Sensitive People Often Take Longer to Heal and Recover by Julie Bjelland

Taking longer to heal and recover can be expected for Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), whether with illness, injury, medical or dental procedures, travel, crowds, grief, loss, transitions, or busy times in our lives.  

Those of us scoring the highest on my sensitivity scale likely take the longest.  Many of you may already know that it often takes you longer to heal and recover, but if you need some normalizing and validation, I want to provide that. 

I used to think something was wrong with me when things always knocked me down longer than others around me, or what I was told should be the amount of recovery time.  I hope to remove any stigma for you around this if you have any.  

For example, if I have a medical or dental procedure and they tell me most people can go back to work the next day or in a few days, I usually have to double that time or sometimes even triple or longer, so I temper my expectations and plan ahead. I have to clear my calendar with the expectation that it will take longer than expected. That's always been the case for me.  My body tends to get all the side effects and reactions that the majority without this trait of high sensitivity don't.  

We must shift our way of thinking around this and normalize it. Sensitive systems experience everything differently than most. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with us. For many of us, our wellness is a delicate balance. It has more to do with the world not being set up for our sensitivity levels than something being wrong with us. 

I highly recommend giving this free letter to your medical and mental health team about high sensitivity and your unique needs a sensitive person. I recommend sharing that letter with other HSPs, too, so we can all receive the care we deserve and avoid misdiagnosis. I have received a lot of feedback from HSPs that this letter has helped them advocate for their needs tremendously.

It’s essential for medical and mental health professionals to know about our trait of high sensitivity! If you experience practitioners not interested in learning about your sensitivity, I recommend finding one who will. You might like to explore our HSP Practitioners Directory. It’s an imperative part of our wellness; you deserve to be understood. 

Here are some more things that can help

• Plan extra rest days and lower expectations of yourself

• Be gentle with yourself. You don’t want to take energy away from your healing by judging your experience

• Normalize that sensitive bodies tend to experience more shock when it comes to medications, procedures, illness, and injury

• Spend time with other sensitive people, so you don’t feel alone in how you experience the world. I warmly invite you to join our Sensitive Empowerment Community

• Keeping your nervous system as balanced as possible daily helps you recover faster and feel more resilient. I’ve created several online courses for the sensitive that help with this  

• Listen to The HSP Podcast to receive more information about high sensitivity

• Explore more articles about high sensitivity on The HSP Blog

There is NOTHING wrong with you if you take longer to heal and recover. Remember to be gentle, patient, and loving with yourself during times of healing and recovery.  I hope this message and the resources provided help you along the way. ❤️

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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, Author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, host of The HSP Podcast, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Her books, blog, online courses, and free Masterclasses have helped thousands of highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover their significant value to thrive to their fullest potential. Her HSPs in Heart-Centered Business Group connects and supports HSP healers and practitioners. Julie loves connecting in her Sensitive Empowerment Community and warmly invites you to join this positive, safe, and welcoming space. JulieBjelland.com❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)