Do you feel that you are highly sensitive / HSP? In this blog I will give you tips on what you can do to better deal with HSP. There are several ways that help and none are right or wrong. As long as it feels good, it's okay in my eyes. Especially because I have experience as an HSP myself :).
Tips dealing with HSP
1. First determine whether you are HSP.
There are several ways to determine that you are HSP . First of all, it is advisable to take a look within your family. Are there any family members who are highly sensitive or suspect they are? Ask about it and talk about it, so you can find out if there are things you recognize and agree with each other. You can also ask your educators/parents if certain things stood out in your childhood or youth? For example, that you withdraw from time to time or that you were described by teachers as quiet or shy.
In addition, it is advisable to read a lot about high sensitivity on the internet and in books. On YouTube you can also find numerous videos about high sensitivity, a handy tool! It is often clear after your research whether you are highly sensitive or not.
Are you still in doubt? then you can always call in a coach specialized in high sensitivity or a psychologist, who can help you with your obstacles in daily life and determine that you are highly sensitive. Maybe the penny will drop and this will explain a whole lot in your life. This will surely be a relief!
2. Learn to recognize the characteristics of High Sensitivity
What you can easily recognize that you are highly sensitive is the hypersensitivity to light, sound, smells and / or movements . You have great empathy , often feel tired , worry and worry a lot, avoid certain situations ( avoidance behaviour ), you perceive many details and feel the moods and atmospheres of others well.
Because you have a more sensitive nervous system and experience everything more intensely , this can cause an overload of stimuli that sometimes makes you feel overwhelmed . You actually have an 'antenna' more than a non-HSP, which means that you need more time to process all those stimuli. This is how you recognize high sensitivity.
3. Listen to your gut
As an HSP, it is extra important to listen to your feelings , more than a non-HSP. Do you ignore your feeling? Then this can work against you and you will get into trouble with yourself. So you go against the current and therefore quickly ask too much of yourself. This can ultimately lead to boredom , stress , depressive complaints , anxiety complaints and overstimulation .
It is also advisable to stay within your comfort zone as much as possible, if you deviate too much from this, this can entail many emotions and tensions , which will quickly exhaust your sensitive nervous system. Resulting in overwork or burnout . Something you always want to avoid. Take enough rest and indicate your limits in time is my advice.
4. Accept it
Perhaps the most important thing is to accept that you are the way you are, that you experience the world more intensely and differently as a non-HSP. Accept that you have an extra 'antenna' and be aware of it.
As a highly sensitive person, you actually have an extra antenna and therefore already an advantage over a non-HSP, provided you have a good command of this property/power . A world is probably opening up for you now, it explains many things, why you feel different from others and why you often struggle with yourself.
If you look back now, you can probably check what has cost you a lot of energy in the past, maybe you work somewhere outside your comfort zone, which might not suit you or where you are confronted with too many stimuli every day. Maybe it even explains why you used to be labeled as shy or quiet and so on. Now that you have all this clear, you can also close it well for yourself and start fresh, you now know how to design a life that better suits you and who you are, keeping the right balance between work and relaxation and know where your limits are. All this will make you a nicer person, both for yourself and the environment.
As far as I'm concerned, being HSP is really a wonderful thing and you can be thankful for it, a quality that you can use well, as long as you master it well. HSPs are the people who make this world more beautiful and better in my eyes. We absolutely cannot do without them in our society.
5. Set clear boundaries
Setting boundaries is extremely important. I understand that as an HSP you have more trouble with that, because you are more concerned with the environment and others than with yourself, you like to do things well and are often a perfectionist , you often forget yourself. A nice thing, but it shouldn't be at the expense of yourself.
How you can set boundaries is by evaluating the situation from time to time and see if something stands out that works against you. If this is the case, you better be honest about this. You are probably not used to standing up for yourself, but it is very important to do so.
6. Provide peace of mind
Sufficient sleep and rest moments in between is important to keep your sensitive nervous system calm. It runs at full speed all day long. It is up to you to recognize signals of overstimulation and to do something about it. There are several tools with which you can create more peace of mind. Go into nature , buy a pet and you will see, this will already give you a lot of peace around you and in your head.
For example, are you going into traffic or are you walking through the city? Use noise-canceling headphones or earphones. Ambient sounds are muted. Often loud music or emotional music is soon too much for your sensitive nervous system. Instead, there is also white noise music, which will really relax your nervous system. Recommended! For example, do you feel that you need to be on your own for example? Listen to this feeling and then do this for a while, because you probably really need this.
7. Listen carefully to your body
Your body often gives enough signals when you suspect overstimulation. Do you get a headache ? Are you getting dizzy or shaky ? Does your body feel weak or do you feel low on energy ? Or can you not keep up with the environment or do you even have concentration problems? Good to recognize this in time. These are clear signals of overstimulation, something you need to deal with quickly.
8. Get enough relaxation
Relaxation , super important for both body and mind . The best way to do this is by moving, such as sports or doing activities in nature. Yoga is also a relaxing and pleasant activity, which also improves your breathing . Nature is a free and easy therapy to relax and find yourself. Other escape options include a massage , visiting a wellness or going to the sauna . Showering or a bath is also recommended and has an effect. If you feel better after showering, then you know you picked up energy from someone else.
Relaxation can be many things, as long as it makes you happy and doesn't cost energy. Busy shopping streets, cinemas, amusement parks and busy festivals are not places where your nervous system comes to rest and are therefore not recommended as a relaxation activity. Even going out can quickly become too much. Reading is instead a good alternative, or find a new hobby, for example, writing, painting or drawing. In any case, something where you can focus your mind on one thing in a quiet environment.
In addition, it is advisable to design both your living and working space as relaxing as possible, because peace around you is peace in your head. Certain scents can also have a calming effect on the nervous system, for example lavender has a soothing and calming effect . You can spread it through the room by means of scented sticks, scented candles and aroma diffusers. In addition, gemstones are of course also a good outcome to carry with you for a positive energy flow .
9. Provide discharge
Discharge is something where you can express and lose all your feelings, this can be done in the form of sports, making music and / or dancing to music. In addition, practicing a hobby that gives you a lot of satisfaction, something that you can lose yourself in, is also a form of discharge. Also, discharge is talking to someone, where you can lose all feelings and thoughts . Preferably with an expert (someone you don't know).
10. Learn to deal with emotions
Dealing with emotions, also an important one. When do you notice that you are emotionally affected and how do you deal with it? When do you notice that you are irritated towards someone else, is that if you are overstimulated or because you do not indicate your limits clearly enough? If someone is very negative in your environment, how do you react? That's something you need to become aware of, how do you deal with your emotions? Once that awareness is there, you can train to deal with it differently.
11. See if it helps to take therapy for this
If you just found out that you are highly sensitive , it can take some swallowing and at the same time many things will probably fall into place. That is logical and understandable. You should also not expect to have your high sensitivity under control in a week. This takes time and is a process . Are you now sitting with your hands in your hair and thinking what to do next? Then it is always good and advisable to go to your doctor and have a conversation, so that you can look together at what the right solution is for you. Consultation with an expert is always recommended!
