Overcome your mental battles as a highly sensitive person
There are days when my sensitive mind takes over and starts to control every single moment of my life. I don’t see any solution but problems that I have to face now. When I try to look for a solution, my already sensitive mind will make it so difficult that I start to feel pressure in my head.
It feels difficult to move when your mind is giving you thousands of instructions to do something to change your current situation. The mind gets overloaded with information that your body shuts off. At that moment the only thing that I deeply desire is to leave somewhere where I cannot be found. Somewhere no one knows me, where I don’t have to act or pretend, where I can be myself or in truth, free of myself.
I won’t lie to you, those are the hardest days, I still struggle with them but over the years I have found some ways to lessen the struggles that my mind creates for me. And I hope that they might help you too.
Awareness
Become aware of your thoughts, and keep a record of your mental health so that you know when those thoughts arise and how long they stay. I face them strongly when my periods are on the way but I have also observed that whenever my worth is questioned, my mind gets triggered and starts to create all sorts of stories.
In such situations, I ask myself- Who is thinking these thoughts right now? Or Is something really happening or it’s just my mind making up things? The moment you put your attention on your unconscious behavior, you become free.
You can also use your body as a tool to become aware. Put your attention on your hands now, feel the space around them, feel that electric charge running through your hands, now move your attention to your arms and feel the space around your arms, keep doing it with the rest of your body. This exercise will help you pull your attention out of your head and back into your body.
Meditation
My favorite method to overcome mental battles as a highly sensitive person and to navigate those mental breakdowns is by sitting in guided meditation. Don’t try to meditate on your own. Your sensitive mind will take over your will and start to instruct your meditation thus it’s better to have something to guide you through it. I use Dr. Joe Dispenza’s meditations, you can choose whoever’s voice that soothes your mind.
Sleep
If you can, then take a nap. I know your mind is already giving you commands to listen to it but trust me you don’t have to do them. You are just having a sensory overload right now. If you try to do anything in this state, you will only worsen your mind. Leave things be and go take a nap.
Stop consuming information
With our phones with us 24×7 it becomes easy for us to consume information. Hsp you don’t need to know anything in this state. No new information is going to benefit you so you should leave your phone alone for a few hours. Give yourself a break, your world won’t end if you don’t check your phone, although your mind will make you believe otherwise. Whatever your mind says in this state is untrue.
Walk in nature
Sometimes changes in scenery do us wonders. When we are cooped up in one place, our mind keeps us in a loop of the same information with the same problems and solutions. Take a walk outside without your phone. Trust me you will survive. Observe the nature around you, don’t make this a goal that you have to achieve like running two rounds of park. Let yourself be free, be there as long as you want, if you don’t want to walk then just sit.
Journal
With the information overload there’s a pretty high chance that your body will shut down. Journaling can be your savior in this case. Go within your body and feel if there’s any pressure. Lightly set your attention there and ask it how it feels, and what it wants. Jot down the answer. Ask again why you feel this (non-judgmentally). Keep asking until those blocks start to open up. ( You can also check my minimal mindful journal here).
Planner
Last but not the least way to overcome mental battles as a highly sensitive person is by planning. Planning helps the highly sensitive person a lot. Through planning, they can organize their thoughts into doable form otherwise the mind will activate another pattern of overthinking. It will start with an illusion that there is a lot to do and you are not doing anything even when it’s not the right time. So it’s better to record your tasks to calm your mental voice. ( You can check my planner here).
You are enough HSP and you are doing good. I’m so proud of you for being so brave, fighting your mental battles like a true warrior even when you don’t want to. You don’t have to do it alone, take help from experts. You are going to be alright. Don’t believe what your mind is telling you, trust that inner voice that is present within all of us, and listen to her. You’ve got this.
Read more:
5 Ways to calm your Anxious Mind ( As an HSP) – Livin Alchemy
How to stop overthinking – Livin Alchemy
7 reasons why everyone needs a Highly Sensitive Friend? – Livin Alchemy