Last year, while going through a challenging time in my life, I decided to make a list of all the things in the world that made me feel especially happy. It was meant as a ‘gratitude’ list, to remind me of everything I had to feel thankful for, and was supposed only to fill one page in the back of my journal; but of course, in a very HSP way, once I started writing, I couldn’t stop, working backwards through page after page. The entries in my list were extremely varied – some were bigger or more general things loved by many, others were specific and unique to me. ‘Hot towels’ was one. ‘A steam train ride’. ‘Eating breakfast outside’. ‘A walk with mountain views’. ‘The British Library’. ‘Hearing poetry read aloud’. ‘The first snowdrop of spring’. ‘Clambering on rocks near waterfalls’. ‘Unexpectedly finding a great art exhibition’. ‘Vintage tea shops’. ‘Finding someone the perfect gift’. ‘Laughing hard at something daft on TV’. ‘Dancing round the kitchen to my favourite music’.

All this made me think that surely one of the joys of being highly sensitive is that we notice and love even the smaller things with such passion and delight. That those things that excited us in childhood often still enchant and exhilarate in our adult lives. I wonder how many non-HSPs would find a list like mine so easy to write? During their daily walk in the park, an HSP could spend many minutes absorbed in the penetrating blue colour and glorious scent of a hyacinth, or watching squirrels chase each other through the trees, where others might just pass by without giving these a thought. Family members are baffled by my adoration of the Moomins, or my thrill on tasting the perfect coconut ice-cream or spotting alpacas in a field. I’m sure my being High Sensation Seeking too only adds to the intensity of these emotions.

But there is also the HSP’s devotion to and love for other people, and the utter pleasure we derive from finding meaning and purpose in our lives. I’m very fortunate to have a job in archives that I love, and feel I’ve found my vocation – at least for now! I’ve done a lot of work to support the wellbeing and good mental health of my colleagues, which I see as a way of giving back while bringing my best, compassionate HSP qualities to the table.

I set out to write this article about one thing I really care about, and I’ve ended up giving you rather more than one! So, instead, I’m writing this simply in celebration of how much we HSPs care about so much in our lives.