Do you feel overwhelmed when you walk into a crowded room? Do confrontations with others wreck your nervous system? Would you rather stay at home and recharge instead of going out all night? Does your stomach hurt when you are in situations that make you nervous? Do you sleep lightly with a non-stop, racing mind?
You may be an HSP – a Highly Sensitive Person. A phrased coined by Dr. Elaine Aron, A psychotherapist who understood that there are a unique sect of people in the population that feels overwhelm, nervousness and emotions more deeply than the average person. An interesting aspect of a HSP is the dysfunctional relationship to the self. This type of person can feel an immense responsibility to be perfect or be hyper critical to self, which can impact self-worth and self- acceptance.
This culture does not encourage or inspire a HSP to be fully actualized. It is looked down upon to be “too Sensitive,” too emotional” and “empathic.” We hold the value of “stiff upper lip” and “resilience” to be qualities of strength and fortitude.
As a HSP myself, I have been told my whole life that I was “too emotional.” This seemed to be a deal breaker to most of the men I dated. So I tried to be “normal” and suppress my overwhelming emotions, which of course would backfire after a period of time.
I always felt different. I had eyes that others did not. Was it “weird” that I could read other people’s energy and know all about them just by their body language and feeling their presence? Was it strange that I never took people at their word, preferring to sense if they were emotionally safe for me? Was it odd that I could be omnipotent in any social situation and sense deep sadness in people I had never met? Being a person with these abilities has been both powerful and exhausting.
This ability can make life have deep meaning but the pitfalls of being an HSP are many and it takes a great deal of introspection, self-trust and self-love to fully accept our true nature as highly feeling oriented beings.
Chronic issues of an HSP can include:
Upset stomach - from the gut being in the state of Flight or Flight continuously.
IBS – the nerves of the gut – the Enteric Nervous System -is on hyper drive which can either hold (constipation) or spasm the colon.
Indigestion – because the nerves are creating stress hormones, the body cannot fully digest and issues of GERD, or severe bloating and gas can occur often.
Hormonal imbalances – Cortisol and Adrenaline causes spikes of Estrogen, which can lead to weight gain and adrenal fatigue.
Sleep issues – because the body cannot relax fully, it can be difficult for the body to move into Alpha/Delta/Theta sleep for repair.
Emotional Disconnect – feeling overwhelmed and self critical can lead to self-hate and challenging relationships
Addiction – using substances or actions to numb the self to all the emotions can be a way to numb from the pain and intensity of life.
We are unique and special people as empaths and feelers. We are needed to use our emotions of compassion, insight and empathy to help others including to ourselves for a deeper connection to our higher self.
If this resonates with you, understand that this is a unique quality that cannot be changed. This is who you are and should be honored and developed into a strength and skill.
Remember that you will need help physically as the gut takes the majority of the internal stress and you will have physical imbalances with your sensitivities. It just comes with personality.
As someone who has these abilities of insight and great depth, I can help you navigate a way to fold into your softness and still shield yourself from energy vampires. I’m here to help either your gut through Colon Hydrotherapy which moves the gut into a Para-Sympathetic response or seeing me for Soul Coaching in which we move the energy into acceptance and protection.
I now use my abilities to hold the space for others and am in service to all of our healing here in human form – HSP is a gift and can be developed into a beautiful appreciation to be alive.
Book a service here. Looking forward to seeing you soon little unicorns!