Transgender?

This is a hot topic in the news and on YouTube right now, and for some reason I can't stop watching the videos or reading the articles. 

The purpose of this post is not to share an opinion or take sides. Transgender people are people. Until I have a reason not to, I trust this group of people on the feelings that they express. I hope and pray the Christian community will address these issues in an appropriate manner and far better than we did homosexuality at first. I hope we have learned to treat everyone with love and respect. (I guess I just kinda shared some opinion, didn't I?)  

Let me be clear, I am not transgender. I briefly considered that my obsession with watching videos about transgender people was some sort of subliminal message of feelings I had been repressing. But I'm certain it is not. I was born a female, and have always felt like a female. And for that, I feel lucky. Never thought I would say that. 

So why it is that I have been staying up till 2 am every night learning the stories of so many transgender people? Let's do what I do best - analyze myself. 

It could likely be curiosity, and that is definitely part of it. It's something new, and I want to be informed. Furthermore, I think this is particularly important for myself as a future physician. If I have a transgender patient, I hope they will feel comfortable with me caring for them. 

But it means much more to me. The truth is, I really feel like I can relate to the feelings these people are having. I know what's it's like to have inner turmoil. And I know what it's like to feel like you are alone in that turmoil and that nobody would ever even begin to understand if you tried to share. And then there's that hopeless belief that absolutely nothing can ever make it go away. 

So many of these transgender people have experienced deep pain on their journeys. Pain that they have felt they have to keep secret because it just wouldn't make sense to anyone else. They wish they could change a certain aspect of themselves, but feel stuck. It's just part of who they are. 

For far different reasons, that's how I feel as an HSP. I'm constantly overwhelmed by every detail I encounter in life. To the point that it seems ridiculous the things that bring me turmoil. I'm afraid no one can understand my feelings, so I've kept them a secret. I wish I could change my high sensitivity, but I can't. It's just part of who I am. 

I have been intentionally vague to avoid getting wrapped up in details and missing the point. If you are an HSP, you understand. 

I've found this is also true of how I can relate to people with depression and other mental illnesses. Something in me just resonates with them. Being an HSP is not a mental illness; but there are certain aspects to loosing control of your own mind and feelings that are constant with those of mental illness or gender dysphoria. No matter how hard you try, you can't make yourself think or feel the way you want or the way that believe you are supposed to feel. 

I hope I have not minimized what transgender people are going through. That was not my purpose.  Far more aspects of our individual journeys are very very different. But I think I've seen enough videos at this point to say I'm confident in the few correlations I expressed here. 

Do any other HSPs feel similar in how they can relate to transgender people or people with mental illness? I've kept this blog a secret to keep my secrets, well, secret. But I'm hoping people come across it. If you do, could you just comment on an article you can relate to or find interesting? I've said before that I am happy if no one ever finds this blog. And that is still true. But if someone does, I would certainly like to know about it. 

The Worst Career Choice Ever

"Most HSPs are utterly unsuited for the inhumane grind required unfortunately by most medical schools." 

Wow. What a powerful statement. Really? Utterly unsuited? 

Well unfortunatly for me, I read this statement in Dr. Elaine Aron's book The Highly Sensitive Person, while I was already in medical school. Oops. 

I understand her point. She was giving an example of a career that might be not be the best fit for an HSP. And she was making a point that there are careers that are more suitable for an HSP. 

But for some reason those words hit me very strongly. I saw my life in a way I had never seen it before. Before applying, I had agonized over the the decision of whether to go to medical school or not. My main reason for not going was the extent of the commitment - 4 years of school followed by 3+ years of required residency before I could even think about starting a family. But I loved science, and wanted to maximize my abilities at it in a useful way. Once I got accepted, I knew that I couldn't say no to the opportunity that only a few get to be trained to become a doctor. 

But would I have made the same decision if I had read this book, or specifically this statement before starting medical school? When I decided to attend, I felt that medical school was the perfect fit for me. Now it didn't seem so perfect. In fact, suddenly it seemed like the worst career choice I could possibly have made. 

I seriously considered dropping out. But I was too far in. I had already invested enough "blood, sweat and tears" into the project, that I couldn't bring myself to abandon it. Not to mention all the people I would let down. With the shear realization that things were going to get much worse before they got better, I decided to continue in the "inhumane grind" of medical school. 

I'll admit that at the start of school, this appalling statement above felt true. The pressure of exams, assignments, performances, and grades while maintaining friendships and my spiritual life was over-stimulating to say the least. But soon I adjusted to the routine and the stimulation eased up a bit. But everyday is still a challenge. I have to deal with the normal stimulation that every HSP deals with - social interactions, sensitivity to noise and pain etc. - plus all the stimulation from medical school. Even non-HSPs are overwhelmed by medical school. 

But God's grace has brought me through everyday. Through some other resources, which I will share in a later post, I was challenged to see my high sensitivity in a more positive light. I began to think "can I overcome this insane statement by actually using my high sensitivity as an advantage in the medical field?" "Rather than merely existing as an HSP in a non-HSP dominated career, can I choose to instead thrive?" 

I have yet to fully understand this, but I do believe the potential is there. First, I hope to connect with my patients at a deeper level. If I let myself, I can feel other people's feelings like they are my own. I've had to block this as a protective mechanism; but what if I can tap into it again? Second, I hope to be more attentive to details that patients may share that can help me in their diagnosis and treatment. As an HSP, I am very thorough and detail oriented; I hope to use this to make me a better doctor. 

I'll share more details and stories as they come. This is just some introductory thoughts into my world. I am confident that I will not allow being an HSP to hinder me from thriving in medical school and someday being a good doctor; even better, I'm hopeful that my unique trait will make me a better doctor. The bottom line is, I'm optimistic. That's the first step, right? 

HSP Devotional Series: When God Feels Far Away

I reached a breaking point tonight. Like a curling-up-in-a-corner-and-crying-about-everything-for-a-hour kind of break down. These happen far to often to me as an HSP trying to survive in among my non-HSP medical student friends. This week, the stimulation built up from attending too many social events. I had to convince myself to skip my third social event of the week tonight. I hate missing out. But I must take care of myself. 

God has just felt far away recently. In my mind, I know He is never far. But my heart could not feel it. But something interesting always happens to me when I reach these breaking points - I am always faced with the decision to either handle them on my own or turn to God. I have found the former option to lead to nothing but a deeper plunge into the darkness of my breaking point. But the latter - seems almost impossible to reach from the dark abyss. You must truly plead and reach up and grasp with all the strength you have left to ask for help. But it's always worth it. God is always there to pick you up and pull you out of the ocean of stimulation you are drowning in. Here are two thoughts related to this: 

1. God never changes. He is always good, always faithful, ALWAYS there. If it feels like He is not, we are the ones that need to step closer. You don't even have to believe it - it is just the absolute truth from God's word. 

"For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." ~Psalm 100:5 

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." ~Hebrews 13:5 

These are just a few examples. Read any book of the Bible, and you will see that's God's faithfulness to his people never changes. He always keeps His promises. 

I get overstimulated; my world feels and often genuinely is complete chaos. But God is stable. He's not overwhelmed, and offers complete peace if we run back into His arms. 

A supplementary song: "Forever Reign" by Hillsong. 

You are good, you are good, when there's nothing good in me...

2. "What if trials of this life, are your mercies in disguise?" 
This is a hard one that you won't understand until you have experienced it. Each time that I reach my breaking point and choose to call out to God I have this realization: God loves me so much and wants me to turn to him so much that he was willing to allow me to reach this breaking point so I had no choice but to restore my relationship with Him. I don't believe that God necessarily causes the suffering. We live in a broken world, and that's why we suffer. God turns that suffering into something beautiful.  

Then, believe it or not, I am thankful for the hard times! It's crazy, I know, but I truly am. Because it restores me to the very relationships that I was created for. The pain is worth it because it brings me back to the Only One who can truly pick up all my broken pieces and put them back together. 

The suffering makes me a stronger person. 

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces persevereance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." ~Romans 5:3-5 

Another supplementary song, because I can relate so much to worship music. "Blessings" by Laura Story: 

So remember this through whatever hard time you are facing (HSP or not) - God never changes, no matter how far away He may feel; and use the hard times to point you up toward that God who never changes rather than further down. 

Paralyzed

For me as an HSP, live performance, specifically unrehearsed, can be a tremendous challenge. 

The knowledge that I will have to do such a performance in the near future captures my every thought until the event. During the performance, stimulation is coming at me from all angles. I am faced with surprising situations, one after the other. Furthermore, the reactions and judgement of my audience weigh heavily upon me, as I can feel their opinions so strongly. And under the pressure, there is no time to process one feeling before the next one has arrived. The stimulation from before and during the performance builds up so much, that the torture continues and even increases after the event is over. After it's over, I'm faced with the recurrent thoughts and sharp permanence of what has been said and done. 

The entire experience is paralyzing. 

You see, at my medical school, we have graded assignments called "standardized patient." I'm required to act as "doctor" to a "patient" who is an actor, faking a medical history and symptoms. The encounter and following documentation is strictly timed. And the entire performance is video taped, to be watched later by peers and actual physicians where they grade your every move and word. You have a general idea what to expect, and you can practice general history taking and exam skills. But every time I go into that room with that camera and the clock running, those darn actor patients never fail to surprise me. I have simply concluded that I cannot know what to expect. And that terrifies me. 

I have found that nothing I do helps. I can practice more, pray more, alter my mindset about the situation. But no matter what, when I get in there, it feels like pure chaos. I barely have time to think about what my mouth is going to say or what my hands are going to do next before it's happening before my eyes. But time is limited, and I must keep moving. 

The fear of the unknown in the days before my test are paralyzing. I can't seem to focus on anything else. My sympathetic nervous system is on overdrive. I can feel my muscles tensing up at the thought of what's to come. And there is the is dull, aching, continuous pain, which is essentially fear,  in the background of whatever I do. Nothing makes it better. 

The week or so following each of my standardized patient encounters has elicited some of the darkest times of my life. I feel worse than before, because I realize I can't change what's been recorded on that video. (I've discovered that permanence is an HSP's enemy.)I have tried everything in my power to get my mind off the performance - watch a movie, exercise, spend time with friends, even talk it out with someone. But the nightmares never fail to sneak up on me. I won't have thought about my performance all day - and then I close my eyes: like a tsunami, the entire encounter is replayed in my head against my control. Every word and every action is replayed, but this time with intense criticism and deep regret.  I fight it, but it always wins. I may manage to fall asleep. But then I dream of the encounter and wake up with intense memories of it. It's inescapable. It's the most peculiar thing I've ever experienced. And that constant underlying pain takes a while to go away. Like many other dark times, only time can heal. Maybe one day, I'll be lucky enough to discover another solution. 

Tomorrow is my next standardized patient exam.Wish me luck. 

HSP Devotional Series - Everything I Need

I'm always looking for Bible verses and worship songs that I feel can be particularly encouraging for HSPs.

And I would hate for readers of this blog to think that I always have only negative feeling about being an HSP.

So I'm starting what I'm going to call the "HSP Devotional Series." I'll post stuff that has been encouraging to me and that hopefully can be encouraging to others who share my feelings.

Dr. Elaine Aron in her book says that HSPs can be more religious or spiritual. My faith in God means everything to me and extends way deeper into my soul even than being an HSP does. I hope to share that part of my self through this devotional series. 

For this first one, I'm posting a song by Kutless called "Everything I Need." It's lyrics ring so true to the feelings I often express when I feel overwhelmed or overstimulated by life. And it always seems to play on my Pandora at the exact time that I need it. The words just capture my attention and resonate in my heart. Specially the verse I have bolded below. Here they are:

When every step is so hard to take
And all of my hope is fading away
When life is a mountain that I can not climb
You carry me, Jesus carry me.

You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

When every moment is more than I can take
And all of my strength is slipping away
When every breath gets harder to breathe
You carry me, Jesus carry me

You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

I need You
You are everything
I need I love everything about You

You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

Emails in Black Holes

Many things bother me as an HSP, but one causes me particular troubles: when I send an email that contains a request or question and do not get a response. 

I know people are busy. Yes, I realize that answering my emails is not on the top of everyone's to-do list. 

But if an email I am sending contains a serious question or request, I have likely spent an extended period of time crafting every sentence, word, and punctuation mark. I add smiley faces to lighten the tone, and delete smiley faces where I feel they are unprofessional. I space my paragraphs out so that I don't overwhelm my readers with long ones, or clump together ideas and thought that don't belong together. I reread, edit, reread, and repeat. 

But once I hit that send button, my email slips out into the black hole of the internet never to return. 

And all I can do it wait. 

The longer the response takes, the more frantic my thoughts become. Did I phrase my request incorrectly? Did my question come off as selfish? What does the person I am emailing think of me? Have they always hated me? What if I see them around before they have responded? Should I try to avoid them so things aren't awkward? Did I put them on the spot with my request? Are they not responding because they want to say "no" but don't have the guts to do it in a response? Do they see me as the annoying, strange person that I sometimes see myself as? Should I ever have even sent that email at all? 

Please, if you get an email from someone you know is an HSP, just respond. And if you're not sure if your email is from an HSP, just respond anyway. Even a "no" is so much better than waiting. 

Water Balloons [An HSP Metaphor]

I've been wanting to create a metaphor for what if feels like to be an HSP. Something that can help me explain and quantify my feelings when I'm overwhelmed. 

I've tried applying several ideas in my head, but only one has stuck: Water balloons. Strange, yes. But bear with me and I'll explain.  And, wait until the end of this post, and you'll better understand why I like it so much and believe it to be the best fit. 

The water balloons represent the daily stimulations that we all face. These include conversations, emotional responses and other emotional experiences, noises, information, and basically any experience you can think of. 

As we go throughout our day, they are thrown at us from all angles - some hit us from the front, others from the back. The water balloons themselves are neutral, but they can represent particularly positive and negative experiences. Some days only a few are thrown; other days, hundreds might be. A day spent at home might mean a few; a loud concert or a party might mean hundreds. And the water balloons thrown at HSP and non-HSPs do not differ - it is our response to them that does. 

You see, non-HSPs go about their day with ankle-length rain coats on. Some may even have umbrellas and rain boots. Bottom line is that they barely notice the water balloons. They might feel or notice one, but within seconds the water has splashed off and with minutes they are dry again. At the end of the day, they will feel the same whether they were hit with 3 balloons or 100. 

But as an HSP, I feel like I walk around in nothing but a light T-shirt. With each water balloon that is thrown, my shirt gets wetter and wetter. By the end of the day, I am soaked. I can't sleep at night because I'm waiting for my clothes to dry. I feel constantly weighed down by the weight of the water and the burden of the soaked T-shirt on my back. 

I instinctively try to avoid any situation where I know or fear I might get wetter. Sometimes throughout the day, I forget to watch out for too many balloons. I don't pay that much attention to my shirt and I feel ok, so I put myself in situations where I know I will get hit. I feel fine at the time. But then I get home. I get to a place where I'm by myself. And then I notice my clothes. Then I can't focus on anything, I can't think. 

As a med student, the water balloons are constant. The stimulation is constant throughout my day. Brief conversations with friends, several lectures a day, changes in temperature from inside to outside the building, my hunger for the next meal, a conversation with a professor, an exam, a group project, a graded performance...I could go on. Believe it or not, the more of these encounters I have, the worse I feel at the end of the day. Almost everyday, I feel "sick" with the burden of all the stimulation. 

So no wonder HSPs are always advised to avoid the stimulation if possible. We cannot control our responses. We are physiologically incapable of changing out of our T-shirts. 

I will expound on this metaphor more through other posts. This is just the start. 

Why do I like this metaphor so much? You see, during my worst, lowest times I truly feel like I am drowning in the stimulation. It's like all the water from the balloons and my T-shirt somehow become so overwhelming that they begin to engulf me. That feeling is only one you can understand if you have felt it. That feeling of utter helplessness to control your own emotions and surroundings. You feel like you can't see; like you can't breath. Some people might experience this occasionally as a result of trauma, grief, or loss. As a highly sensitive person, I experience this almost every day. 

The only thing that works is time. Given enough time, an ocean will dry, too.