Episode 164: Saving HSP Lives and Improving Mental Health

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Show Notes

In a recent survey of 326 HSPs collected over five days between December 17-22, 2022

• over 90% of HSPs have had thoughts of suicide. 

• over 18% have attempted suicide

• almost 33% use alcohol or drugs to numb emotional pain.

We can learn a lot from this survey on how to support and save HSP lives. 

Things that were named that make it hard to cope

• Overwhelming and intense emotions

• Sensory overload 

• Absorbing the suffering of others and the world

• Feeling different and misunderstood

• Not understanding how to support their sensitivity

3 AREAS THAT HELP + RECOMMENDED RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THOSE NEEDS

In the survey, HSPs also identified three main areas that helped them cope, which we can use to help others. Within each of the three areas, I have resources.

1. Learning About the Trait of High Sensitivity

2. Self-Care the HSP Way

3. Supportive People  

1. Learning about their trait of high sensitivity 

• made them feel less alone in how they experienced the world

• opened up a window to understanding themselves.  

• helped explain why they experienced the world the way they did 

• helped them understand why they always felt different from those around them. 

• It also helped them understand, accept, and honor that their self-care needs look different than most. 

These factors improved wellness, self-esteem, self-compassion, and coping ability.

The following are free resources to learn more about high sensitivity found at HSPresources.com

• Video and text description about high sensitivity

• Free Webinars with Julie Bjelland, LMFT

  • Sensory Overload and the Highly Sensitive Person is one of the biggest challenges and often the culprit to feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated, anxious, irritable, having difficulty sleeping, and even chronic health conditions. 

  • High Sensitivity and Anxiety: We explore why anxiety is so high in HSPs and share tools and resources to help you naturally reduce anxiety.

  • Tools to Help the Sensitive Thrive in a Chaotic World The modern world is often overwhelming and stressful for sensitive nervous systems. Fortunately, I have developed tools that have helped thousands of HSPs worldwide.

  • How to Set Healthy Boundaries and Why it’s Essential for Wellness as an HSP Do you feel guilty saying no? Without boundaries, we suffer from depletion and often feel resentment in our relationships. Setting healthy boundaries improves our lives and our relationships.

2. Self-Care the HSP Way

HSPs reported that when they started being consistent about specific types of self-care that reduced sensory overload and supported the sensitive nervous system, their mental and physical health improved, offering greater resiliency and coping skills.

Some things that helped 

• slowing down and spending more time in nature

• mindfulness

• meditation

• daily unstructured alone time

• working on boundaries

• developing self-compassion

• working with a therapist

All improved the ability to cope.

Recommended Resources

Explore online courses created to teach HSPs the type of self-care that works best to regulate the sensitive nervous system. Each course covers different types of support. 

Here are the recommendations:

1. For overwhelming emotions and high anxiety: Brain Training For the Highly Sensitive Person Course, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety & Overwhelming Emotions has been one of my most popular courses and often reduces anxiety naturally within the first two weeks. 

2. Daily tools to calm the nervous system: The HSP Toolbox Course, Holistic Tools to Calm a Sensitive Nervous System. Because we live in a world not set up for high sensitivity, these daily tools have been proven to help keep the nervous system balanced throughout the day, leading to improved mental and physical health. 

3. Increase self-love & boundaries: Blooming Brilliantly Course, Understanding and Loving Who You are as a Sensitive Person. Grow more self-compassion, learn how to set healthy boundaries, advocate for your needs, protect your energy, and improve relationships. 

Visit HSPcourses.com for more information.

3. Supportive People

Those that reported having supportive people around them named it as one of the key factors in improving wellness and mental health.

Recommended

Being around other kind-hearted, highly sensitive people helps normalize and validate your experience and improves self-acceptance, improving overall mental and physical health.  

In a poll from my Sensitive Empowerment Community, HSPs shared their wellness had improved since joining the community.  We also offer a group for HSPs with depression to help them heal, feel a sense of belonging, and thrive. Because social media can be stressful and overwhelming for sensitive people, and many HSPs don’t feel supported by their friends and families, I’ve created a safe, positive, and inclusive community on a private platform. We are a sensitive family that supports each other. Learn more at SensitiveCommunity.com

Many HSPs shared that psychotherapy helped them and that matches with the research showing HSPs tend to have very good outcomes working with mental health professionals.  We’ve seen a lot of benefits to HSPs working with mental health professionals who are also HSPs, so I have created an HSP Practitioners Directory. If you are an HSP medical or mental health practitioner, we invite you to get listed so HSPs who need you can find you.

Immediate Resources

If you know someone who is struggling with thoughts of suicide, let them know they are not alone and that there is immediate help available 24 hours a day.  They can call, text, or chat at 988, and you will be connected to trained counselors in the United States at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, always available 24 hours a day, free and confidential. Internationally, you can find suicide hotlines in your country at the International Association for Suicide Prevention. 

Please share this data with medical and mental health practitioners.

Join our next episode live in the Sensitive Empowerment Community

Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, and host of The HSP Podcast. Her Sensitive Empowerment Community, online courses, blog, and free webinars have helped thousands of highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover their significant value. Julie loves connecting in her community and warmly invites you to join this positive, safe, inclusive, and welcoming space. Take her free sensitivity quiz, get a letter to give to your medical and mental health team, learn how her brain training program reduces anxiety quickly, and find all her resources JulieBjelland.com❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)

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