Feeling Overwhelmed These Days?
A few weeks ago I stumbled across a documentary on Amazon Prime about being a highly sensitive person. I had no idea this was even a thing in life but immediately connected with the content. I am extremely sensitive to sunlight, overhead lights, and brightness. If a siren is sounding in the background, I struggle to concentrate on anything except the repetitive noise. After a social event, I feel completely wiped out and want to spend the next day doing my own thing in my environment. Does any of this sound familiar to you? This post may help! 15-20% of people and animals are classified as highly sensitive. They pick up on small details most would overlook and they have a heightened sense of taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell. When they are bombarded by too many new experiences or strong things they end up feeling frazzled. Welp, that’s me!
As a kiddo, I was always one to quickly change clothes. My parents used to joke about the amount of laundry but I literally had an outfit for every occasion. I learned this is common for people who are highly sensitive. I am extremely sensitive to touch. My body doesn’t like a lot of types of fabric. I find if something isn’t soft or breathable it won’t last long until I feel like I have to change. Most of the time you’ll find me driving in sunglasses even on a cloudy day. I absolutely cannot stand overhead lighting and get headaches from it! Finally, spicy foods feel like they are burning my mouth no matter how many times I’ve tried to build a tolerance.
Other things that have impacted me include feeling extremely sensitive to criticsm. Where someone else can roll something off their shoulders, I tend to ruminate on it over and over. The phrase “let it go” has been told to me over the years and no matter how hard I try it’s easier said than done. I also find I work best in quiet atmospheres. Too much noise is distracting and I feel like I can’t think. I’ve learned that now I need downtime after I am at a social event. I find taking time each day to unwind makes a huge difference in my mental health. I also prefer to live in a quiet environment and work from home. We are all different and that’s what makes people so awesome! If you can relate to these needs, I’d love to hear more about your experiences. Feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram, Facebook or an email.
I decided to share my recent discovery because I know there are some of you out there that can relate and are feeling like there’s something wrong with yourself. Theres’ not. You just are built differently. The same things that make you acutely aware and give you an unspoken intuition about something are the things that also can make you feel overwhelmed. Make sure on the days you have sensory overload to take extra time for yourself. Go to bed earlier, eat good food, spend time in the quiet and give yourself a break. It will do wonders for your body, mind, and soul.
