How to regulate your nervous system as a highly sensitive person (HSP)
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.
Often without even realising it, as HSPs we are living in a constant fight/flight/freeze stress mode. Studies have shown that HSPs actually spend more time in the sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight) than in the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” state).
Having our sympathetic nervous system more active than the parasympathetic one means that we are likely to experience stress, overwhelm and difficulty in relaxing, in being in the “here and now”.
As HSPs, knowing how to regulate and balance our nervous system is not optional - it’s something we NEED to be able to function well and to feel good within ourselves.
There are many ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, but here are some of my favourites:
Conscious breathing
Sounds pretty simple, but it works like magic. Close your eyes, relax your shoulders, and take deep breaths all the way into the belly, feeling your chest and belly expand on the inhale and feeling them fold on the exhale. Let your exhales be slightly longer than your inhales and breathe through your nose, keeping your spine straight.
Yin yoga
Yin yoga is extremely powerful in regulating and balancing our nervous system and in helping us feel more calm. You can try out a free 60-minute yin class here and another shorter one here. If you want to dive deeper into the yin yoga magic and learn how you can self-regulate your nervous system with yin tools, check out my course here.
If you don’t have a lot of time and want to practise just a few yin positions, I recommend practising gentle forward folds such as the caterpillar or the dangling pose because these are very soothing for the nervous system. Hip opening poses, like the swan pose below, are energetically more stimulating and energising and can also be emotionally more intense.
Body scan meditation
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and slowly “scan” your body from your toes towards your head, shifting focus between different body parts while relaxing your breath and letting go of other thoughts (focusing on the different physical body parts helps to control the monkey mind). Just notice and bring your awareness to the different sensations in your body but try not to analyse them or engage with them. Just allowing what is to be.
There you go - these are some of my favourite ways to help balance my sensitive HSP nervous system. What are some of your favourite ways to stimulate the rest and digest state? Let me know in the comments.
🖤 Sini
PS. If you want to learn more about my Yin Yoga for Stress Release course, designed for HSPs struggling with stress and overwhelm, you can find more details HERE.
