To The Highly Sensitive Person, The One Who Feels Everything So Deeply

There may come a time in your life where you begrudge this innate trait of yours. There is nothing wrong with questioning. This is part of the journey toward self-acceptance. As a fellow highly sensitive soul, I too, am plagued by questions of how to exist in such a loud shouting world. I often wish there was an off switch. Because truthfully, it’s overwhelming to feel everything so intensely. It gets lonely living in a world that does not speak your language. A world full of copies, of copies, of someone else. A world that shuns fragile subtleties. But, rest assured, there are many others like us. Kindred spirits, trying to find a space in the world. Should our paths intersect one day, I hope we get to connect and share our stories of feeling and healing.

Below is a collection of insights gathered, as lived and told:

1. You are not flawed or broken, believe this with reckless abandon.

Your high sensory processing sensitivity is an innate trait, and is a gift to be treasured, no matter what you may have been told. You possess the capacity to tune in and perceive what others often miss. Use your gifts to illuminate the dark corners of the world that need healing.

2. Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries! (Learn to say no).

You deserve to exist under terms that do not harm you. This means letting go of friendships, relationships, situations and action patterns that no longer serve you. This is but one step toward self-acceptance. If an experience is not essential, meaningful or fun then it’s not worth your time and energy.

3. Cultivate a sacred space that you feel safe in, a space where you are able to decompress and recharge.

This will become your sanctuary. Your retreat from the world. Your space to come home to after a day spent processing overwhelming sensory input. Protect it and fill it with that which enlivens your soul and energizes your spirit. Think in terms of the four senses: sight, sound, smell and touch. Contemplate the sensory experiences that ardently resonate as uplifting, comforting, and tranquil for you.

4. Embrace loneliness.

Your journey will often feel lonely, embrace and honor this. Allow the stillness to feel awful and sublime, simultaneously. Allow it to guide you. It’s in the depths of solitude that we seek the hidden treasures within.

5. But recognize that you aren’t alone.

Reach out and connect. In a society that devalues sensitivity this may seem counterintuitive but do it anyway. For you are heard, understood and most importantly, you deserve to occupy a space in the world. Find your soul family, the iridescent individuals who feel like home. Appreciate the catharsis as you narrate stories of triumph and tribulation. These will resonate, I’m sure.

6. Self-acceptance.

Being an HSP is a wonderful gift. Your high sensitivity means that you have the potential to live an extraordinarily rich and meaningful existence. Do not spend your days apologizing for your way of being in the world. You are a lighthouse, allow your light to pierce the darkness. Stop apologizing for shining so brightly.