How To Deal With Mental Overload If You Are A Highly Sensitive Person

Heal by listening to the signals your body is sending you

At the moment, life is hitting at us left, right, and centre.

Watching the morning news these days is incredibly intense. We get upset, outraged, and worried, all at the same time.

Things are confusing. Do this, don’t do that — stock up, but not too much; exercise, but don’t go out; help others, but only from 2 metres away. You’ll get support, but only if you tick all the following boxes.

The number of daily phone calls is through the roof. All our friends want to know whether we’re ok. Everyone wants to talk about what they have heard on tv, discuss their opinions, and tell you all about the latest can of beans they had to fight over.

All the bombs that were ticking for days and weeks on social media have now fully exploded.

A trip to the supermarket is not dissimilar to a movie or documentary about the war when shortages of essential items were a normal part of people’s weekly shopping.

Our work has been affected. Everyone will have to budget really hard over the upcoming weeks.

With all that’s going on right now, I know I’m not alone when it’s only 8:30 in the morning and I’m already feeling like my brain is about to explode and spill all over the living room floor.

HSP is a scientifically recognized personality trait.

A Highly Sensitive Person usually displays a personality trait called Sensory-Processing Sensitivity (SPS). This personality trait is currently found in approximately 20% of the population.

According to Dr. Elaine Aron, a scientist and author of The Highly Sensitive Person book, which sold over a million copies, SPS is not a new discovery. But it can be misunderstood. Being a HSP does not mean you are a shy person. The trait is not limited to introverts — in fact, 30% of HSPs would actually describe themselves as extroverts.

Being a HSP is defined as having a hypersensitive nervous system. Hyper, or high sensitivity, means that people’s physical and mental responses to social, environmental or internal stimulants tend to be unusually intense.

If you are exceedingly sensitive, you naturally get overstimulated when things are too intense, complex, chaotic or new for a prolonged period of time.

How do you know if this is you?

There are many layers to what extend people can experience SPS. You can show very subtle signs like being woken up easily from the deepest sleep by a TV that’s on the other side of the house. On the other side of the spectrum, people might need to lay down in a dark room several times a day, due to overstimulation.

Here’s a list of possible signs to help you recognize whether you might be a HSP.

Your sensitivity is your radar.

For many of us, it can be hard to admit our feelings or worries, even to ourselves.

What I found extremely helpful is treating my sensitivity as a radar. If I’m feeling overwhelmed, it’s an alert. It’s a way my body is trying to spare me from a breakdown.

So I try my hardest to acknowledge any feeling of distress and listen.

Sensitivity is not a weakness; it’s a guide.

We are all delicate deep inside. Some people more than others, but it is encoded in our human nature.

So don’t feel apologetic, or hesitant to act on the powerful signals your body is sending you. It’s actually one of the most important aspects of self-care.

What can help when you feel overwhelmed:

Cut the news channels short.

Limit watching the morning news to 30 minutes at most. Did you know, it only takes about 15 minutes of news to learn all that’s important?

Morning news is always on repeat so that people who wake up at different times can all catch the main updates. You don’t need to sit through that and hear the breaking newsreel for the 5th time in a row. When things start to get repetitive, you’re free to move on.

On top of that, skip watching any news before bed altogether. Any load of emotion-inducing buzzwords is going to mess you up at the exact time you should be winding down and calming your mind. Evening news is proven to mess up people’s sleep.

Chances are, you won’t miss out on much. Because the news that is truly important is bound to appear in the morning updates anyway. In fact, any news that emerges in the evening is likely to be added more substance by the next day. So it ends up being more informative for you anyway.

But I get it, we gotta stay updated. So instead, see if you can catch some news at some point in the afternoon. That way you get your update, and the rest of your day doesn’t have to be disturbed.

Rethink social media.

Social media sites are like bomb sites right now. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the opinions, personal overshares, and calls for justice.

Even though many of the pleas are righteous and some of the videos are funny, the majority seems to be people just airing their neigbour’s dirty laundry. It’s just too much. And yet, somehow, social media still manage to draw us into a zone after zone of compulsive scrolling.

About a year ago, I deleted my account on the most unhealthy of them all. And I couldn’t be happier, especially now. A couple of recent sneak peeks at my partner’s blue and white news feed have poured cement all over that controversial decision. Which is now set firmly in concrete. I’ll never go back.

I have enough to handle in my own life, thank you.

If your social media darlings aren’t providing you with any constructive or helpful insights on life, and instead recklessly throw toxic waste in your face, it’s not yet too late to hit the delete button.

Have a laugh.

Before you roll your eyes, take a look at this — scientists have found, that even just a few moments of genuine laughing can help ease anxiety and stress. A good chuckle can literally lighten up your mood within seconds. It can even help to boost your immune system.

Now is the time to enjoy your funny friends. You know, the people who can make even the biggest red wine stain on your beige carpet seem hilarious. This is their time to shine.

Set time aside for quiet self-care.

I have unused bath bombs in my toiletry drawer, which have been sitting there for months. I can’t remember the last time I used a hair mask or put nail varnish on my toes. The tin of herbal tea I bought weeks ago is still sitting on the shelf unopened.

As of today, this is going to change. I’m making an effort to schedule some quiet time for myself and actually stick to it. And boy do I need some after-winter pamper-up. My feet have definitely seen much better days.

Did you know that a warm bath can lift your mood better than physical exercise? And yes, bathtub meditation is definitely a thing.

Try yoga or gentle stretches.

If you’re someone who is used to regular daily exercise, your routine might look more like a hundred push-ups and sit-ups out on the patio.

For the rest of us, 15–30 minutes of gentle yoga or stretches daily will do the trick. Doing a gentle, non-intensive exercise is an amazing way to calm down mentally and also reconnect with your body. It brings you back to the present moment. Just make sure the tv is off while you’re doing it.

Take advantage of the countless amazing yoga classes on YouTube. My all-time favourite is (perhaps unsurprisingly!) Yoga With Adriene. You can take it as easy or as intense as you want, and Adrienne herself is lovely and funny.

Distract yourself.

Make a point of taking a good dose of daily distraction. You could catch up on all those audiobooks you have on your to-read list. Re-watch your favourite comedy, or plan a Lord Of The Rings movie marathon. Take your mind somewhere else, as far away from all the drama as you can, for as long as you can.

Here’s a challenge: Can you find something amusing enough to make you forget about what’s going on in the world right now? Every little counts. Even if it’s just a few minutes.

Lay down.

There’s absolutely no shame in laying down in the middle of the day.

Your bed is your safe space. You are allowed to embrace it. Take a good nap anytime you need.

Catching up on your sleep is actually being encouraged right now, as good quality sleep helps your body to recover from stress. So go on, let yourself fall back onto those cloudy pillows anytime.

Prepare nutritious comfort food.

You are what you eat. What you put in your body is more important than ever right now.

There are two main types of meals — meals that burden your system and make it work harder; and meals that provide your body with the support and nutrition it desperately needs.

This certainly doesn’t mean we have to eat salad for every meal. But the extra time on our hands does give us the opportunity to educate ourselves. And find out what it is we could be adding more of, to provide our bodies with some extra support.

Here’s the bottom line: this is not the time to hate vegetables. Your immunity needs to be kept top-notch.

I’m sure most of us can find at least a couple of veggies we don’t actually mind eating. Corn on the cob, stuffed peppers, baked sweet potato, minestrone soup, roasted parsnips and carrots, caramelized onion, baby spinach? Whatever you can think of that you do like, add it now. Or as soon as you can find it in the supermarket.

Lately, I’ve been finding amusement in reading about the health benefits of the ingredients I’m using when preparing our food. Health benefits of turmeric? Fascinating! Bring on the sweet potato curry night!

If you have stocked up a full pantry-load of canned beans, you might find this read particularly satisfying. Turns out beans are loaded with protein and fibre, and therefore extremely good for us.

When things hit you hard, you can always fall back on this:

You don’t need permission to give yourself space.

Allow yourself to withdraw whenever you need to.

You’ve got this!

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