This is going to be one of the most personal blog posts I’ve ever written. But it’s something that takes up a lot of my everyday life, and I figured it would be nice for you to know so you might be able to understand me a bit more, and why I sometimes take breaks. And if I can’t write about it on my own blog, then I can’t write about it anywhere. This is my free space, and I choose what I want to write here. So let me try to explain myself.
Have you ever heard the term HSP Extrovert Introvert before? Neither had I, before I a couple of years back found out that that’s exactly what I am. When I have to explain it to someone, I always say something like “It’s basically just being a bit self-destructive”. Okay, that’s a bit too dramatic, but it’s definitely some kind of self-destruction. And travelling with it can be quite challenging, but also the best. More on that in a bit, let me first try to explain what it means being a HSP Extrovert Introvert.
“It’s basically just being a bit self-destructive”
Extrovert Introvert basically means, that you’re Introvert but Extrovert at the same time. Meaning that you want to and like to be alone, but at the same time wants to and likes to be social. Does it make sense? No, it only did to me, because I’m an Extrovert Introvert – with HSP. More on that in a bit. I get much more exhausted when I’m being social than other people do. It drains me mentally, and if I don’t have some Introvert alone time after being social, I will spin right down a black hole. It is essential to me to be alone.
Highly Sensitive Person
Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) means that everything gets to you quicker and deeper than it does “normal” people. I have HSP, and that combined with being an Extrovert Introvert it very hard – sometimes. HSP basically means that you’re really sensitive, and that you take on other peoples feelings. So for example if I see someone being sad, I can’t help but feel their feelings on myself, and feel their sadness. That happens all the time, no matter where and when. Imagine how exhausting it can be. So again, I need my alone time.
Some signs that someone can or is a HSP can be that there’s a higher risk or tendancy to be stressed, depressed or have anxiety. I know this can sound weird, but I can feel all three of these when I’m not travelling. Whenever I feel like I’m stuck in a place for too long, I start to get both stressed, depressed and get anxiety attacks. Almost as if I’m allergic to not travelling, haha! What a shame that I really need to travel all the time.
“Almost as if I’m allergic to not travelling”
Another sign can also be that you’re feeling really uncomfortable in large crowds, with loud noises, and when there’s too many things happening at the same time. I’ve never been good with large crowds – heck, it doesn’t even have to be crowds, sometimes it can be just as soon as there’s more than 4-5 people in the room, and especially if there’s a lot of noise. I start to feel tension and anxious, and that’s a sign that I need to leave.
Furthermore, the worst thing I know is having too many expectations. Like when people expect certain things from me, I just want to shut my brain off, because it stresses me a lot, and I get anxiety attacks when it’s really bad. It doesn’t even need to be big expectations, but just something as little as expecting me to hang out or reply to a text. I categorize this as “too many things happening at the same time”. People who know me well, also knows that I often shut off my phone. I do this whenever I get too many messages, to many calls, or just in general if I have to many things to take care of. Super ineffective, but that’s life when you’re a HSP.
Travelling as a HSP Extrovert Introvert
Now, to what I really wanted this post to be about. Travelling as a HSP Extrovert Introvert can be hard, but it’s definitely the best thing for me and my happiness. Every HSP might be different, and need different things to find peace in their life. Some might need a lot of stability, and a 9-5 job, same routines and all that, but what I need is to travel. When I’m stuck at home for too long, or if I’m stuck in a 9-5 job, I get super depressed, stressed, and I just want to jump on the next plane out. I know a lot of people might think “Oh but we all want to be on vacation, so stop complaining, that’s just how life is, and you need to be responsible”. But I don’t buy that. We live in such a free world these days, and we’re so lucky that we get to choose our own life, and how we would like it to be. Everyone who tells you that you have to take the right education, you have to get a good office job, you have to find someone special and get married – they’re wrong! Who on earth do they think they are to tell you how to live your life, and how dare they to do so? We’re all different, we all want and need different things in order to be happy, and that’s what makes humans unique! You do that makes you happy, and not what someone else wants or expects you to do!
“Who on earth do they think they are to tell you how to live your life, and how dare they to do so?”
That being said, what makes me happy is the freedom I get from travel. I don’t think I’d be happy in the long run in an office – at least not now. But who knows if that’s what I want to do in 10 years? Then I’ll go ahead and do that, but right now I have the opportunity to live a more free life. After all, I (hopefully) have at least 60 more years to live, so there’s plenty of time to change my mind, if I suddenly decide I need something else to be happy.
Many people often think that a lifestyle of travelling can be super stressfull, and it might be to some people, always being on the go and not having a base and routines. To me it sounds like happiness and freedom. Some people might also think it’ll be stressfull to have many new people around you all the time, or that you’ll get too many impressions. To me that also sounds like happiness and freedom. That’s the part of being a HSP Extrovert Introvert. I like meeting new people, and because they’re new friends, they don’t expect too much of me, and every traveller knows that everyone needs some space now and then. So travelling for me is the most optimal solution and road to happiness. That’s also one of the many reasons why I like to travel alone.
I also find it that a lot of HSP’s or Introverts find comfort in nature and animals – and I definitely do that myself! Nature and animals is my happy place, and every time I get depressed I find myself longing for some furry companionship. I’ve often said that if I had to choose between humans and animals, I’d always choose animals. Always. They bring joy to my life like nothing else. I’ve been thinking that it can also be a crucial factor to why travelling makes me happy, as it combines the three things I love the most – travelling, nature, and animals.
This ended up being a bit longer and more personal than I expected, but I just want to explain myself, and why I sometimes take breaks or don’t reply to all your messages. Sometimes I just need to say no, and listen to myself in order to give my mental break a chance to catch up. I think we could all learn to listen to ourselves and our bodies a bit more 🙂
Thank you for reading this far, I hope you liked it – feel free to comment, and give me feedback. And if you can recognize yourself in this, you’re a HSP, have stress, depression, anxiety, or just wants to talk to someone who knows, please reach out, and I’ll be there 🙂
If you want to know more about being HSP, and Extrovert and Introvert, you can read about it here.