Do You Crave Calm or Stimulation? Your Sensory Profile Holds the Clue
Understanding your senses is the first step to thriving in today’s overstimulating world.
Do You Prefer Flannel or Cotton Sheets?
Soft textures. Bright light. Quiet corners. Lively cafés.
These aren’t just aesthetic choices. They’re clues.
Each preference gives insight into how your nervous system responds to the world around you, whether you crave calm or stimulation, order or variety, focus or freedom.
Most of us never question these preferences. Yet behind them lies a powerful truth: your sensory profile is shaping how you feel, think, and connect every day. When these needs go unmet, especially in the noisy, fast-paced modern world, it’s no wonder we feel drained, irritable, or disconnected.
This article introduces the concept of sensory profiles, and why knowing yours (and others’) might just be the most overlooked key to wellbeing in everyday life.
It’s Not ‘One Size Fits All’
Here’s something often overlooked:
We don’t all experience sensory input the same way.
Everyone has unique sensory preferences, not just people with recognised conditions like autism or ADHD. These are natural human differences that affect how we function, focus, and feel.
Some people are energised by bustling shopping centres, vibrant colours, and lively sound.
Others feel overwhelmed by the same environment, craving quiet corners, soft textures, and gentle light.
These variances have long been studied in clinical settings, but they apply to everyone, every day. Distinguished Professor Winnie Dunn outlined four sensory profiles in her research and book Living Sensationally: Understanding Your Senses: [1],
Sensory Seekers: Thrive on stimulation and become bored without it.
Sensory Avoiders: Actively reduce sensory input; need control and predictability.
Sensory Sensors (Sensitives): Notice subtle stimuli quickly, which can delight or distress, depending on context.
Sensory Bystanders: Less attuned to sensory input, may seem indifferent or unresponsive.
Importantly, you’re not just one type. Sensory profiles can differ across your senses. You might love bold colours (Seeker) but need total quiet to concentrate (Avoider).
Someone else might barely notice visual clutter (Bystander) but find background noise distracting (Sensor).
These patterns also shift over time, shaped by stress, environment, and life stage. [2]
It’s worth noting that these profiles have been expanded upon by tools such as the Sensory Profile™ 2 by Pearson.[3] This is typically applied in occupational therapy, however the sensory profile principles apply to everyone.
How Sensory Differences Play Out at Work and at Home
Think about your daily life.
At work, perhaps you sit beside someone who clicks their pen or hums constantly.
If you’re a Sensor, this might feel unbearable, while they’re simply keeping themselves engaged as a Seeker.
Maybe you struggle to focus in a minimalist office. You might need visual variety, soft materials, or varied textures to stay alert and calm. This would indicate Seeker or Sensitive preferences.
At home, you might adore vibrant, open-plan spaces, while your partner needs neutral tones and enclosed, quiet rooms.
Without understanding these differences, it’s easy to jump to conclusions:
‘She’s too sensitive.’
‘He’s antisocial.’
‘They’re lazy.’
‘He’s so noisy and disruptive.’
But often, it’s not personality, it’s sensory wiring.
Invisible sensory needs clash quietly in the background, shaping comfort, focus, and emotional response before we even notice.
When misunderstood, they spark frustration.
When understood, they become a foundation for empathy and practical change.
Sensory Awareness Builds More Harmonious Spaces and Relationships
What if instead of calling someone ‘difficult,’ we asked:
What sensory experience are they reacting to?
Recognising sensory preferences:
Encourages tolerance and reduces judgement.
Supports inclusive workplace design, beyond just quiet zones, by considering elements like artwork, colour, and texture.
Improves wellbeing at home by blending muted and stimulating zones, and adjusting light, noise, and spatial layouts.
Boosts focus, energy and emotional regulation for all.
Sensory wellbeing isn’t indulgent.
It’s foundational to how we show up, mentally, physically and emotionally, each day.
Reclaim Your Sense of Wellbeing
Your senses aren’t passive.
They shape your mood, motivation, relationships, and resilience.
In today’s world that overloads the senses but rarely recharges them, tuning into them is no longer optional, it’s essential.
Understanding your own sensory tendencies, and those of the people around you, can transform overwhelm into calm, distraction into clarity, and misunderstanding into collaboration.
Small, conscious adjustments to your environment help your nervous system breathe and allow your mind to refocus.
And remember, it’s not just sensory overload that affects us.
Modern life also under-delivers the sensory richness our brains crave: natural movement, sunlight, calm textures, warm connection.
This lack can leave us flat, restless, or low without ever knowing why.
You can shift that.
Your senses hold the key.
Try This: A Simple Sensory Reflection
This week, pay close attention to one setting - home or work.
What feels distracting, energising, or calming?
What small tweak could make it easier for your nervous system to settle?
Can you spot someone around you reacting differently, maybe it’s their sensory preferences?
Recognising these patterns is a first step toward creating environments that support everyone’s wellbeing, including your own.
Want more insights on Total Sensory Wellbeing? Explore NrichedLiving.com.
The more you work with your senses, not against them, the more clarity, calm and energy you’ll create.
Have a sensational day.
[1]Dunn, W. (2008). Living Sensationally: Understanding Your Senses. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
[2] STAR Institute. (n.d.). Patterns or Subtypes of Differences in Sensory Integration and Processing.
Retrieved from https://sensoryhealth.org/basic/patterns-or-subtypes-of-differences-sensory-integration-processing
[3] Pearson Clinical Australia/New Zealand – Sensory Profile™ 2
https://www.pearsonclinical.com.au/products/view/534