The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide

According to Ethel Roskies, noted researcher of Type A intervention studies, the Type A characteristics of ambition, being goal-oriented, and time urgency are qualities that American society encourages.

f you live in a noisy city, it’s best that your home or office is facing a quiet backyard rather than a noisy street. When traveling, always ask the hotel or motel clerk for a quiet room on the top floor in the back.

The good news is that even if it appears that you’ve spent most of a meditation with a monkey mind jumping from branch to branch, you are still probably receiving benefits. The positive physiological effects of meditation have been validated by many scientific studies (Wallace 1970). One student told me that he felt that he wasn’t focusing during one meditation, but when he answered the phone the caller asked if he was meditating since his voice sounded so tranquil. As you perform relaxation techniques regularly, deeper experiences of inner-peace will manifest in your life. Besides creating a peaceful mind, meditating will help you maintain a healthy body (Zeff 1981).

One of the most important steps in reducing stimulation for the HSP is to create a morning routine.

When I teach classes on stress-reduction, I ask the students what they think is the most common way people cope with stress. Some of the responses offered are the following: drinking alcohol, taking medication, shopping, watching television, working, surfing the Internet, and sleeping. Rarely does anyone come up with the correct answer, which is denial.

How to Change Habits
Investigate your belief system, and become aware when a habit creates pain.
Be gentle with yourself by changing habits slowly.
Try to always be aware of your new goal: creating inner-peace in your life.
Enlist the support of your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors; you may want to meet with a counselor or join a support group.
Remove yourself from an environment that reinforces negative habits.
Realize that in only six months you can replace a bad habit with a good one through daily practice.
Create new, satisfying, and nurturing activities to replace old habits.
Using your willpower, develop a structured program to help you make positive lifestyle changes.

Most people who remain in emotionally destructive situations believe that they deserve to suffer. Their low self-esteem, which is based on the untruth that there is something wrong with them, makes them think that pain is their due.

whenever you are confronted with sensitivity challenges, you may subconsciously believe that you deserve to suffer since you think that you’re flawed.

realized that he was forcing his son to deny his gentleness due to an internalized self-loathing for his own sensitivity.

It’s important for you to be polite when asking people to make changes when you feel overwhelmed and not to blame anyone who enjoys excessive stimuli. It’s also beneficial to have a prepared statement when asking for what you need from others. For example, if you’re asking someone to be quieter, try to develop a positive relationship with the person before asking or writing them with your request to make less noise. After explaining to the other person that you have a noise sensitivity, tell the person that you want to make sure that they are comfortable and not inconvenienced by your request. Tell the individual how much you would appreciate it if they could be quiet at certain times. Then ask the person to let you know if there is anything you could do to help make their life easier. Finally, you may want to apologize for any inconvenience the request may have on the person’s life and thank them for being so kind and considerate.