Sensory Pleasures are Heightened for HSPs & Empaths

As HSPs, we experience sensory pleasures more than the majority. It isn’t just that we experience challenges more, we also experience pleasures more. Let’s fill up our positivity tank naming them!

These came from a beautiful discussion we are having in my Sensitive Empowerment Community.

I would also love to hear yours in the comments!

Sensory Pleasures HSPs Enjoy

• I love pouring warm water over my head.

  Ever since I was little I loved smelling my cats fur, it brings me a calming, peaceful feeling as she snuggles next to me.

  When I watch birds and animals, the trees, the sky, my garden growing, I feel the beauty of it all deeply it can sometimes move me to tears.

  When I eat or drink something particularly good I love noticing all the flavors and textures and aromas etc

  When I feel my sheets they are so soft that it brings such a sensory pleasure.

  So many sensory pleasures I get to feel in an enhanced way as an HSP high up on the scale.

• I love having my back scratched! So simple!

  At times, when I'm the one controlling it, I LOVE loud music. Music is a huge sensory pleasure for me. I recently realized how much I actually like jazz (Miles Davis, Coltraine, Billy Holiday, the classics!) and listening to it through headphones - wow!

  Grapefruit-Scented lotion or oils - that really wakes me up and can be helpful for cutting through some anxiety.

  FOOD! I can appreciate the simplicity of a fresh apple to the complexity of a sweet-savory dessert, to the coziness of a soup or hot dish w/ roast veggies and warming spices.

  Thanks for asking this question. I would say one of the hardest parts for me in being highly sensitive is how difficult the sensory experience can be for me (and how that can then affect others around me) so it's wonderful to talk about the pleasures!

• I respond so much to scent! I love the scent of patchouli essential oil, fresh-cut grass, a special rice dish called pelau, and the co-mingling scents of my bathroom. An excellent head massage...*swoons*, the hot shower after a long physical day. Sigh...

• I’m big on smells too. I’ve been known to go into a store with scented products like soaps, candles or essential oils and smell every different scent. 😀.

  I also love food. Trying different dishes with different flavour combinations is a big pleasure for me. I love food that is flavourful and spicy and has different textures. I love preparing the food and of course tasting it.

  I was drinking a cup of chai the other day and it was such a sensory experience. The warmth in my hands, the scent of the spices and then the taste. Feels like heaven. 😍

• Smelling all the soaps in a store display is (well, was--and will be again some day) one of my favorite things to do with my son. We get absolutely giddy with joy taking them all in, and it's so much fun to do together.

• I love warm to hot water running over me in the shower. I love the feeling of lathered soap all over me with the water rinsing it off & finishing shower off with cool water.

  I love having my back scratched so since I'm alone I find a bristle hair brush works just fine. ( better than a back scratcher)

  I love scented oils with sticks or candles.

  I love a massage. I love my feet rubbed (massaged)

  I really like putting earbuds in & listening to Chopin. Or this young girl Karolina Protsenko play the violin. My dad used to play the piano /violin. The sound of that music just fills my senses so much.

  I love the sound of water. Like a stream or the ocean. There is a resident owl outside the window at night. I love the noise it makes.

  I love the smell of fresh ground coffee or freshly mown grass.

  I also love to float in water.

• I feel this passion deep in my soul when I listen to music that is filled with hope, love, strength and struggle, as well as instrumental music. I smile and a peace washes over me every time I smell one of my scented candles, as well my sheets/pillow cases. I love the feel of hot water spraying down on me in the shower. ❤

• The patterns and colours of the sky throughout the day. Lying in soft grass and staring at clouds slowly floating.

  Watching birds and animals and the sound of naturally running water. Being in nature, the smells, the sounds, discovering new things.

  The smell of rain on a freshly ploughed paddock or mown grass.

  The coolness of the fresh early morning air and the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

  The crackle and warmth of a wood fire in winter.

• These are all so wonderful. I love listening to birds chirping, leaves crunching under my feet in fall, rain pattering on the roof, the sound of waves crashing. I also love being in water especially warm water. I used to occasionally go to a hot mineral pool and sit in the hot water with jets for hours. Miss that!

• I have tingles reading all your posts. I love this topic Julie thanks for asking!!

  I love nature -especially green trees and moss- I love how soft and soothing it is to my eyes and how moss is like a microcosm when you look closely and see the intricate pattern of the leaves and the tiny flowers.

  I love the sound of rain, ocean waves and running water. I grew up near the beach and the ocean is like home to me.

  I get a wave of love and amazement when I see the beautiful patterns in my son or my husbands eyes and watch their facial expressions when they are happy.

  I love the smell of cats and dogs feet ! Julie Bjelland mentioned the smell of cat fur and I instantly thought of the popcorn like smell that their little pads have! Try it ! haha.

  I also love watching them move and run and seeing how completely embodied they are and the absolute wonder of their existence.

  I adore being in and especially under water. Warm (soothing) or cold (exhilarating). I could spend hours swimming underwater. C

  I love food and cooking too and especially love contrasts of Flavour and texture. I make a dish sometimes and relive how delicious it was!

  I could go on and on ... :) I love this question!

• Thank you all for all reminders of all sensory pleasures! I love to look out over the sea, smell the saltwater and also to take a swim in the ocean! I also love the smell of the nature during the spring in Sweden.

• I love the sound of wind chimes, the way the yellow leaves from my neighbor's tree dance through the air when they're hit by a gust. Standing in a forest and smelling the rich earth, hearing birds, watching sunlight slant through the canopy. Snuggling up in fresh sheets, especially with a heavy pillow pressed against my back. Holding a warm drink on a cold morning and breathing in its aroma. Feeling the sun warming my should on a cool day. Lathering up with a sweet-smelling soap-- I love rose and citrus scents. Too many pleasures to name! It's so good to be reminded of these Julie Bjelland. Thank you for starting this topic!

• I absolutely love really really cold chia seed pudding made from coconut almond milk and drizzled with a finish of honey - the texture, taste and temperature are a sensory treasure :)
  

You might also enjoy the post Sensory Feel-Good Products for the Sensitive

What sensory pleasures do you enjoy? I would love to hear in the comments!

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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist and founder of Sensitive Empowerment. As a sensitivity expert, her HSP podcast, books, online courses, and Sensitive Empowerment Community have helped thousands of highly sensitive people worldwide reduce their challenges, access and share their gifts, and discover their significant value to thrive to their fullest potential. Known for her ability to teach HSPs proven brain-training tools that work quickly, Julie is on a mission to empower sensitive people to live their best lives. To explore Julie’s valuable HSP resources, including her free Sensitivity Quiz, visit   JulieBjelland.com