Or Investigations into Developing My Own Characterization, Part III
I’m still on this HSP kick that I talked about on Monday.
Elaine N. Aron, in her book The Highly Sensitive Person, suggests:
This greater awareness of the subtle [on the part of the Highly Sensitive Person] tends to make you more intuitive, which simply means picking up and working through information in a semiconscious or unconscious way. . . . This is that “sixth sense” people talk about.
That’s right, I have ESP. Sometimes.
This intuitive introvert stuff is probably why I am an INTJ in Myers-Briggs terminology. Introverted. Intuitive. Thinking. Judging. That is someone who is an introvert (duh) and intuitive (see above). It is also someone who values logic (thinking), which I might add is because I view it as “fair.”
Then everyone either uses judgment or perception. People who rely more heavily on a structured lifestyle use judgment, whereas people who rely on a flexible lifestyle rely more on perception.
I do like a structured lifestyle because otherwise I would be overwhelmed with new stimuli coming at me every day, and I couldn’t handle it. My body and my mind begin to shut down when they are inundated or, as Dr. Aron would describe, overly aroused.
Now that I think about it, maybe this is why I am rarely bored. The littlest thing can amuse me. Well, let me adjust that a bit.
Stick me in a room with nothing to do but listen (I am not an auditory learner) for hours on end, and I will start to go nuts. As a kid, this situation used to result in me “talking in class.” You know how that turns out. In first grade, I had to sit in the corner, and freshman year of college I got the lecture about how the professor didn’t care if I talked, but that the kid I was talking to was failing so I needed to take pity on him ;).
Recently, I was in a situation where I was stuck in a chair for hours, listening. So I counted bricks on the wall and calculated distances between objects using typical brick and mortar measurements. I memorized all the distances. This kept me busy for at least an hour. My mind worked like a computer, and that’s because I was the opposite of overly aroused, but actually leaning toward boredom, so my mind wasn’t overwhelmed, but working sharply.
Anyone need room dimensions and don’t have a tape measure handy?
If I find myself in a ‘listening’ situation, I’m sure to arm myself with a notebook and pen, I’m a doodler you see. I can doodle for hours in a meeting, presentation, training session and all the while the speaker just thinks I’m a dedicated note taker 😉
I canNOT believe you wrote this! That is me exactly! I cannot listen to anything without doodling. However, I had to count bricks because I was in a situation where I HAD to look alert and couldn’t doodle, thus my frustration. I look like the queen of notetakers usually. But alas the pages are filled with hearts and eyes and faces and geometric designs. Thanks for sharing with me so I know I’m not the only one!
mine are filled with cubes, cube shaped presents, christmas tree’s, whirlwinds, funny faces and my girls names in all different styles of writing! im not very artistic lol
I’d love to see your doodles!
they’re really not good enough for the public domain lol
That’s how I feel about mine too ;)!
snap! 🙂
I doodle, I count ceiling and floor tiles, etc. I’m an avid note taker, but not the first to participate and too many in a meeting will slowly drive me nuts. I like a corner with pens and paper.
Oh I love your corner with pens and paper! I will be looking around at my next meeting to find others like us!
Oh boy now I wonder what i am.. put me in that same room and I would most likely lay my head down and take a nap..lol
Bahahahaha. I so wish I could do something like that!
I try never to be in a situation of nothing to amuse me. Now, I too am easily amused. I can be amused by looking at a calendar that shows which days are holidays and where the new and full moons fall. But suppose I have no amusements….I have sometimes tried to erect images in my mind — places and people from the past. I spend a lot of time on puzzle-type activities each day. I think of them as purging my mind after the over-stimulation of being around people; aligning my brain cells so I can think; or helping me wind down before sleep.
I know you are an HSP, Wilma. I also like to do Sudoku or computer games for the same reason. Lately, I’ve spent more time blogging than doing games and then I start getting overstimulated. So maybe I am blogging too much . . . . I’m glad you have the puzzles to help you unwind. Hoping you are writing!
Yes, writing about Israel. It’s a long task but fun. Today I wrote about gravlax, “Lekha Dodi,” the “widow’s mite,” and Dead Sea sinkholes.
I can’t wait to read it!