The Sensitive Body

A sensitive body often comes with the territory of being an HSP. Many of us have to care for ourselves very delicately in order to function well.

I remember feeling constantly tired and irritable as far back as age fifteen. Life was hard. So hard that I often wanted to die. The feeling was relentless, and at about age twenty-seven, I realized it was not normal to struggle so hard to get through every single day. I started researching, experimenting, and visiting doctors, hoping for some relief.

Doctors kept putting me in a box with everyone else, performing standard tests, asking all the usual questions, and sending me home with anti-depressants. They didn’t know what to do with me. They didn’t know me at all.

Over many years, I tried drinking more water, taking every special dietary supplement I could get my hands on, and doing cleanses, candida regimens, homeopathy, energy healing, iridology, acupuncture, you name it. Nothing even made a dent.

In 2009, at age thirty-five, I made my first and most important breakthrough with a gluten-free diet. I woke up feeling well for the first time in decades, and it seemed like a miracle. I never again felt fatigue to the same degree, but I have discovered other things that can throw me off.

I have watched my physical and mental health deteriorate quickly when I become complacent about my diet, sleep, stress level, or exercising habits. I have studied and experimented with all of these components extensively, with much success. Each one is far more important than I ever realized and deserves attention in a separate post. Stay tuned.

Since HSPs have a keen ability to pick up on cues, a lot of this is really about honoring yourself by tending to your own cues. Although I still have bad days, I feel alive and happy, and my life continues to improve every day.

My hope is to grow along with my readers and listeners. Please share your experiences, questions, ideas, inspirations, and suggestions in the comments section below.