Identify that you are feeling overstimulated and need to calm Build a ‘safe place’ inside yourself that feels grounded, calm, and safe. A place you can connect to when feeling overwhelmed. Be the observer of your overarousal – know that …
Qualities of Highly Sensitive People
Highly sensitive people have a more sensitive nervous system; they are just born that way. Studies have shown that they use different parts of the brain in different ways to non-HSPs. One of the effects of this different way of …
Misinterpretations of Highly Sensitive People
HSPs have a more sensitive nervous system than 80% of the population. It takes less for them to become overwhelmed and need to go somewhere quiet. A visit to a busy shopping centre might become overwhelming, or give them a …
Do You Feel Valued as a Highly Sensitive Person?
Reading Elaine Aron’s wonderful book “The Highly Sensitive Person”, I came across this research. The study highlighted traits that made children more popular in different cultures. It revealed that Chinese children naturally value shyness more than Canadian children. In fact, …
Feeling Criticised as a Highly Sensitive Person
Aron (2016) estimates that 15-20% of the population is an HSP. Being HSP is no better or worse than not being an HSP, they are just different, and for an HSP growing up in a family of non-HSPs, it can …
Nervous System Sensitivities in Highly Sensitive people
What is it like to be an HSP? As an HSP, the world can feel overwhelming. Bright lights, loud noises, and itchy fabrics can be incredibly disturbing. For me, I have found the subtleties of relationships particularly intense. I have …
Being a Highly Sensitive Person
It is estimated that 15-20% of the population is highly sensitive. There is even a scale to measure it! (Benham, 2006). Elaine Aron’s book “The Highly Sensitive Person” discusses this personality type in depth. She has a short test – …
Expanding Your Window of Tolerance
With time and focus, you CAN widen your window of tolerance. The key is being able to make contact with strong emotions without becoming so overwhelmed that they cannot be integrated. The safest way to do this is with the …
How to Reduce Hypoarousal
When we are in hypoarousal, we have started to numb and dissociate. To help yourself when you are on this end of the spectrum, you need to stimulate the senses and get back into your body. One way to do …
Indications of Hypoarousal
It is difficult for healing to occur when we are in hypo or hyper arousal. We need to be within our ‘window of tolerance’ where the prefrontal cortex is switched on, and our cognition is online. Different self-regulation tools can …