Environmental Sensitivities and Emotional Wellbeing - Why This is Often Neglected
Guest Article by Andrea Weber
Although knowing the importance of looking after emotional health and wellbeing, it has only been within the last few years that I have actually taken real steps towards this, something I’m sure is true for many environmentally sensitive people.
Due to misunderstanding and judgement that ‘it’s all in your head’, ‘you’re making it up’ or ‘that can’t possibly be true’, it’s easy to leave emotional health and wellbeing on the doorstep. Any suggestion that emotional health may play a role, even through recovery, is often received with apprehension as the very real and physical experiences of a sensitivity are either ignored, misjudged as being psychological, disbelieved or disregarded.
Without the support and respect from others, managing an environmental sensitivity can be lonely and isolating with a loss of social and emotional connection that is essential for mental health and wellbeing.
It takes courage to stand tall in the face of social stigma, placing value and trust in our own knowledge and understanding. When I committed my energies to constructive sensitivity management instead of trying to get others to understand and be supportive when they really had no inclination to do so, things dramatically shifted. This internal vs external focus helped bring about a renewed sense of self and renewed perspective.
I was able to release my own judgements and blame, not only towards myself and the sensitivity but also towards others as well. I realised that when others were misunderstanding or judging that they were doing so through their own limited knowledge at the time as well as fear; fear of what acknowledgement may actually mean. Removing judgement also removes blame which is a low-level emotion that keeps us stuck in old habits and ways of thinking that no longer serve our wellbeing. Our focus then starts shifting towards self-care, self-acceptance and self-compassion.
Self-care plays such a significant role in sensitivity management and the importance of this is often overlooked. Without it, we simply aren’t giving ourselves the opportunity to heal and we’re effectively setting ourselves up for a life of struggle. Environmentally sensitive people need to fill their lives with things that bring joy and fulfilment, relaxation and nurturing to restore the body back to balance, both physically and emotionally. Trying to do this purely from a physical perspective without considering our emotional wellbeing is going to create imbalance, disharmony and take twice as long to achieve.
When we’re in a better place emotionally, we are able to manage the physical aspects of a sensitivity in a more positive and constructive way. This doesn’t mean that the physical experiences magically go away or that our emotions have brought them on. It means that we’re in a much better position to manage the challenges of a sensitivity and, in time, are able to minimise the effects as we start to see opportunities and possibilities rather than roadblocks.
As an environmentally sensitive person, managing electrical and chemical sensitivities, I’ve personally found the HSP Brain Training and membership to the Sensitive Empowerment Community to be essential tools for my emotional health and wellbeing. I simply wouldn’t be without them and there are now Free Masterclasses offering further support and natural solutions for reducing overwhelm and stress. These tools are practical, easy to implement and backed by the support of those who use them on a regular basis to bring improvements and wellness into their lives.
Having the right tools and the right knowledge lightens the load considerably, allowing us to stop struggling and really start living!
Andrea Weber is founder of expansivehappiness.com, a site specifically designed to encourage, inspire and support those managing environmental sensitivities, while creating much needed public awareness around these conditions. Andrea has created an Environmental Sensitivity Quiz and a range of practical and inspirational resources for environmental sensitivity management.
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Julie Bjelland is a Psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, host of The HSP Podcast, and Founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community, whose mission is to create a paradigm shift where sensitivity is embraced, valued, and honored. Julie offers multiple essential resources for educating, inspiring, and empowering HSPs. Register for her free Masterclasses, take the Sensitivity Quiz, and profoundly transform your life in her courses and community. Her HSPs in Business Group is designed to support and empower sensitive people to grow heart-centered businesses, share their voices, and be part of the change the world needs. Her HSP Dating Group is a safe space bringing together conscious, kind, caring sensitive people, offering both hetero and LGBTQ+ HSPs. ❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)
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