When it comes to personal relationships, Mel says that having a highly sensitive personality can be both a blessing and a curse. "I personally think that HSPs make fabulous friends. They’re loyal, they’re good listeners, they’re really empathetic. They’re givers really," she says. But it can be hard if non-HSP friends don’t 'get' you. "I often felt quite criticised or judged that I wasn’t able to go out clubbing or if we were on a trip away and I wanted a few hours to myself to acclimatise." Mel also says that one-sided friendships are common among HSPs; because of the empathetic nature of HSPs and their ability to pick up on others' feelings, they very easily fall into the role of caring-friend-who-does-a-lot-of-listening-and-not-a-lot-of-talking. "It’s really important for an HSP to learn to get the balance right between giving and receiving," advises Mel. "[They] need to make sure all their friendships are reciprocal."