A highly sensitive person is someone who is naturally more sensitive to physical, emotional, and social provocations. This personality has both its advantages and disadvantages and many of those become apparent when you start dating a highly sensitive person. So what do you need to know about being with someone like this? Read on to find out.

1. Words can hurt more than actions

People who are highly sensitive tend to notice things that other people wouldn’t. They can often feel things deeply, while others would just brush them off. So while you might say something that wouldn’t upset you, it’s possible that the person you’re dating can be really offended by it. Words tend to matter even more to a highly sensitive person than physical actions, so always think about your words carefully.

2. Highly sensitive people find conflict overwhelming

To be fair, not many people enjoy conflict. But highly sensitive people find conflict overwhelming, which is why they often people-please their way out of it. This means that you should always fight fairly when you have an argument with a highly sensitive person. Don’t say horrible things, because it will take a highly sensitive person much longer to get over them than someone else.

3. They feel what their partners feel

When a highly sensitive person loves you, they feel what you feel. Great empaths, they feel sad when you’re sad and share in your happiness. While it can be refreshing to have a partner like this, it’s also something to be mindful of. Know that they’ll be stressed when you’re stressed and sad when you’re sad, so it’s doubly important to look after your mental health.

4. They notice environments

Exterior circumstances matter a lot to highly sensitive people. Often, they find certain situations to be too noisy, too crowded, or too overstimulating in some other way. Keep this in mind when choosing a date activity. Sometimes, it’s better to let them choose a place they feel comfortable with. While a busy restaurant might sound like an amazing idea to you, they might not be able to cope with the loud noises or intense smells.

5. They need time to make decisions

Highly sensitive people take everything on board. They notice everything and they don’t let things fly off their backs. So that often means that they need a lot of time to make decisions. They like to weigh up everything that they know about the decision (which is a lot) and make sure they’re comfortable as they slowly move forward. Try not to rush them as they process things, which can feel really daunting to them.

6. Alone time is important

It’s common for highly sensitive people to easily get overstimulated by the outside world. They often have highly advanced senses (sight, smell, sound etc.), which can make the world and the people in it very draining. Not all highly sensitive people are introverts, but the majority of highly sensitive people will require more alone time than the average person. That’s because they need time away for themselves to come down again.

7. Big chances overwhelm them

One of the reasons why highly sensitive people take so long to make decisions is because big changes overwhelm them. According to Highly Sensitive Refuge, they feel being thrown out of their comfort zones more intensely than the average person. So things like getting into a new relationship, using labels, or moving in with someone can seem really scary to them. That’s not to say that they’ll never make those changes in life. It’s just likely that they’ll need a lot of support while they go through them.