Are you a highly sensitive person?

Are you one of those people who startles easily? Finds that you’re running a little too fast or being a

little too concerned at what later look like minor events?

You’re not crazy, you’re not alone, and it’s not your

imagination, nor is it a lack of self control, as you may

have imagined (or been told).

Some people just have nervous systems that react more

quickly and strongly than average. This difference starts at

birth and persists throughout life.

According to Harvard researchers and authors of The Long

Shadow of Temperament, Jerome Kagan and Nancy

Snidman, approximately 15 to 20 percent of newborns

show increased heart rate, jerky movements, and crying in

response to moving mobiles and tape recordings of human voices. These differences correlate with

later tendencies to be more fearful and timid. In fact, higher heart rates have even been observed in

utero in babies later identified as timid. Well, who wouldn’t be a little timid if the world was a place

that intruded too harshly on your senses?

In her book, Highly Sensitive People, Elaine Aron describes HSPs as people who react strongly to

external stimulation, such as sudden loud noises, overly bright lights, and even to other people’s

moods or to violent movies and TV shows. They are easily affected by substances such as caffeine

and easily disrupted by hunger. (She does describe the upside of all this, including deeper

enjoyment of music and art, appreciation of fine scents and tastes, and a rich imagination.)

As an HSP, does that mean you are doomed to go through life protecting yourself from being

startled by avoiding stimulating activities, events, and people? Or feeling too easily intimidated

by social situations?

#o, you can tame those tendencies to respond too strongly to your world, and quiet that anxious

brain by adding meditation to your daily schedule.

And, no, you don’t have to retreat for an hour or so in order to meditate. Research shows that as

little as 5 minutes per day can bring beneficial changes in the area of your brain where anxiety is

located.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently had an article about meditation myths. A persistent myth is

that you must somehow think about “nothing.” (Huh?)

The Star Tribune quoted Stefan Brancel, president of the University of Minnesota’s Mindfulness for

Students Club, as saying, “Some people can do that, but only after years of disciplined practice. If

the average person tries to do it, you’re actually going to produce more stress because you’re going

to start criticizing yourself for failing.”

So just focus on your breathing, and when your mind wanders, just gently bring your

attention back to your breathing. That’s all? Yup, that’s all, but doing it regularly trains your

brain to take charge over the impulsive lower level processes, where emotions take over. Another

way to describe what you are doing to your brain is that you’re building will power, as you gently

train those higher levels of your brain.

If you’re an HSP, and you are delaying taking charge of your brain and your life until you

have more time, you might want to rethink your schedule. Persistent low level stress is a real

killer, and it can be very subtly wearing away at your body – heart, arteries, brain cells, and all.

So take the time right now – whether you are an HSP or not.

***

Is you life is filled with too much stress? Do you feel you don’t have time to:

Sit down and relax

Meditate every day

Exercise

Lynette Crane, M.A.(Psychology) and Certified Life Coach,is a Minneapolis-based speaker, writer,

and coach. She has more than 30 years' experience in the field of stress management. She currently

works to provide stress and time pressure solutions to harried women, those women who seek

"Islands of Peace" in their overly-busy lives. Her talks to groups of what she calls "harried women"

are receiving rave reviews. Visit her website at http://www.creativelifechanges.com/ to see more in-

depth articles and to view her programs.