What is a highly sensitive person?
1 in 4 people are highly sensitive. Simply put, they are more aware of the subtleties in their surroundings, the feelings of others around them and themselves. Science has proven that highly sensitive people actually have more activity in the neurons that have to do with empathy and consciousness and have heightened activity in the right hemisphere.
They feel more, reflect more, pick up on unspoken feelings in a room easier and they can actually experience physical sensations that people around them are feeling. I can't even count the number of times I have had a stomach ache or a phantom sore throat when one of my sons were sick but couldn't tell me what hurt.
Scientists believe that the reason 20% of the population is highly sensitive is because there's always been an evolutionary need for a minority of us to be more cautious and reflective before acting.
Highly Sensitive Moms
How would high sensitivity affect a mother? Highly sensitive moms are more likely to have a stronger internal reaction to their child's tantrums or screams; they may need to retreat to a dark, quiet room to relieve their senses. Being in busy public places like play areas and grocery stores can be more overwhelming and drain them quicker. They may feel more deeply riddled with guilt when they make parenting mistakes because they obsess and think of ALL the profound ways they could've hurt or damaged their child.
All moms need time for self-care, but highly sensitive moms definitely need to make it an every day priority. For me, as a highly sensitive mom, I can't go many days without having time alone for myself. If I don't get that time I start to feel resentful, anxious, and very irritable.
Sacred Self-Care
There are so many ways to take care of yourself. The more common ideas we have of self-care for moms are pedicures, massages, getting your hair done, etc. These things are all great, but they're not daily self-care activities.
Sacred self-care is self-care that incorporates your emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health. Sacred self-care is daily. It is self-preservation. It is connecting with the Divine. It inspires your creative expression. It centers and rebalances you, calms your busy mind and gives you a feeling of inner peace and joy.
Identify your triggers
We can't fix what we aren't aware of. We'll take some time to really lay out what overwhelms us and pushes our buttons so we can better handle them when they're happening or avoid them altogether.
Learn to recharge
Establish self-care strategies that will help you feel more energized. Discover what lights you up and begin making room in your schedule to do these things every week (I'll show you how I do it).
Go through your days with less overwhelm
Read my 15 tips for highly sensitive moms. Lighten your schedule, create more downtime, shift your perspective, and enjoy motherhood at a slower pace.
Wake up with an inspiring morning routine
What we do and how we feel in the first hour after waking up can set the tone for the rest of our day. Learn how to incorporate a morning routine that creates a feeling of peace and intention.
Enjoy a re-centering nighttime routine
Have something to look forward to at the end of the day besides vegging out or going to sleep. Learn how to re-center, de-stimulate, relax your body, and heal any regrettable moments that happened during your day.
The secret to balancing it all
Learn the art of balancing spending time with your kids, your partner, and yourself without neglecting them or you. It can be done!
Sacred Self-Care Printable Bundle
Included with the Sacred Self-Care guide are 7 separate printables/worksheets:
- Today's Goals
- Daily Recap
- Journal Page
- Ideal Weekly Schedule
- Find Your Bliss (4 pages)
- Monthly Meal Planner (4 pages)
- Daily Cleaning Schedule + Declutter Checklist (2 pages)
Every printable is designed to help you integrate self-care strategies and to create more ease in your life.
I create worksheets for myself because I believe that intention brings clarity and more inner peace. If we read something that sounds nice and that we'd like to incorporate into our lives but don't actually follow through with it, it was pointless information. It's so easy to get in a rut and be mindless first thing in the morning or after the kids are in bed (not that doing mindless activities are bad, I like to schedule them in actually) but making time to be intentional benefits us in so many ways.
It creates our tomorrows. It centers us. It let's us tend to the emotions and thoughts we're having. It helps get everything down into one place so we don't feel so overwhelmed and gives us more purpose.
I have been there
I myself am a highly sensitive mom but didn't know it until recently. Well, I knew I was a highly sensitive person but I never knew how it was affecting me as a mother.
I didn't know why I felt so unnerved hours after a tantrum, or why I felt so quickly touched out. I didn't realize that TVs being turned too loud and lights on in every room was putting my system into overdrive. I didn't know why it seemed so easy for other moms to go out every day with their children when it made me just want to retreat to a dark room alone. I felt like I just wasn't cut out to be a mom.
I began taking my self-care very seriously one year ago, and I can't even begin to describe what a difference it has made in my life. I can still get irritable, my children's loud screams can still feel like nails on a chalkboard to me, and I still need to retreat to a dark room when I'm feeling overwhelmed.
But there's a peace inside of me now that I didn't have a year ago.
I know my limits now. I don't push myself to keep up with what I see on social media. My kids and I live a slower-paced life and we're all happy with that. I know it's not good for me to plan several outings in one week. I implement relaxation techniques throughout my day that help ground and re-center me. I add small touches of beauty and tranquility throughout my house so that I feel more relaxed.
And I look forward every day to my sacred self-care routines. Taking care of me helps me take better care of my kids. I no longer feel guilty about it because I know how much better of a mom I am when I've filled my own tank.
I invite you to do the same.
Are you ready to get serious about self-care?