ARE YOU A HIGHLY SENSITIVE HELPER?

I know you, and I know how you feel.

You’re intuitive, compassionate, creative, and conscientious, which makes you an extraordinary helper and also a highly sensitive person!

But being a highly sensitive person comes with an equal set of gifts and challenges.

So if you identify as someone who is highly sensitive, then it is CRITICAL that you get help accepting and appreciating the advantages of this trait.

Today, I’m going to give you a few practical tips that will help you accept your highly sensitive nature as a strength so that it can become your greatest superpower as a helper. 

So what is a highly sensitive person?

You process information deeply and can easily be overstimulated or over-aroused in emotionally-generated situations, such as caring for people who are suffering or in pain.

You prefer not to move too quickly into new situations, and you really don’t like to make quick decisions because you worry about the consequences.

Your close friends would probably describe you as someone who is not overly spontaneous, loudly assertive, or relaxed about receiving feedback.

Also, your relationships must be deep and your work meaningful in order to satisfy and fulfill you.

Does this sound like you?

If so, here are some practical tips to turn this trait into your greatest strength:

TIP #1 Focus on your inner work.

If you’re focusing too much on the outside world to the point of being caught up in the pain and suffering of others, then you must learn to shift your focus to your inside world. 

This doesn’t mean that the outside world doesn’t exist or that we shouldn’t be engaged in it, but there’s something profound about taking time to excavate the self. 

What I mean by “excavating the self” is being willed to uncover parts of yourself that might be preventing progress in your personal growth and healing as a helper. 

Be open to doing some “digging,” and be brave by practicing being truthful with yourself and others as comfortably, compassionately, and as lovingly as you can.

TIP #2 Accept this trait as a gift, and learn to adapt.

The bottom line is that no treatment will eliminate high sensitivity, nor is there any reason to want to do so, given its many advantages, especially as a helper. 

However, you can improve your life as a sensitive person by simply accepting and appreciating the advantages of this trait and learning ways to adapt. 

Our sensitive hearts are so powerful. The heart is the brain of the soul in so many ways.

Engaging in practices to nurture your heart will make you stronger. 

So what can you do TODAY to nurture your heart? Choose an activity that invokes gratitude or something that makes you feel better. 

This practice alone will allow you to turn this trait into a superpower.

As a highly sensitive helper, you always have the power to CHOOSE when and how much you give to yourself versus others on a daily basis.

Being aware that this is a daily choice is what will help you shift your mindset and value your innate gifts.

Remember, if you identify as a helper who is a Highly Sensitive Person, then this is NOT a weakness, it’s actually a tremendous inner strength! So embrace who you are, and use it to your advantage.

About Teena

Teena Evert is an integral psychotherapist and a holistic/energy practitioner who supports the healing of empaths and sensitives who are healthcare workers or caregivers so they can overcome empathic distress, avoid burnout, and maintain a high level of health and well-being while caring for others who are in pain and suffering. As a highly sensitive, empathic helper, her own health suffered from caring for others’ pain and sorrow. Her ability to overcome empathic distress and burnout makes her determination to heal powerful and inspiring. She has been able to do more good in the world than she ever dreamed through her commitment to learning and applying how to heal yourself.