How To Survive the Holidays as a Highly Sensitive Person
The holiday season brings many opportunities for connection, joy, and celebration. However, it also brings the potential for stress, overstimulation, and general overwhelm. This is true for everyone to an extent but Highly Sensitive People may particularly resonate with this feeling of overwhelm during the holidays.
Highly Sensitive Person has recently become a more commonplace term, but it can be hard to tell if you fit the bill. Consider taking the Highly Sensitive Person Test developed by Dr. Elaine Aron for more clarity. This quick test can help you understand if you're among the 15-20% of people who are naturally more sensitive to sensory stimuli. Knowing this about yourself can explain why certain situations, like holiday gatherings, may feel overstimulating. With this information and understanding, you can take steps to care for yourself in an empowered and effective way.
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If you identify as an HSP, I've outlined some holistic strategies, including somatic practices, to help you move through this season easily and flexibly. Read through this survival guide and see what resonates with you. And hey, these strategies and practices are helpful for everyone, not just HSPs, so feel free to read on and share widely, no matter where you land on the sensitivity spectrum.
Prioritize Quiet Time and Self-Care
As an HSP, your nervous system is often more finely attuned, and overstimulation can lead to exhaustion. Scheduling quiet time into your holiday calendar is essential. Self-care doesn't have to be elaborate, but setting aside time where you will be by yourself and in quiet can make a big difference. Some ways to catch a quiet moment could be cleaning up alone, taking a short walk outside, or the somatic practice listed below.
Somatic Practice: Body Scan Meditation
At the start or end of each day, take 5-10 minutes to check in with your body. Sit or lie down in a quiet space and bring your attention to different body parts, noticing any tension or discomfort. Breathe into those areas, imagining them softening and releasing. There are many guided versions on YouTube and Insight Timer. Here is a simple 10-minute body scan meditation if you want a starting point. By practicing a body scan, you can become more attuned to your body's needs and cues. It also provides the quiet, internal time that HSPs need to resettle.
Set Boundaries Around Events and Expectations
Holiday gatherings often come with social expectations that can feel overwhelming. It is important to set and stick to good boundaries that allow you to show up authentically and enjoy holiday gatherings without overextending yourself or burning out. Setting a specific amount of time you will attend an event, criteria for how and when you will leave, or declining invitations that feel like too much.
Somatic Practice: Hand-to-Heart Reassurance
Setting Boundaries can be challenging. Taking care of ourselves in this way can often evoke shame or guilt. If you encounter these feelings, try this practice: Place one hand over your heart and the other on your belly. Take three deep breaths and repeat phrases like, "It's okay to honor my limits. My well-being matters." Connecting with your body and your boundaries can settle your nervous system, clarify your needs, and reinforce self-compassion.
Choose Mindful Moments in Large Gatherings
Big events can cause sensory overload for HSPs. In addition to strategies like stepping outside or away when overstimulated or choosing to connect one-on-one during gatherings, you can also cultivate some intentional, mindful moments. By practicing mindfulness amidst busyness, you can check in with your needs and prevent yourself from becoming too drained. The practice below is a good option when trying to be mindful at large gatherings.
Somatic Practice: Orienting to the Environment
Find a quiet corner or step outside. Let your eyes slowly move around the space, taking in colors, shapes, and textures. Notice what feels safe or grounding in your environment—a tree, a piece of furniture, or the feel of your feet on the floor. This practice will help you regulate your nervous system and bring you back to the present moment.
Build Empathy Boundaries
HSPs often absorb the emotions of others. For this reason, large groups can be challenging for HSPs, and it can be extra challenging when it comes to family gatherings where intense dynamics may already exist. Learning to protect yourself emotionally is incredibly important as an HSP. Working with a therapist, setting clear goals and boundaries, and practices like the one below can help you do so during the holidays.
Somatic Practice: Bubble Visualization
Before entering a social situation, close your eyes and visualize a soft, protective bubble around your body. Imagine it as a translucent color you find soothing, like blue or gold. This bubble allows love and connection to flow through but keeps out overwhelming emotions or energy. When you feel emotionally drained, reinforce this bubble by taking a moment to breathe and reconnect with it. You can do this visualization throughout the event whenever you feel overwhelmed.
Balance Giving and Receiving
HSPs are often prone to over giving others. Since they are sensitive to their own needs, they usually focus on these needs and leave little room for receiving care and compassion from others. Such patterns often translate into them having difficulty receiving care even from themselves, such as resting, saying no, or taking time for activities they enjoy. The practice below allows you to bring awareness to this pattern and seek balance instead of burnout.
Somatic Practice: Open-Palm Breathing
Sit in a comfortable position with your palms resting open on your lap. Inhale deeply, imagining yourself receiving warmth, support, or love. If helpful, you can picture this coming from a specific source such as a loved one, inspirational figure, spiritual source, or element in nature. Exhale slowly, releasing tension or the need to "do it all," feeling the fuel and support you have just received. Do this for as many repetitions as you need, ideally until you notice yourself feeling calm, replenished, and balanced.
Savor Simple, Grounding Practices
The holidays can feel like a blur between planning and organizing different events and attending gatherings. It is a lot and can leave HSPs feeling lost in the chaos. Amidst this chaos, simple grounding practices can be a lifesaver and help you regain stability even as the holidays hum around you. Below are two ideas for the ground when things are moving too quickly.
Somatic Practices:
Grounding with the Senses: The senses are a powerful tool for grounding. A simple practice is to pick up a warm drink, like tea or cocoa, and focus on its smell, warmth, and texture. Let yourself fully immerse yourself in the sensory experience to anchor yourself in the present moment.
Barefoot Grounding: If possible, spend a few minutes each day standing barefoot on the earth (or a floor if outside isn't accessible or you live somewhere really cold). Feel the contact between your feet and the ground, imagining roots growing from your feet down into the earth that anchors you. You can also bring in the idea of balancing giving and receiving by visualizing an exchange of energy, love, or awareness between you and the earth.
Reflect on What the Season Means to You
As an HSP, you may find meaning in the subtleties of life. Modern holidays can sometimes seem hijacked by consumerism or restricted by traditions that no longer feel relevant or vitalized. Take some time to check in with yourself and identify what this time of year or occasion means to you. From there, consider how you might celebrate or bring your own unique values into focus.
Somatic Practice: Heart-Centered Journaling
Before journaling, place your hands over your heart and take a few breaths, tuning into its rhythm. Get grounded and ask yourself questions like, "What brings me joy this season?" "What do I truly want to experience?" and "What feels important for me to acknowledge or practice right now?" Let the answers flow onto the page without judgment. This practice will help you align your actions with your values and desires. It will also help you feel connected to the holidays in a way that is meaningful for you.
Conclusion
As a Highly Sensitive Person, you have a unique gift for experiencing the world with depth and richness. Still, it is easy to be overwhelmed and burn out quickly without care and precautions when entering demanding situations. The holiday season, in particular, brings unique opportunities for fulfillment and overwhelm that can be hard to navigate as an HSP. Getting clear on your needs and embracing somatic practices can help you stay connected to your body, calm your nervous system, and remain oriented to your values even at the height of holiday festivities. You can thrive during this season by prioritizing your needs, setting healthy boundaries, and grounding yourself through simple, intentional moments.
Consider the approaching holidays an opportunity to honor your sensitivity as a strength and let it guide you toward a season filled with peace, joy, and authenticity.
