123. I always found

that the noise of typewriters was not all that bad, if that's the only real noise there is.

Because it's all the same kind of noise and it's relatively rhythmic, whereas different types of noise together, even if they're not objectionable on their own, can be disturbing, if not downright painful

[Blue_Tires]

74. We have to kind of insulate and numb ourselves to everything going on around us

at least that's how I handle it...

[egduj]

83. I bet I have this, because I hate meetings.

[stage left]

85. I didn't know this was a thing.

But it seems to be describe traits shared by me, my mother, and my daughter. My daughter seems particularly sensitive to crowds and noise. And yes. She is a special snowflake. All snowflakes are, as they are all one of a kind creations. I'm sure her hypersensitivity is not something she would have chosen since it has caused her a lot of trouble throughout her life. However,It is also the thing that makes her an accomplished poet. Thanks for the post xchrom.

[BubbaFett]

87. I was raised by people who either:

1. Lived through the depression

2. Were combat veterans from WW2, the Korean War, or Vietnam

3. Were blue collar union folk

We are a hardy bunch of people to say the least.

I don't understand what being sensitive means.

[appalachiablue]

109. Practical, sensible, healthy & hardy, not over sensitive- all why you've made it & will continue

to survive. What an asset this is, a good heritage and big boost in life. Some of my people were war vets too, Revolution to Korea. All kinds, but mostly pretty intelligent with very good health, a few very sensitive, one dramatic- makes for interesting. Am I grateful.

[RobinA]

91. One Word

Prozac, baby.

[Peregrine Took]

102. I, by and large, got along ok with my co-workers but I never could manage to suck up to the bosses.

That was my un-doing on my last job in a community college library.
The last director was a prince but the new guy? Not so much.
He, believe it or not, had no use for books and only in the "information science" aspect of libraries. I am a book person but 'am into computers, too. I had a run-in with him once (over books) and I didn't give an inch and neither did he.
After that I was a dead duck and he started having his pets watch me looking for little infractions.
When he had one he would write me up and send it around to the Dean and the assistant deans - and me only a miserable part time adjunct. Sheesh. Trying to drive me out - it worked - I quit and he quit a year or two later - since then he's worked at about 5 other libraries - just a couple of years each.
Dang it! That was a nice job but I just couldn't put up with it. There's more to it but you get the idea....

[SheilaT]

104. It may come as a surprise to some here,

but not all jobs involve working in a cube farm. Or having weekends and holidays off.

There has NEVER been a time when most jobs were in quiet environments with no stress. I honestly feel a lot of people need to get over themselves.

[appalachiablue]

108. Every person has issues but I agree about few quiet, crowd free & stress free job settings.

Who wouldn't want this, the ideal, which is not usually possible. Various desks jobs, outdoor work, 6+ days a week, 1 & half hour rt commute for me. Have done it cuz I had to and that's just the way it was. I'm fortunate to work, love most of it apart from a couple difficult staffers. I also understand people with difficulties as mentioned, nobody is perfect.

[Rex]

106. I love watching the few crybaby in this thread over not being special.

Their sad projections are actually funny and always a constant source of entertainment to us non basement dwellers at mom's house!



No doubt they have never worked an honest/hard day in their life.



K&R for making keyboard warriors that never have actually worked for a living cry like 2 year olds! "I'm not special, so nobody is!" Har har har...you can't make that kind of pathetic shit up even if you tried!

I think the special few suffering from the OPs words, in this thread, need a big hug...

[LiberalAndProud]

114. What's not to love?

[font color="gray"]The Apartment - 1960[/font]

[Gidney N Cloyd]

116. Today's timely Doonesbury: