Well at least I have diagnosed myself. My brain has short-circuited. I can laugh and giggle but it’s honestly the truth. I see what’s happened to my brain – especially the last 2 years when everything just went black w/the lockdown. Three people inside of a small 2bd home – schooling a child – running a website – especially during the rainy/cool season – it’s just been too much for all of us in our own ways. For me? My brain and my absolutely critical need for solitude. Daily. I. Need. My. Own. Space. Thank you Universe for providing that big house in which I/we seek. For now – may my child fully understand that when doors are shut and I am in the room unless it is an emergency leave mama alone.
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For highly sensitive people, alone time isn’t just about being alone. It’s how we keep our brains from short-circuiting.
Alone Time Helps HSPs Process Life
Highly sensitive people process everything more deeply than other humans — they experience everything from sights and sounds to social interactions and emotional reactions more intensely. And nearly 30 percent of the population is highly sensitive, so it’s not as uncommon as people think.
When you’re highly in tune with everything (and everyone) around you, it’s natural to become overstimulated — and easily overwhelmed. Something that is par for the course, like daily conversations with coworkers, can quickly become draining for an HSP. …
4. Unstructured thinking time is self-care for HSPs.
In her book The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, Julie Bjelland recommends the following amount of downtime for HSPs:
- Eight to 10 hours in bed daily
- Two hours per day of unstructured alone time (meditating, reading, outside in nature, etc.)
- One complete day off per week
- One week off for each season
