12 Tips for Highly Sensitive Business Owners
Do you identify as a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person)-a term coined by psychologist Elaine Aron in the 1990’s ? On her website Aron lists some of the main traits which include:
Sensitivity to bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby.
Being rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time.
Avoiding violent movies and TV shows.
Needing to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation.
Making it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations.
Noticing or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art.
A rich and complex inner life.
As child, your parents or teachers saw you as sensitive or shy.
It is thought that 15-20% of people are HSP, which Aron says is too high to be a disorder, but too low for it to be understood by those around you.
As a child I was constantly being called “over sensitive” by teachers, parents and other adults. I would cry easily, loud noises deeply disturbed me and I felt frightened a lot of the time. I was a child of the 70’s though and my parents were not the “sensitive type”…my mum was more of a '“dust yaself off “ kinda women, which stood me in good stead overall but didn’t soothe and nurture my sensitive side.
As I grew up, I naturally gravitated toward holistic health, including talk therapy, massage and energy healing. They all helped me to understand myself more and make sense of my world. They also gave me more confidence in the fact that I was “normal” and to see my sensitivities as a gift rather than a problem.
Being aware of subtleties and knowing what people are saying and feeling in the more subtle realms, comes in handy when writing copy, creating websites and supporting people in business (it’s like a super power)!
Embrace your superpower
There are many positives to being a HSP, which, as business owners, we should definitely embrace. Often, it is our unique selling point. I’ve made it a part of my brand and I reach out to support other HSP business owners as I like the way we understand each other. Not that we sit around all day talking about it…more the opposite of that….we really get each other with no need to explain…and I love that.
Elaine Aron has created the acronym “DOES,” to help us easily remember the main facets of being highly sensitive.
D is for depth of processing. Our fundamental characteristic is that we observe and reflect before we act. We process everything more, whether we are conscious of it or not.
O is for being easily overstimulated, because if you are going to pay more attention to everything, you are bound to tire sooner.
E is for giving emphasis to our emotional reactions and having strong empathy, which among other things helps us notice and learn.
S is for being sensitive to all the subtleties around us.
The Highs - things to celebrate about yourself
Hear and see the subtle-a big part of being sensitive is the ability to exist in the more subtle realms. This is a true gift, as it means we have access to more information, that can help us find solutions and understand things in a holistic way.
High energy marketing-ever find yourself exhausted from old fashioned fear based marketing? Because you are highly sensitive, fear based marketing won’t feel right to you. You will naturally gravitate towards running your business in a more authentic and loving way, which is good news for helping towards a shift in consciousness.
High energy work-you will naturally be attuned to higher vibrating energies that are life affirming and life giving. From that place, any work you do will be contributing to making the world a better place.
Intuitive-because of your sensitivity you are in-tune with your feelings and hunches about things, and when you add a huge dollop of self trust your intuition is super-charged.
Empathic-understanding all sides of the complexities of life means a heightened awareness and ability to empathise with others. This helps in building relationship and trust which is what good business is all about.
Sensual-sensuality is how we experience things with our senses. Whilst common knowledge says we have 5 basic senses, science actually can’t agree on how many senses there are. Some say 9, 21, 53…..(read more here). Being a HSP means you have access to more than the 5 basic senses, making you a more sensual being.
On the leading edge of the shift in consciousness-we need visionaries, dreamers, thinkers, creatives and healers to help this planet evolve into it’s next becoming. There is never a crowd on the leading edge, but it’s your unique gifts that help to take things forward into a new paradigm-one where we are all more sensitive, empathic and tuned into self and others. A planet where we are sovereign beings taking full responsability of ourselves and the Earth we inhabit.
The Lows - things to watch out for
Getting tired easily - because we are taking in an enormous amount of information it is really easy for a HSP to tire.
Taking on too much-be aware of taking too many thing on. Being busy has become the new norm for most and is glorified in many ways, but, it’s what kryptonite is to superman…it drains our powers.
Getting over-whelmed-it is easy for hsp to get overwhelmed because we process huge amounts of information.
Taking things personally-feelings run deep for highly sensitive people. We are statistically more prone to depression especially if a “difficult” childhood was in the mix and the child’s sensitivities were not recognised, accommodated and nurtured.
Other people’s moods-when you are sensitive and empathic it is sometimes hard to identify the boundaries of where you end and another person begins. Feelings and emotions can get really confusing. You perceive others people feelings as your own and often times you may think that their feeling bad is somehow your fault.
Low self-esteem-a common issue for sensitives because often times they feel “different and misunderstood'“ as children. Many sensitive children are told to “stop being so sensitive” by parents and care givers which is translated by the child as, “I’m bad and wrong”, which can lead to low confidence and esteem. Add that with a fast paced, survival of the fittest, patriarchal world, you can understand why some sensitive people struggle.
Self care tips for highly sensitive business owners
Take regular breaks away from your work.
Go/work outside as often as possible.
Take salt baths - Barbara Brennon says it is one of the best ways she knows to clear your energy field and if you are feeling you have picked up a lot of negative energy then you can use up to a pound of salt and baking powder. However, this is strong medicine, so don’t stay in the solution too long!
Ground-find a grounding technique that works for you and do it every day.
Self love-reassure, speak kindly and have trust in yourself. My energy healing teacher used to say “Hold yourself as gentle as a butterfly”
Create an energising work area-do what you can to support and lift the energy you are working in. Light a candle, clean your desk/therapy room etc
Be honest with yourself and others-don’t hide who you are. Celebrate your strengths and gifts and be aware of how you are feeling. Tune into your body often to check what’s going on.
Shorten your work day/week-shift toward a life that supports your flow and rhythm. See my blog on having the time to do the things you love.
Create space in your day-space to simply be and not do.
Boundaries-knowing where you begin and another person ends is important for all people but especially so for hsp. It’s a huge topic and a blog in it’s own right that i’ll add to my blog schedule, for now though you can read about it on Jenn Granneman’s website Highly Sensitive Refuge
Energy work-because the subtle realms come naturally to hsp, you will more than likely find energy work such and meditation, reiki, yoga, ti-chi, healing and restorative. Find a class or practitioner in your area that can be part of your self care.
Social support-surround yourself with loving people. People that support and care for you. Those that have the capacity to listen, empathise and understand you.
“To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate.””
