Living in modern times as a highly sensitive person (HSP) can be very challenging. Not only are HSP’s constantly being bombarded with information, resulting in sensory overload, but they are often judged for being ‘too sensitive. This is why I want to offer a few tips with this Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Survival Guide.
If you are not familiar with the highly sensitive temperament, essentially, this is a trait that occurs in fifteen to twenty percent of the population. It means that HSP’s are highly perceptive of subtleties in their environment…they notice everything, whether they are aware of it or not. As a result, HSP’s can easily become overwhelmed in ‘normal’ environments such as classrooms, restaurants, stores, movie theaters, parties, and so forth.
This is a normal trait and is essential to the survival of our species. Unfortunately, it is a trait that is all too often ostracized, and HSP’s are left feeling as though there is something wrong with them. This can be very distressing and harmful to HSP’s resulting in physical and mental health issues.
It is important to note that not all HSP’s are created equal, and there is certainly a spectrum of sensitivity within this population. The level of sensitivity can range from being mildly sensitive, and as a result, high functioning, to extremely sensitive which can be debilitating. Many, but not all HSP’s can also be empaths, which can range from being empathic to being overly empathetic.
The difference between the two is that an empath can feel what others are experiencing, while those who are overly empathetic, actually absorb the energy of others. Empaths often have a desire to work in the healing and helping field, but the overly empathetic individual will often suffer from burnout and complete overwhelm.
Often HSP’s and empaths are not even aware they have these traits, and then try to live in the same way everyone else does. This can result in feeling as though you don’t fit in or belong, that there is something wrong with you, or that you can’t do the things you want to. It can also lead to mental and physical health issues. It is so important for HSP’s and empaths to honor and nurture themselves in ways to support this precious temperament.
To start, determine if you have this trait by taking the free quiz offered by Elaine Aron. Then, learn as much as possible about this personality type. Elaine Aron first identified the highly sensitive personality type. She has written several books including The Highly Sensitive Person, which is a must-read if you are an HSP.
Secondly, determine if you are an empath. Judith Orloff, the author of The Empaths Survival Guide, has a quiz on her website that can help you determine this. She also has a wealth of resources to help support you if you are an empath! Wendy De Rosa is another expert in this field and she offers courses, videos as well as a new book, Becoming an Empowered Empath. It will be available on April 9, 2021, and I know it will be a great resource. I’ve worked with Wendy and she is an amazing teacher!
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Once you have a clear picture of what it is to be highly sensitive and also determined if you are an empath as well, then you can begin to design your life to embrace and support yourself! Here are some ideas…
One: Give yourself permission to decline invitations to events that you know are overwhelming. Often, we feel obligated to accept invitations because we don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, even at the expense of our own health and well-being. This can be a difficult choice to make, but it will benefit your sensitive nature greatly!
If you do have to attend events, then allow yourself time before to prepare and time after to unwind. You can do this by grounding and protecting yourself. I created a ‘Golden Light Visualization Guided Meditation’ that is perfect for this. The video is 5:30 in length, but the actual visualization is only about 3:30 minutes, and once you know this practice, you can do it anywhere at any time.
Two: Give yourself some alone time each and every day! It is essential for sensitives to have some quiet time for themselves to be free from sensory input. This can be as simple as taking a few minutes in your car or the bathroom with your eyes closed. We take in approximately 80% of our sensory information through the eyes, so if you can simply close your eyes for a few minutes, this can give your system a wonderful rest.
It is even better to strive for at least 30 to 60 minutes each day as ‘downtime.’ This can be a walk in the park or in nature, some time alone reading or journal writing, perhaps doing some creative work, listening to an audiobook or doing a guided meditation…anything that is nurturing to you. I have a wonderful guided meditation especially for HSP’s and Empaths here. I don’t recommend watching television or spending time on social media. This can actually be quite overstimulating.
Three: Practice grounding and earthing. If you are not familiar with either of these, grounding is where you focus on grounding your energy and your body to the earth. Earthing, on the other hand, is a practice of connecting directly to the earth, free from the barriers of our shoes, our homes, and furniture. It is about taking off your shoes and walking in the grass, or laying on a blanket on the ground and just absorbing the energy of the earth.
There are also grounding products available like mats and shoes. We have become very separate from the earth in modern times, and rubber-soled shoes are one of the biggest barriers! If you want to learn more, I recommend Earthing, by Ober, Sinatra, and Zucker.
Four: Practice the Daily Energy Routine by Donna Eden. HSP’s and empaths can have a lot of issues with their energy bodies. There can be energy blocks, scrambled energy patterns, and more. The Daily Energy Routine can help balance the energy system, and energy medicine can be very beneficial for the sensitive nervous system. You can see the daily routine here and learn more about energy medicine in the book Energy Medicine by Donna Eden.
Five: Work on releasing trapped energy and emotions in your body with EFT Tapping or The Emotion Code. Trapped energy, which will almost always be trapped emotions, can cause all sorts of incoherence in the body. Energy can become trapped from physical trauma as well, such as surgery and physical injuries.
Both EFT Tapping and The Emotion Code are efficient and powerful energy healing tools that you can use yourself. The Tapping Solution, by Nick Ortner, is a great resource for EFT Tapping, and The Emotion Code, by Dr. Bradley Nelson teaches you everything you need to know about the emotion code technique.
I don’t want to offer too much information, because that can be overwhelming, but if you are doing ok with what I have offered so far, there is one more resource that can help support you in your life. This would be the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza.
He has written several books and offers online courses as well as live events. Basically, he teaches how to let go of old conditioned patterns and habits (that are likely causing limitations in your life) and learn how to create your life with intention. I would start with Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, then move on to You Are the Placebo and then Becoming Supernatural.
I hope you find this Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Survival Guide supportive in your life. There is a lot of information here, but as HSP’s and empaths, certain offerings will speak to you more than others, and that is where you want to start. Come back to this post from time to time and see if something new speaks to you.
I have several guided meditations on my YouTube channel, and I’ve shared a couple of them above, but I have recently created a new meditation that I absolutely love! You can check it out if you like.
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