Personally, I think there are tonnes of pros of being a highly sensitive person! I want to make that clear before we dive into this article.
Because although it CAN seem seriously hellish at times, being an H.S.P. means that you probably have heightened intuition, and possibly connect with those around you on a deeper level than someone who isn’t as sensitive.
You can suss people out pretty quickly, too! You’ll likely have great gut feelings about this person, or that situation which more often than not, turn out to be true.
It might also mean that you’re far more likely to understand those closest to you on a deeper and more intimate level than someone who isn’t as sensitive. You’re also likely to be more cognisant of their thoughts and feelings and hopefully, vice versa.
It’s truly a wonderful gift!
As a highly sensitive person myself, I’ve had to make a concerted effort throughout my life to stay happy, healthy, balanced and energized.
From one highly sensitive person to another, here are some of the top tips I follow daily that help to keep me fully functional and chilled out…
1. Give a Firm “No” When You Can & When You Really Want To
This is probably the most vital of tips when it comes to taking care of yourself as an H.S.P.
Can you recall putting yourself out for others?
Because we tend to care so much about other people, we can often say yes to doing WAY too many things when really, we should be reserving a lot of our energy and time for ourselves.
Someone who is well balanced, has good boundaries, and cares for themselves will understand that putting the needs and wants of others above their own is simply no bueno.
Looking after yourself is just as important as looking after those around you. Plus — and ironically, if you have more energy and you’re feeling balanced and happy, you’ll have so much more to give to others as and when appropriate! It’ll just never be at your own cost.
2. Have Firm Boundaries in Place
This tip is quite closely related to the above tip yet it’s totally worth mentioning because emphasising the importance of boundaries is vital when it comes to proper self care.
We can often allow others to really get away with pushing our boundaries. It could be a friend, a family member, a co-worker, even a client or a stranger.
Presenting yourself as someone who is fair, yet firm can really help with self assertion. Nip any dismissive or derogatory comments or behaviors in the bud and don’t ever be afraid to voice your opinions or feelings.
Those who respect and understand that we’re all different and are entitled to our own views, even if they disagree with them, are the people you want in your life.
RELATED: 20 Signs of a Toxic Person in a Relationship
3. Create Some Quality Alone Time
As an H.S.P., you’re going to require a lot more alone time to recharge emotionally and energetically.
It doesn’t matter what your alone time consists of, just make sure that it’s high quality and that it’s factored into your weekly schedule, or better still — your daily schedule.
It could be something as simple as listening to a captivating audiobook in your garden or on your balcony for half an hour every morning before getting ready for work, or having a long evening bath with a gorgeous bath bomb. It could even be picking flowers in your garden whilst listening to music during the weekend!
Just make sure you schedule some self-care time in somewhere.
4. Stay (Mostly) Away from Crowds
Loud noises, areas with excessive amounts of pollution, and overcrowded places can be really difficult to deal with whoever you are but as an H.S.P., these scenarios will undoubtedly put you on edge.
You might find that trying to stay away from areas where lots of people gather like shopping malls, concerts, and bars can help to keep you balanced as places like this can really drain your energy.
If you’re an empath, you’re also at risk of picking up other people’s thoughts and energies and it can be REALLY overwhelming.
On the flip side, it can be SO much fun going to parties and travelling etc — just be sure to protect your energy before stepping out. If you don’t know how to do that, I would totally recommend it! The best way to find out how would be to visit a good, local energy healer who can create a plan specifically for you.
5. Use ‘I AM’ Affirmations
The power of ‘I am’ affirmations is massively underrated and misunderstood. They don’t just feel good to say; they can help to reprogram the subconscious mind to believe new ideas which can then play out in your reality.
If you repeat them, with feeling, as if they are actually TOTALLY TRUE and happening right now, your subconscious mind is FAR more likely to accept them as being genuinely TRUE — eventually. It can take a few months for them to sink in, but once they do, should should notice some subtle changes (or big ones!) in your outer reality.
You can program your subconscious mind with ANY belief, so be careful which beliefs you choose to go with.
If you want to protect your energy and even increase your intuition and empathic abilities, you can repeat affirmations like “I am always protected”, “I am in divine flow”, “I am a part of Source energy”, “I am an amazing co-creator”.
If you don’t believe me, that’s totally fine! I didn’t really buy any of this stuff either until I tried it out myself some years back. If you have some time to look into it, I’d recommend you read The Biology of Belief by Biologist Bruce Lipton. In it, he explains how we can change our outer reality by changing our inner beliefs about ourselves and others. Pretty awesome, huh?
6. Incorporate Crystals into Your Everyday Life
I don’t know if you’re into crystals or not. You might think they’re just pretty but mostly meh.
OR you might think they really do have the ability to condition the energy around you. If you do, or if you’re skeptical but you’d still like to give them a go, I would definitely recommend placing some selenite around your home or anywhere you spend a lot of time, like in your bedroom, home office, studio or desk.
Selenite is like an awesome metaphysical vacuum cleaner for any unwanted, unhelpful energies. It filters them out from the surrounding air leaving high vibe energies only. And this is pretty important for an H.S.P. because having a neutral or pleasant area to be in will mean you’ll feel way more comfortable.
Selenite also looks amazing and the sculpted pieces add a touch of other worldliness to pretty much anything. Check these mystical moon pieces out on Etsy!
Other crystals which can protect your energy include:
- Obsidian (this is solidified lava and technically not a crystal)
- Black Tourmaline
- Rose Quartz
- Amethyst
- Blue Sodalite (this crystal can help with anxiety too)
7. Mediate Often
Meditation is just great for SO many things; for grounding yourself, balancing your chakras, or just zoning out!
Whatever it’s great for, the one things that we can ALL agree on, whether we’re into metaphysics or not, is that it’s soothing and calming. And that is JUST what you need as an H.S.P.
I know that it’s probably an obvious tip and you might even skip past it because you’ve heard SOOO many people bang on about it FOREVER, but meditation REALLY can be SUPER beneficial when it comes to calming the mind and centering yourself.
If you’ve been out and around a lot of other people or in some kind of situation with someone else that’s made you feel uncomfortable, meditating for just 5-10 minutes can help. Meditating for half an hour, even better!
Ideally, to remain balanced, and clear minded, try incorporating just 2 to 20 minutes of high quality meditation without any distractions each evening before going to sleep and each morning after waking up and stretching.
8. Spend Time in Nature
Any time spent in any kind of natural space with plenty of greenery is better than none. Spending literally FIVE minutes in a local park and meditating is better than nothing.
And the longer you can spend in nature, the better. You might like to plan vacations to natural reserves when you can camp, climb, or hike. The more contact you have with the Earth, the more grounded you will become and grounding can be incredibly beneficial to overall health, which we all need.
9. Take Excellent Care of Your Physical Health
Getting enough sleep, taking a good multi vitamin, and eating well is just the basic stuff we can do to keep ourselves healthy and fit and our minds clear and content.
Because H.S.P.s can become so overwhelmed and run down so quickly and easily, it’s even more important that you do the best to protect yourself and your energy.
If you can. put some self-care time aside, get some exercise, eat some healthy food, take some high quality supplements (if needed) and minimise and stress in your life if possible. You should be just fine.
