Calling All Highly Sensitive Types

If we join forces maybe we can help each other cope through this dreadful time.

The purpose of this post is to connect with other highly sensitive people like myself, both locally and internationally. I believe we need each other more than ever now, and in bigger numbers, because we understand the unique challenges we face in a time of increasing insecurity and danger. I also know that things here in the US are going to get worse before they get better, but when I align myself with like-minded souls, it makes this scary world feel a little safer.

As an artist and writer with ADHD, OCD, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and an extremely sensitive nervous system in general, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to maintain motivation in my daily life during this MAGA regime and global warming. Having a husband, three teens, and a dog, I show up. I can’t afford not to. But I’m feeling more and more like I want to stay inside the house almost all the time. I’ve always been a homebody to some degree, but this is a new level of wanting to nest that’s the direct result of feeling less safe due to external circumstances.

By focusing on the specific challenges faced by highly sensitive souls during this time, I don’t mean to undermine how difficult this time is for everyone, regardless of how sensitive their nervous system is or not. Things are far from well, to say the least. As a highly sensitive person, however, I’m more prone to being deeply affected by what’s happening around me in certain ways that others aren’t. That’s why it’s crucial that I, and those like me, focus on self-care, and that we take special precautions to support and protect our minds, bodies, emotions, and souls. I’m hoping that if we share how we’re protecting ourselves in these ways, hopefully we can offer each other a special kind of support.

Below I’ve laid out some traits commonly shared by highly sensitive people that make this time of socio-political horror and fear, both in the US and around the world, especially challenging for us.

• We pick up on the emotional energy of others—not just that of the individuals near us or those we’re the most bonded to, but of the collective environment as well.

• We often sense situations that are building, and often play out, sooner than many others do.

• We can become more easily and quickly overwhelmed than most.

• Our default state is often already one of anxiety, regardless of impending external stressors.

• We burn out and shut down more easily and/or more often than most.

• We’re highly empathetic, even to those we never see or meet.

• We need more time to recharge and rebalance when our system has been thrown off.

• We tend to have emotional regulation challenges

• We tend to feel our emotions more deeply than many others.

• We feel personally assaulted and sad when nature is abused, destroyed, and/or blatantly disrespected.

• We have a tendency to spiral into negative emotions and fears.

• We often have sleep issues due to increased anxiety.

• We experience a lot of frustration with others when they don’t see what we do, and therefore when they don’t act in a way we think (or know) is appropriate.

What are you doing to help you cope during MAGA?

I’ll start first with what I do to regulate myself, below. Then I invite you to share what helps you stay as centered as possible during this chaotic, unpredictable time.

Spending time with my dog
Being fully present with my dog does wonders for calming my body and giving my nervous system a quick reset. Whenever I’m home now, I make sure to take frequent breaks from what I’m doing to fully connect with him without distraction. These intervals are often only 2 seconds to 2 minutes at a time, but the more I tune into his happy, playful, loving energy, the better I find I can show up for my family and within our community.

Creating media boundaries
It’s taken a long time to work this out, and I’m still figuring it out, but I’ve finally developed some basic boundaries and restrictions around my news intake. These boundaries allow me to stay very informed without becoming too overwhelmed and burning out quickly. I’ll probably write another post on this because it’s more involved, but some of the main things I learned is to a) avoid clickbait headlines on You Tube (even if I like the hosts), b) reduce the amount of time I spend taking in the news, and c) limit the sources I get my news from.

Taking more breaks
I realized that as a highly sensitive, neurodivergent person, the only effective way to manage my energy over the course of a day is to take frequent breaks. Taking more breaks helps prevent me from burning out as easily.

I stopped trying to accomplish as much in a day.
As someone who’s sensitive to getting overwhelmed and burnt out easily, pushing myself when I’m tired can work for a while but in time it will lead to more burn out and sometimes even illness. I’m crazy worried about the future for my three kids, and I also know that if I don’t take care of myself, I can’t be there fully for them, both now and in the future, however that might play out.

Prioritizing self-care
Taking more breaks is an important form of self-care for me, but I also work on other basics such as exercising, being mindful of what I eat, doing yoga, getting enough sleep, and making sure to see and talk to friends (something I can easily let go of when I don’t make an effort.) The big challenge is that when I get stressed out or in a down mood, protecting my sleep and eating healthy, and sometimes exercising, become very difficult for me. So I see focusing on self-care as a work in process, and I know it’s important not to beat myself up when I fall short of my goals. At least I’m working on it. Plus, lasting changes tend to take time.

Doing something creative
For me this is writing, painting and drawing, and sometimes paying a little piano. I realized that I’ve allowed myself to be bombarded by media input, and it’s important, as a creative person, to balance that with more output—output that comes from expressing myself. So now when I feel too overwhelmed or fearful, when I’m able to motivate (which isn’t always) I’ll paint, draw, write, or play some piano. Often it’s only for a few minutes at a time, but simply starting the process of creating, of clicking into that universal creative energy, is often enough to shift into a more motivated mindset. Plus, when we create, we’re using our personal power, something that’s very important to exercise during a period when it’s easy to feel powerless.

Listening to music
Ever since 2015, I’d gotten so absorbed with the news that I realized I’d stopped listening to music as much as I used to. Now I make sure to play music sometimes instead of only listening to news and political analysis (oh man do I love analysis!) Listening to music is one of the best ways to become present, to live in the now, and to temporarily forget about your worries, pains, and fears. Dancing to music is another thing that gives my nervous system a break from the chaos that comes with having a dementia-ridden, incompetent, narcissistic clown as president that no one with the power to do so is willing to stop.

Looking at cute animal videos
It sounds silly even writing that, but it totally works! For me, watching baby pigs, dogs, and other animals interacting on social media gives me a wonderful dopamine hit. And I can’t really get too many dopamine hits during a time like now.

Now, please share what works for you!

—Amy