60 Industrial-Strength Self-Care Strategies for the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
It was back.
The feeling of being filled up to the brim. Like I’m a glass of water that will overflow if one more drop of liquid is poured into the cup.
I’d just made it through my busiest weekend at the office. Welcoming students from all over the country and hurling through the gauntlet of crises.
It’s late nights followed by early mornings. And by the last mile I’m stealing away for quiet moments and conserving my words by giving only the essential info when answering questions.
On this particular morning, the fatigue has taken up residence in my chest. And my goal is to just put one foot in front of the other to make it into the office.
I flop down at my desk and dig through my bag for my keys to unlock my filing cabinet. They’re nowhere to be found. I panic and race the mile back to my parking deck.
There they are. In the ignition of my car. And the car is still on.
This is a big flashing neon sign that it’s time to rest and enact the second half of the self-care sandwich.
Let me explain...
The stress is the meat in the self-care sandwich. Before a period of stress, I rest to store up energy. And then, after the storm has passed, I recover and recharge. As a highly sensitive person (HSP) who is overwhelmed by chaos, I need an industrial-strength two-phase self-care plan like this.
There are two kinds of self-care that I do before and after a period of stress.
The first is more restful, sedentary and solitary.
The second type is active recharging. It removes stress from my body, shifts my energy and gets me ready to enter back into my everyday routine.
If I don’t have a lot of time for stillness, leapfrogging into active recharging can clear out the cobwebs. I’m more irritable and grumpy at the start. But I’m always glad I did it when it’s over.
Here are 60 ideas of things to do when you need to de-stress.
The first 30 ideas are ways to be restful that refill you, in a way that flopping on the couch with Netflix and social media won’t.
The second group highlights active strategies that revitalize you by requiring present moment focus. Or moving you into a flow state. Others will work the stress out of your body. Or give you the experience of getting away and leaving all your worries behind.
Type 1 — Rest and refill
1. Lay on the floor in a sunbeam with your pet.
2. Savor your favorite hot drink in bed.
3. Rock in a rocking chair.
4. Re-read your favorite books from childhood.
5. Close your eyes and power nap for 15 minutes.
6. Lay on a blanket under a tree and stare up at the branches.
7. Sing your favorite song. It activates your vagus nerve and triggers your relaxation parasympathetic nervous system.
8. Make a list of all the ways you are blessed. Gratitude boosts your mood.
9. Rock on a porch and listen to the sounds of nature.
10. Listen to music that you love.
11. Have a good cry.
12. Do gentle stretching to soothing music or lay in Savasana.
13. Sit on the floor in a corner of the room and look at a magazine or a stunning picture book. I love beautiful cookbooks.
14. Light a candle and write a poem or prayer.
15. Go to bed early.
16. Watch funny animal videos and laugh. Just anticipating laughing raises endorphins.
17. Avoid hearing or reading the news.
18. Flip open to a random passage in your favorite poetry or spiritual book and think about how the message applies to your life.
19. Lay in the grass and watch the clouds move in the sky.
20. Dunk your face in cold water. It activates your vagus nerve and triggers your relaxation parasympathetic nervous system.
21. Snuggle in a blanket in front of a roaring fire.
22. Eat a bowl of comforting soup with crusty bread.
23. Read the biography of someone who inspires you.
24. Dry brush your body before your shower and slather yourself with beautiful moisturizer after.
25. Light a candle and look at old pictures.
26. Listen to interviews of inspiring figures. I love Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday Podcast and especially her interviews with Maya Angelou.
27. Sit in front of an open window at night wrapped in a blanket and read or journal.
28. Have a picnic in your yard.
29. Chant or hum. It activates your vagus nerve and triggers your relaxation parasympathetic nervous system.
30. Soak up the essence of your pet.
Type 2 — Active recharging
1. Do your favorite workout and then take a hot bath with Epsom salts. Be prepared to feel deliciously relaxed.
2. Take a drive and listen to music that matches your mood.
3. Watch airplanes land at the airport.
4. Hike a new trail in the woods.
5. Sit quietly in an empty chapel.
6. Garden and get your hands dirty.
7. Attend a Restorative Yoga class.
8. Send an unexpected card to a friend who is single.
9. Drive to a mountain or head to a rooftop and watch a sunset. Remember your life is connected to something bigger.
10. Pull out watercolors or pencils and paint or draw to connect with a state of flow.
11. Do physical activity that requires you to be in the moment and connected to your body, but also challenged. This will get you into a flow state. Try tennis, golf or a choreographed dance.
12. Call one of your favorite people and laugh.
13. Do “Legs-Up-The-Wall” yoga pose. Hold it until you feel relaxed.
14. Knit, quilt, needlepoint or do your favorite craft.
15. Wander into a used bookstore or thrift shop and see what you find.
16. Dance in your living room.
17. Clean and organize. Creating order in your space can be rejuvenating.
18. Make a playlist to match your mood.
19. Go star gazing from your car.
20. Have sex and enjoy all the good endorphins that get released.
21. Buy flowers and arrange them.
22. Visit your local library and read and soak up the beautiful silence.
23. Get a massage or trade massages with your partner.
24. Sit by the bank of a lake or river.
25. Create your own releasing ceremony and then do it. One of my favorites is to sage my space while listening to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing “Time to Say Goodbye”.
26. Skip your weekly visit to the store and have your groceries delivered to you.
27. Work on a puzzle or play a game.
28. Make your own music by playing an instrument.
29. Cook your favorite meal and eat it by candlelight listening to soothing music.
30. Go for a swim at sunset.
The secret to self-care for Highly Sensitive People
Schedule time for revitalizing self-care.
Block out time on your calendar to rest up before a period of stress. And reserve time to recover after it’s over.
We live in a culture that views downtime as decadent. Self-indulgent. As HSPs, we can’t afford to buy into that if we want to feel good and be effective.
You have a special purpose to fulfill as an HSP. The world needs you to take care of yourself so you can make a lasting impact.
Pull out your calendar now and prioritize it.