Gift Guide for Highly Sensitive People & Introverts 2016

Are you struggling to find a gift for an introverted, highly sensitive friend, spouse, co-worker, or family member? Then this list is for you. Featured here are presents for people who are overwhelmed by social and environment stimuli, are empathic, sensitive to beauty, and cherish privacy and peacefulness.

Presenting: the Highly Sensitive Person & Introvert Gift Guide for 2016! (Updated Aug 2016)

(Note: Introverts and HSPs are not the same thing. All introverts are not HSPs, and vice versa. But just for the sake of this list, we have lumped them together.)

Here we go!

Secret Sweater

This ladies’ sweater has made it onto my list for the third year in a row! The Secret Sweater can be hidden under jackets and blazers without adding bulk (secret sweater, get it?), but it’s cute enough to be worn over a lightweight top or dress. Made of cotton & modal blended interlock fabric, it’s easier to care for than a regular sweater and packs into a small pouch.

Gift an Experience!

Float/Sensory Deprivation Tank Experience

When floating in sensory deprivation tank, your senses melt away into weightlessness. Google or Yelp the nearest tank and buy a gift certificate for a meditative and relaxing experience–they’re great gifts for pregnant women, too. Here’s my float experience.

A massage or spa experience.

A gift certificate to a class: like a class for cooking, photography, painting, gardening, pottery, language, or jewelry making. HSPs (especially high sensation seekers) enjoy learning and creating things. Select an activity that they’ve previously shown interest in.

Tickets to a museum, concert, play, or festival in which they’ve shown interest: Along the same lines, this gift shows you pay attention to what they like.

Donate to a cause that’s near their heart. Give money to an animal rescue, a medical foundation, environmental cause, or a charity that you know they care about.

Take care of something. Arrange for meals, have their apartment cleaned, babysit–you get the idea. Take something off their plate.

Treat Yourself!



Hullo buckwheat pillow

I used to have neck pain when I woke up in the morning. So annoying! But I’ve been using the Hullo for several months now, and I love it. With a flick of my hand, I can adjust how much filling is under my head; I push the buckwheat to be flatter or make a raised area under my neck. I had tried SO many kinds of pillows and none of them stopped the pain until I tried this. True story!

HoMedics Sound Spa Relaxation Machine with 6 Nature Sounds

Recently, I was staying at a hotel and this machine was on the nightstand. Serendipity! I couldn’t fall asleep, so I was happy to have this little gadget next to me, with its easy-to-use controls for sounds of the ocean, rain, white noise, as well as an “off” timer. I bought one when I got home.

A Year of Gratitude letter kit

HSPs often enjoy expressing gratitude to people in their lives. This elegant box set contains 52 thank you cards—one for each week in the year—and tips for writing meaningful thank you notes, as well as a guided journal to record your experiences. Maybe over this year you will reconnect with someone from your past or brighten the day of someone who feels taken for granted.

Books

A Highly Sensitive Person’s Life: stories & tips for those who experience the world intensely by ME.

Of course I have to mention my own book! This blog-style collection of essays balances humor and sound advice in personal stories and honest reflections. You might see yourself described in these pages and think: “I didn’t know anyone else felt this way!” (Note: the book contains a lot of content from this blog!)

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron

A must-read for those who are trying to understand high sensitivity in themselves or loved ones.

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman

I interviewed Oliver on my podcast after falling in love with this book. If there’s someone in your life who isn’t the most “positive” person this would be a good gift for them. This book helped me feel a lot more at peace about my “glass half empty” personality. It explains powerful concepts from Buddhism, Stoicism, Eckhart Tolle, Alan Watts, and more, in Oliver’s entertaining, accessible, and lovely writing style.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

A very giftable book for anyone looking to make a change in their life, the four agreements are these: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert



According to Dr. Elaine Aron, all HSPs are creative—by definition. “Many have squashed their creativity because of their low self-esteem; many more had it squashed for them, before they could ever know about it.” In Big Magic, Gilbert encourages readers to pursue a creative life “that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.” I can’t wait to read it—and what a great gift this would be for almost anyone!

What is your ideal gift? Leave a comment and I may include it in this list.

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