My newest on Rebelle Society...
“I have sea foam in my veins,
for I understand
the language of waves.”
~ Le Testament d’Orphee
Like most sensitive souls, you already know you’re sensitive.
You soak up others’ moods and desires like a sponge. You absorb sensation the way a paintbrush grasps each color it touches on a palette. The ethereal beauty of a dandelion, the shift of a season, the climax of a song, or the scent of a certain fragrance can sometimes move you to tears.
Super sensitive souls like you and I have always been a part of the human landscape, and according to the “Highly Sensitive Person” pioneer Elaine Aron’s research, we make up around 20 percent of the population.
It’s important to note that all human beings are actually quite fragile, and Super Sensitive Souls are no more fragile than everyone else—we are just more easily stimulated due to our wiring.
Basically this means if you are sensitive, you have the ability to see colors and feel energy the way others hear jet planes. The world takes on a rich tapestry of immense gorgeousness at almost every turn, which then fuels your imagination and makes you spin with aliveness. And aliveness is a grand thing.
“Aliveness is energy. It’s the juice, the vitality, and the passion that wakes up our cells every morning. It’s what makes us want to dance. It’s the energy that moves a relationship from the status quo to something grander and much more expansive, something that makes our hearts beat faster, our minds and our eyes open wider, than ever before. Everything is of interest to a person who is truly alive, whether it’s a challenge, a loving moment, a bucket of grief, or a glimpse of beauty.” ~ Daphne Rose Kingma
Yet, it also means that much like the spirited and hot blooded Arabians in the horse world, your alertness and reactivity may easily cause you to shy away with fright at things that shouldn’t be so scary.
Since your nervous system responds so easily to stimuli, that it can often times be overwhelming and exhausting to be so flooded with sensation—which makes you prone to bolting from uncomfortable situations, relationships, and jobs.
And sometimes your sensitivity makes life extraordinarily painful, and you want to shut down and hide your raw self from the loud chaos that accompanies this earth’s continual rotation.
Continually swimming in an endless sea of sensation can at times be exhausting, regardless if it’s beautifully terrible or terribly beautiful, and this is why your deep-rooted need for peace and self care is essential to support your superb sensitivity.
Here are a few things you can practice daily in order to both preserve your energy and keep your sanity:
1. Create.
Sensitive types and creativity go hand and hand, because their rawness and innate ability to pick up on information and energy that others don’t feel can easily be translated into art and passionate expression. So rescue that fleeting gorgeous moment, then recycle it through your chosen medium.
Perhaps you can make your guitar cry, or weave beautiful cloth into wearable clothing or drip powerful words like blood on a page, or capture that perfect light with your camera before you. Just create, create, then create some more so other people can see through your eyes, sensitive person.
2. Enjoy the company of animals.
Sensitive souls tend to have a deep connection with animals due to their innate intuition, understanding of energy and compassionate nature.
Animals know and appreciate this, so give yourself permission to spend as much time as possible bonding with your particular animal, because the time spent with animals is never wasted.
3. Seek out water.
Water is magical, and one of its many uses is as tool to achieve peace, calm, and balance. Take a roadtrip to the sea, a lake, a stream or even your bathtub. Let the water invigorate and cleanse you in order to feel clear again.
4. Be aware of what is yours and what is not.
When you take in other people’s energy, you must learn to instantly let go of what I like to call “the yuck”, because if that energy that wasn’t yours to begin with is negative or imbalanced, it can actually make you physically sick.
Learn to recognize what is only your energy and emotion and place a protective invisible shield around yourself to block out anything that is not.
5. Surround yourself with people that understand your nature and nurture that connection.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said,
“There is almost a sensual longing for communion with others that have a larger vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendships between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality almost impossible to describe.”
Find us because one, we understand, and two, we can sit beside you and revel at the outstanding beauty and synchronicities all around. Perhaps we’ll share poetry or take hikes, or contemplate life, or geek out sharing our favorite photo editing applications.
6. Retreat, replenish and rejeuvenate.
Take some time for yourself when your body and mind need it. When you’re sensitive, you need to fiercely guard your serenity to protect your open heart and regroup.
Once you have these things in place, go and experience this mind-bendingly incredible world, you super sensitive soul, you.
If the world is patiently waiting for everyone else’s senses to grow sharper to reveal magical things, all you need to do is step outside and ride the energy of the earth, for there’s always a brilliant sunrise, rolling fog, shifting seasons, and rising waters to experience, as well as new, inviting lands to step foot on.
And the view is glorious.
Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.
photo source:
First and foremost, your writing is beautiful! I stumbled upon one of your articles inadvertently through one of those internet vortices where one thing leads to another on this continual stream of sometimes overwhelming information... Now I have to breathe deeply and come back to reality... I found this article very helpful. I have always been aware of my heightened sensitivity, and it's often hard for me to find people who can relate (especially because I've just come out of hiding as of late). I am beginning to appreciate my gifts of sensitivity instead of resenting them. For a number of years (most of my life) I went through various phases that had a common denominator of protection - which really just meant I was limiting/hiding myself in one way or another. I have always known of the concept of embracing what/who we are, but I didn't actually FEEL the concept until last year (for me there is a huge difference between knowing something and FEELING it - which I'm sure you understand)... I could say so much in this comment blurb (mostly because I don't currently have anyone in my life that is embracing their sensitivity), and when I find a person I can relate to, I tend to come out of my shell and talk extensively... I will try to keep this simple: basically, I wanted to thank you for putting yourself out there - this article/blog post/whatever was very helpful to me. I have already bookmarked your website and will be diving into your words frequently! Have a fabulous day!
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