c/personality·Posted by u/jordan_hale·1h ago

Am I highly sensitive, or am I just tired of noise and other people?

I went to the grocery store after work on Wednesday and lasted twelve minutes. Fluorescent lights, someone blasting a phone video in produce, and the perfume testers near checkout. I left with milk and a headache and sat in the car with the radio off. People have called me sensitive since I was a kid. I used to take it as an insult. Now I don't know if I actually feel more than other people, or if I'm just run down and everything lands harder. On a good sleep night I can handle a crowded train. On a short-sleep night a dripping faucet in the office kitchen makes me want to leave the building. I don't walk around crying at commercials. I'm not fragile in meetings. I just hit a wall with sound and smell and other people's moods faster than the people I live with. How do you tell sensitive from tired? Because if it's tired, I should sleep more. If it's sensitive, I need a different grocery hour.

Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.