It’s probably not a surprise to you that meditation is beneficial for our health and wellbeing. It seems quite obvious to even say it because YES, we all KNOW meditation is good for us and we should do it more! But most people still shy away from setting up their meditation practice, probably because a) they think it’s boring and not for them b) they cannot sit still or “empty their thoughts” (which is not even needed but this myth sticks hard) or c) they think this kind of “non-doing” is only suitable for people who are serious about spiritual pursuits.

It’s not easy to set up a meditation or mindfulness practice that supports our wellbeing. But when we do manage to stay somewhat consistent with the practice, the results are visible, and they are many. In this article I break down 5 lesser known impacts and benefits of meditation.

If you’re a highly sensitive person (HSP), you might be more than familiar with these 10 common mistakes (I know I certainly am! Some of them I keep doing on a daily basis despite my best efforts!).

These HSP habits and mistakes are costing us a lot as HSPs. They are definitely NOT helping us to reduce overwhelm and balance our sensitive nervous system, or to set us up for a life where we can thrive as sensitive people in this chaotic world filled with constant sensory overload.

Life as a highly sensitive person (HSP) is not easy breezy most of the time, especially at times when it feels there’s so much chaos and suffering. During challenging times, it’s even more important than ever that we, as HSPs, take care of ourselves and our sensitive nervous systems. Asking these three questions daily helps you to ground, connect and calm your nervous system as a HSP.

We take around 26,000 breaths a day without really even noticing. But the way we breathe has several deep effects on how we feel in our bodies and in our minds, especially as highly sensitive persons (HSPs). Our breath reflects our mental and emotional states - when we are stressed out and anxious, our breathing tends to become more shallow. We mainly use the upper part of our lungs and do what is called “thoracic breath”. This then sends stress signals to our brain and body, causing us to feel even more overwhelmed and anxious, with the sympathetic fight/flight/freeze system being activated.

Feeling like everyone else has their shit together and knows what they are doing? Like most things you have accomplished in life and work are mainly due to “luck”, and any minute now people will find out that you have been faking it all along and are a fraud? Imposter syndrome affects at least 70% of us - and HSPs are more likely to struggle with imposter thinking than others.

As highly sensitive persons (HSPs), our nervous system is wired a bit differently from non-HSPs, and it’s often on overdrive. We are constantly processing internal and external stimuli - our emotions, thoughts, the noises on the street and in the office, the bright halogen lights, cars honking, the buzz in shopping malls, other people around us. It can all get very overwhelming, fast. This is why it’s so important that we learn how to balance and regulate our nervous system.