4 Ways Highly Sensitives Can Build Inner Strength

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”– Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Just as physical strength plays a crucial role in personality development and character-building, mental strength plays a vital role and is equally important.

But, building inner strength can be more straightforward for ordinary people than for Highly Sensitives.

Highly Sensitives are more likely to be affected by sensory stimuli than a non-HSP, meaning they become more overwhelmed and disturbed under harsh circumstances like loud noises, bright light, strong smell, etc., leading to lower cognitive performance.

Repetitive harsh circumstances can lead to lower levels of self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.

If these harsh circumstances increase or stay at a high level, the HSP can become weaker, and it feels tougher to do the same task next time.

There are times when it can be challenging to come back to our normal mental state after an unpleasant experience; to balance ourselves.

So, we need to take immediate action, and we can make ourselves mentally stronger.

How can we build our inner strength to such an extent that we can perform at our best at every necessary action in our lives?

Here are four ways that will help you.

Surround yourself with positive people

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”

If we deeply analyze this quote, we’ll discover the people who we spend most of our time, decide who we are.

If we are around five positive people, we’ll be the sixth. You are the sculptor of your own life, and you can decide and mold it to whatever you’d like it to be.

We can do this by making some new friends, whom we want ourselves to be like, and we’ll be able to feel the difference in ourselves.

They not only help us to improve but also provide emotional support.

Practice Positive Self Affirmations

Practicing positive self-affirmations is one of the easiest and convenient methods to boost self-esteem, build high confidence, and change your perspective.

Positive self-affirmations not only motivate and inspire but also improves one’s skills and powers.

There’s MRI evidence suggesting that specific neural pathways increase when people practice positive self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016).

We can start by saying something as simple as “I’m happy and healthy” and tough ones like “I can be a leader” and repeat these phrases to ourselves thirty to forty times a day.

Consistently using positive self-affirmations for a few months can impact our thinking process in a powerful way. They not only help to develop good habits but also help get rid of negative self-talk.

Practice Self-Love and Care

In today’s fast-paced world, we can forget to take a break and look at ourselves and our well-being. It’s essential since health is wealth.

We need to take time for ourselves and look after our mind and body.

Some necessary activities like practicing gratitude, positive self-talk, and reflection, eating healthy, consuming positive content, and mindfulness can prove to be remarkably effective in building better inner strength over time.

Adding a few good habits and removing the bad ones from your daily routine is the backbone of building a better self.

Having control and a safety check on what we watch, listen to, and who we speak with can shift our thinking process to a positive mindset.

Practice Meditation and Physical Workouts

When it comes to mental health, most doctors and psychologists recommend daily meditation.

It helps us to get a break from all the chaos and allows us to connect with ourselves.

It helps release stress, improving mental powers like focus, memory, and concentration, and helps rejuvenate self.

There are different meditation types, such as Mindfulness, Breath Awareness, Mantra, and Zen meditation.

If you’re a beginner, you can start with a Breath Awareness meditation.

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body.

Studies prove that doing physical activity results in the release of the “feel-good” dopamine hormone and stress releasing hormone cortisol, which further elevates our mood and makes us mentally fit.

Step out of your Comfort Zone bit by bit

Highly Sensitives are often criticized for a seeming lack of ability to survive in harsh conditions mentally or physically.

They’re not comfortable with frequent changes, and they tend to stay in their comfort zone.

Often, we see they can be afraid to speak in public (just like many non-HSPs) or meet and engage with new people because Highly Sensitives can get over-aroused by small challenges and feel anxiety and nervousness.

We are unable to fight that situation most of the time.

But, giving up on external constraints lowers self-respect and generates a feeling of failure in us.

To overcome this we should try to make an effort to expand our comfort zones.

But please don’t speak in front of a hall filled with a thousand people to overcome this fear.

Instead, start with ten people you know and like, and explain you’d like help with your public speaking skills. They’ll be supportive and give you helpful feedback.

When you get comfortable, increase the number, and keep repeating this process, boosting your confidence, and with time you’ll get stronger.

Each individual has their universe, and each universe its potentials.

Being highly sensitive doesn’t make us weak or debilitated.

Instead, we can focus on our unique abilities to understand others’ emotions, feelings, our problem-solving abilities and creative skills.

Do you use any of these strategies to build your inner strength?