It is estimated that 18% of the population has some form of anxiety disorder. Within that group, 45% will experience depression as well. One of the leading causes of anxiety is stress, and that stress comes in many forms.
Life experiences, financial issues, environmental stressors (such as chemicals, noise, and pollution), past traumas and genetics all play a part in contributing to anxiety in people’s lives. We are living in a time where there are so many ‘new and unknown’ stressors on the body. Things like chemicals, pollution, electrical and Wi-Fi frequencies.
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We have moved away from nature into homes built from a myriad of composite materials, we wear clothing and footwear made from synthetic materials and we eat food that has been genetically modified, sprayed with chemicals and picked green in order to travel thousands of kilometers to our grocery store shelves. We spend many hours a day looking into screens of un-natural light such as computers, android devices, and televisions.
Our stress response is constantly trying to figure out what is friend, and what is foe. We live in a time where so much is foe…and nearly 20% of the population is feeling the negative effects of this.
I find it interesting that roughly the same percentage of the population is considered highly sensitive. It actually makes sense that the people who are the most affected by all these ‘stressors’, would be highly sensitive people. Unfortunately, our society can be rather unkind to individuals with a sensitive nature.
They are told to ‘suck it up’, ‘to toughen up’ or ‘to get a thicker skin’ (I’d like to know who supplies thicker skins…they’re not sold on Amazon). Slandering, judgmental and critical phrases like these do not support the highly sensitive personality at all!! In fact, this sort of judgment just adds to the stress and anxiety of these individuals.
So what is one to do? Well, I think the most important step is to find out if you are highly sensitive or not. Elaine Aron, the author of The Highly Sensitive Person, has a free test on her website. You can take the test here.
If you are highly sensitive, then I recommend reading her book and learning everything you can about this personality type. She has a workbook as a companion to that book. Also, Elaine Aron has written a book on Highly Sensitive Children that would be great if you have an HSP child.
Another great book about HSP’s and introverts is ‘Quiet’, by Susan Cain. There is a lot of great information out there these days which supports people of this nature. I wish I had known more about this when I was younger. If this concept is new to you…that your anxiety may be the result of being highly sensitive, then I think you may be in for a surprise.
You see…highly sensitive people are extremely awesome! And as you learn more about this nature, you will come to understand what a true gift it is. There are certainly some challenges, such as feeling too much, being overly empathetic, being easily overwhelmed, experiencing anxiety and/or depression, and suffering from a variety of ‘odd maladies’.
Many highly sensitive people are also empaths. They are the servants of the world, the people who are caregivers, work in the healing field and who often give at the expense of their own needs and health. They are often very creative as well.
But once you understand this nature, you can work with it…you can learn to honor yourself and make better choices in your life. For example, you may want to eat a healthier diet or choose natural home and body care products. You may want to take time each day to ‘decompress’ by going for a walk, having a nice bath with bath salts, reading a book, or spending time in meditation. You may want to have a nice relaxing cup of herbal tea.
You may want to say no to invitations to parties or places that are too loud or overstimulating. You may want to begin to accept yourself just as you are, and not a person who has a problem. You may want to stop trying to hide who you really are, just to please others…
It is so very important to be kind to yourself! Because society, for the most part, is not. You have to be your own advocate…your own cheerleader. There are a number of groups on social media for highly sensitive people and empaths, and you can find a lot of kindred spirits and support there.
Grounding is also very important and I have created a free Guided Meditation just for this! It is 25-30 minutes in duration (with 5 minutes at the end of just music) and it includes a body scan and a gentle connection to the chakras.
I also created a free 7 Minute Guided Meditation for Anxiety. This one uses awareness, acceptance, and acupressure to quickly reduce the feeling of anxiety.
If you like these meditations, please share with others! I’d also be very grateful if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and/or my newsletter so you don’t miss any inspiring posts or videos!