17-11-2021

wednesday, noVemBer 17, 2021
5
Connecting happiness with emotion
emine saner
"I feel I'm too sensitive for this world,"
says Lena, who can't cope with crowds
or bright lights. Melissa gets her
husband to watch films before her to
see if she will be able to handle any
violence, gore or scariness. When their
grownup children bring the
grandchildren round, she has to retreat
to another room because their "loud
laughter, the talking over each other,
their swearing and their smells
overwhelm me". Lucia says she can feel
"each and every fibre of her clothes"
and it feels very ticklish or
uncomfortable at times. Sometimes,
she has to stop during sex with her
partner because it becomes "too
ticklish".
Lena, Melissa and Lucia would all
describe themselves as highly sensitive,
a label that could be applied to up to
20% of us, according to the US-based
psychologist Elaine Aron, who started
studying high sensitivity in the early
90s, and published her influential book
The Highly Sensitive Person in 1996.
"When these people have
information coming in, they process it
much more deeply and more
elaborately," explains Genevieve von
Lob, a clinical psychologist who works
with many highly sensitive people,
especially children. "They tend to take
in much more information from lots of
different kinds of stimuli. And then
they're processing it more deeply than a
non-sensitive person - and because
they're taking in so much at once they
can get much more overstimulated,
overaroused and overwhelmed."
When the Guardian asked readers to
share their experiences of high
sensitivity, more than 300 people
responded. Over some 40,000 words,
they wrote about feeling drained by
their ability to tune into other people's
emotions, or exhausted from working
in open-plan offices or a visit to the
supermarket. It was common to report
crying at emotional adverts, but also to
be dismayed and deeply affected by
political events. "I found austerity
horrifying," writes one. "I work in a
it is hard to explain why the noise and light of the tV feels like being punched in the face. Photo: nathalie Lees
school that has been directly impacted
by cuts. I teach children who are
experiencing the effects of neglected
public services and parents who are
financially unstable. If poverty
continues to rise in this country, I know
I will be spending a lot more time
crying in my classroom."
Several people reported wearing
headphones "to block out the world",
and avoiding social media lest a cross
word ruin their day, or week. Criticism
at work can stay with them for years,
other people's perfume feels like an
assault and relationships can be tricky.
"It is difficult to explain to someone
why the noise and light of the television
in the morning feels like being punched
in the face, or why the texture of their
favourite scratchy blanket makes me
want to cry, without sounding like an
insane person," wrote one woman. "I
wish I were not a highly sensitive
person - it has made my life much more
difficult." Others remembered being
told to "toughen up" as a child, or had
lived for decades with the feeling there
was something wrong with them.
As a result, a lot of highly sensitive
people have low self-esteem, von Lob
says. "Often they might have been
bullied at school. Society tends to view
it as a weakness, and they can get these
labels like 'fragile' or 'overemotional'. I
think people who are highly sensitive
can often feel lonely and
misunderstood, and not normal. The
world feels too harsh, too loud for
them. It's not surprising that they
struggle to accept themselves and they
struggle to value their gifts because of
the messages they have received."
But while our noisy, frenetic, alwayson
world can be an unforgiving place,
there is some hope. Our understanding
of what it means to be highly sensitive
and how to cope with the unpleasant
side-effects is increasing.
Self-acceptance is key, says von Lob.
High sensitivity is innate, and not
something to be diagnosed or "treated",
though people can learn coping
mechanisms for when life becomes
overwhelming. "I can't emphasise
enough how much you need
unstructured downtime - plenty of
sleep and rest," says von Lob. The
highly sensitive "need to pace
themselves. Because they take in so
much more and they have more intense
emotions, they need time to process the
emotions in their body, so movement
can be really helpful - walks, or
kickboxing or dance or yoga, whatever
type of movement they enjoy. Because
they're people who are deep thinkers,
they've got very rich inner worlds, and
it's really important for them to have
those sort of meaningful, deeper
connections in relationships."
Time spent in nature can be helpful,
she adds. "And simplifying life, so
having less clutter around, less of a
busy schedule. That's why they work
well with self-employment or being
able to structure their own work day." It
is important, she says, not to compare
yourself with other people, "because if
you're comparing yourself with the
mainstream world of the non-sensitive,
you're never going to be able to do what
they do, but you've got your unique
strengths". Because being highly
sensitive is a strength - or a
"superpower", as more than one
respondent put it. "The advantages are
that it makes me a really good listener,
good at conversation," says Samira.
"I'm able to find underlying meanings
easily, I'm very intuitive and I have a
rich inner life with a strong emotional
vocabulary." Others report hearing
nuances in music that the average
person might miss, or being deeply
empathetic with friends. Highly
sensitive people tend to notice things in
the environment that may pass others
by, and get more from the arts.
Louise, a researcher, grew up
believing it was "wrong" to be so
sensitive. It was only in her 30s, when
she was unhappy in her job, that she
went on a sculpture holiday and
reconnected with her love of art. "That
holiday completely changed me - I met
similarly sensitive people and for the
first time realised that being sensitive
was OK. The people I met there didn't
think being 'soft' was bad, and were
comfortable discussing their own
sensitivity, their ability to find joy in
beautiful things, to feel deeply about
the world around them," she says.
"Meeting people who embraced their
quiet, joyful natures was transforming
and I came back embracing my own
sensitivity.
I started reading and creating again
and thought carefully about my career
and how it failed to nurture me. I gave
myself permission to be the sensitive
person I really was."
She started a PhD, and: "Several
years later, my life is transformed. My
sensitivity has become my strength and
it is the reason for the success of my
research, which involves working with
vulnerable people. My work is reliant
on deep thinking and deep human
connection. I am open about my need
for a quiet office and my employers
have been brilliant, understanding the
impact of overstimulation in larger
offices. I wish I had realised earlier in
my life that being highly sensitive could
be a strength, rather than a weakness."
There has been a question over
whether high sensitivity is a sign of
autism, but Michael Pluess, professor
of developmental psychology and
sensitivity researcher at Queen Mary
University of London, says that,
although both feature a more
responsive sensory system, "sensitivity
and autism are probably two fairly
separate things" (highly sensitive
children may originally be diagnosed as
having autism spectrum disorder).
Similarly, it's not about being an
introvert, as there are extroverts who
are also highly sensitive. Aron's work is
around the idea that sensitivity is a
personality trait, although other
researchers come at it from a biological
or physiological perspective.
Pluess doesn't like the term "highly
sensitive personality"; he prefers to
think of sensitivity as a continuum.
"Everyone is sensitive - we would not
be able to survive without being
sensitive to the environment - but some
people are more sensitive than others,
and having a higher sensitivity has
benefits and also challenges."
It's about knowing that being highly
sensitive is not a weakness, says von
Lob. In fact, it might be exactly what we
need, if only society could recognise
and nurture people with these traits.
There are thought to be as many men as
women who have high sensitivity, but
for cultural reasons to do with ideas of
"masculinity" these traits are not seen
as desirable - to the detriment of all of
us. "Some of the strengths are that
they are very self-aware, they have
this great capacity for empathy,"
says von Lob. "So that's really
good in leadership roles.
Differentiating between OTC medicine
and doctor consultation
Krissy Brady
Over-the-counter medications come
in handy for many short-term health
woes, from allergies and headaches
to minor injuries. And if you've been
turning to OTC options since the
pandemic started instead of going to
the doctor, you're not alone.
"Many of my patients haven't seen
their primary care physician or even
certain specialists in almost two
years," said Ken Perry, an emergency
physician based in Charleston, South
Carolina. "It's not uncommon for
patients to make their way to the
pharmacy to try to fix their ailments
on their own, and COVID has further
exacerbated this issue."For many
people, it's appropriate and safe to
find an OTC medication to help
alleviate their symptoms at home
without much concern for harm,
Perry said. But if you take certain
OTCs long-term and don't update
your doctor or pharmacist about
what you're doing, things can get
dicey. Say you're taking an over-thecounter
NSAID ? a nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug ? for pain
relief, and you don't disclose this to
your doctor. If you go to your
doctor's office with pain that they
diagnose as arthritis or some other
inflammation, they may give you an
NSAID or equivalent prescription to
take. "If that patient takes both
medications, they can possibly cause
GI bleeding or even kidney damage,"
Perry said. If you're on prescription
medications, taking certain OTCs in
tandem can reduce their efficacy and
may cause adverse effects.
"Your age can also impact how
your body will react to an OTC
medicine," said Janice Johnston, cofounder
and chief medical officer of
the U.S. health care plan Redirect
Health. "By keeping your doctor upto-date
about your OTC usage,
they'll be able to give their expert
opinion on the best - and safest -
course of action for your overall wellbeing."
Plus, the persistent symptoms
you're masking with OTC
Pain relievers shouldn't be used for an extended amount of
time without checking in with a physician. Photo: Grace Cary
medications could be a sign of an
underlying condition that your
doctor can help you nail down and
treat. Each OTC medicine has
recommended dosages, and
information about when to inform
your doctor, printed right on the
label - but here are some general
guidelines on common OTCs to get
you started. Acetaminophen is a
common OTC medication best
known for relieving pain and
reducing fever.
"It's generally safe when taken as
directed for up to 10 days," Johnston
said. "However, you should check
with your health care provider if you
have any medical conditions or are
on any medications where
acetaminophen should be avoided."
(Think: if you have liver disease or
are taking warfarin, a blood thinner.)
According to the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, there are over 600
OTC and prescription medicines
that contain acetaminophen. It's
crucial to read medication labels
carefully to make sure you don't
exceed the maximum daily dose, as
this can cause liver damage -
especially if combined with alcohol.
(When a prescription medicine
contains acetaminophen, the drug
label might not spell out the entire
word. It might also use the
abbreviation "APAP.")
Most healthy people can take
acetaminophen safely by not using
more than one medicine containing
acetaminophen in a day and
following the directions on the
medicine label.
"Contact your primary care
provider if your symptoms get worse
or new symptoms appear for more
than three days," said Jessica
Nouhavandi, co-founder and lead
pharmacist of the online pharmacy
Honeybee Health. Aspirin is used for
short-term relief of headaches, pain,
swelling or fever, and in daily low
doses for prevention of heart attack
and clot-related strokes.
It's generally safe to take as
directed for up to three days for
fever, or up to 10 days for pain. "If
you wish to use aspirin daily for
chronic pain, make sure to connect
with your physician first," said
Siddharth Tambar, a board-certified
rheumatologist with Chicago
Arthritis and Regenerative
Medicine. The same applies if you
want to take aspirin for heart attack
prevention, since there are many
health factors that need to be
considered. For people who are at
low risk for heart attack, for
example, the benefits of daily aspirin
therapy don't outweigh the longterm
toxicity risks that aspirin can
have on the gastrointestinal tract
(like stomach ulcers or internal
bleeding).
"The daily consumption of aspirin
can also cause easy bruising and
dangerous acid-base imbalances in
your blood," said Spencer Kroll, a
board-certified internal medicine
specialist and pharmacologist based
in New Jersey. This can severely
affect vital organs, such as your lungs
and kidneys. Aspirin is now
recommended as a chronic therapy
only for people with established
heart disease or who are very highrisk,
and it should only be taken
under the supervision of your
doctor, according to the Mayo Clinic.
NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and
naproxen, are also taken for
temporary pain relief and can
decrease inflammation, such as
fever, swelling and redness.
When taken as directed and for a
short period of time (up to three days
for fever and 10 days for pain),
NSAIDs are safe for most people. If
you take them for longer than that,
it's important to consult with your
doctor for further instruction,
Tambar said.
Long-term use can increase your
risk of heart attack, stroke and high
blood pressure, whether you have
heart disease or not, according to the
Mayo Clinic ? which is why it's so
important your doctor has your
NSAID use on their radar.
"You should also check with your
doctor before taking NSAIDs if you
have preexisting conditions or are
taking other prescription
medications," Johnston said. They
have the potential to cause
gastrointestinal bleeding, especially
in people who've had stomach ulcers
or bleeding problems before.
NSAIDs aren't recommended for
people who are planning to get
pregnant or have currently been
pregnant for 20 weeks or longer,
because these medications can cause
harm to the unborn baby,
Nouhavandi said.
Antihistamines are generally used
for short-term relief of allergy
symptoms (say, seasonal allergies).
They're broken down into two
categories - first- and secondgeneration.
First-gens cross the blood-brain
barrier and cause drowsiness, while
second-gens interact with fewer
drugs and are much less likely to
cause drowsiness, according to the
Cleveland Clinic.
"Many allergy medications are safe
for everyday use and often treat
symptoms better when used daily,"
Johnston said. For otherwise healthy
people with year-round allergies,
second-generation antihistamines
(like Allegra, Claritin and Zyrtec)
maintain their effectiveness even if
taken daily.
in a new survey, 1 out of 5 people said they're not willing to get the shot. here's
what that means for the pandemic.
Photo: Getty
COVID vaccine holdouts in the US
Catherine Pearson
Roughly 68% of Americans age 12 and up are
now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. And
now that federal regulators have cleared the
Pfizer vaccine for children age 5 to 11, the
number of people in this country who are
immunized against the virus will only
continue to climb.
But new data published in the journal
Nature suggests that convincing vaccine
holdouts could be difficult, if not impossible.
A detailed 36-question survey of more
than 6,000 adults from across the United
States found that 21% were unwilling to get
vaccinated - and among those, nearly half
said that nothing would change their mind.
So what does vaccine hesitancy mean for
the course of the pandemic, and what can we
do about it? Here's what you need to know.
For months now, epidemiologists and public
health experts have been warning that
national herd immunity - meaning that a
large enough portion of a community is
immune to a disease, leaving it few places to
spread - is unlikely. Herd immunity does not
mean a virus or disease is completely
eliminated. Rather, it's just contained and
manageable, with smaller, local outbreaks
possible from time to time.
The highly contagious delta variant has
pushed the threshold of people who need to
be vaccinated in order to achieve herd
immunity higher and higher. Scientists
initially believed that herd immunity might
be achieved when 60 or 70% of the national
population was vaccinated; now some
believe 85% to 90% of a population in any
given area may need to be immune to
COVID either through a recent infection or
vaccination - though even that is a best
guess. Without herd immunity, COVID will
likely become an endemic disease, like the
flu. That means it will continue to be with us,
but it will not disrupt daily life to the extent it
has. Experts say we'll likely experience a
return to relative normalcy. However, even
then, the unvaccinated still could get very
sick and die. One recent report found that
the unvaccinated in Texas were 40 times
more likely to die from COVID than the fully
vaccinated.
The colder winter months will be a critical
test of whether our current immunity levels
are enough to stave off another surge or to
prevent new variants from circulating. As
Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious
disease expert, recently said: "We can get
through this if we really put a lot of effort into
getting as many people vaccinated as we
possibly can."
First, it's important to note that the survey
- though published in early November - was
conducted last April, so it's possible that
people's minds have changed since then. But
it is also possible they have dug in more.
"We know that the longer that people are
hesitant, the longer they will continue to be
hesitant. It becomes what we call a
'commitment consistency' issue - where the
longer you say this is not something I'm
going to do, or this is something I disagree
with, the more it becomes ingrained in your
personality," said Rebecca Ortiz, who
researches health communication and social
marketing at Syracuse University.
However, Ortiz stressed that people who
are vaccine hesitant are by no means a "lost
cause." And anecdotally, there's certainly
evidence that vaccine holdouts can be
convinced to roll up their sleeves. Recent
data also suggests that one-third of people
who were vaccine hesitant in late 2020 were
willing to get vaccinated by early 2021.