9 things to do to support your sensitive nervous system (as an entrepreneur)
Being an entrepreneur is difficult enough without the added challenges that being sensitive sometimes brings.
Not only does being an entrepreneur bring new stresses and new things to learn and figure out, but being an entrepreneur often requires some level of personal growth and/or confrontation of your personal struggles with things like perfectionism, people pleasing, fear of rejection, and procrastination.
On one hand…it seems like becoming a successful entrepreneur should be so easy, right?
Just talk about things you’re passionate about that can help other people in some way and make money doing it. SIMPLE as that, right? Simple, yes. Easy…I wouldn’t say that.
And also…if I know and am frequently told that it’s just so easy, why do I have to complicate what feels like every single step, then?
Eh, that’s maybe another topic for another day (or for my therapist).
BUT I’ve found a few things that have been incredibly helpful to work through the resistance and procrastination that I somehow inevitability stumble upon, even (and maybe ESPECIALLY) when I’m trying to work towards something I believe in and am passionate about.
In this post, I’m sharing a quick overview of 9 of the most impactful things I’ve implemented that allowed me to finally make progress on growing and sharing my creations and growing my confidence as an entrepreneur and as a sensitive person.
Other than trying my best to maintain my overall health through exercise, nutrition, socialization, and stress management, these things have drastically impacted my nervous system well-being and tendency towards unhelpful oversensitivity and reactive trauma responses.
These 9 things won’t make up for actual healing and therapy, but have made a huge difference in how I’m able to work and actually get the important stuff done without staying stuck in perfectionism-procrastination-fear.
Meditation and prayer. For me personally, I didn’t always have the best experience with just any type of meditation.
Not so much with meditations that heavily involve visualization or encourage you to “clear your mind,” at least at this moment of my life. These sometimes cause almost a feeling of dissociation in me and I tend to benefit from more somatic and/or grounding ways to focus and relax to best support my sensitive nervous system.
I seem to benefit most from a meditation more focused on the breath, body, or even an emotion. I highly recommend looking into styles of meditation that involve modalities and focus such as body scan, loving-kindness, and yoga nidra because of the positive effects I experience with my emotional regulation and overall feelings of contentment. I also got so much benefit from the book You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life, a wonderful introduction to short (~4 minutes) AND EFFECTIVE meditations you can apply to different parts of your life.
But please explore for yourself, don’t take my word for it!
Nervous system “exercises.” These are ABSOLUTELY the best set of tools I’ve found to help me follow through on my dreams.
I would describe these simple techniques as exercises to target different parts of the nervous system, providing relaxation and/or important feedback to your brain and body so that you can actually feel more calm, confident, grounded, etc.
Supporting your nervous system is a daily practice. Another way that I effectively support my sensitive nervous system daily is with the NeuroFit* app.
I find that it's a great way to increase my interception, or ability to perceive/sense my body’s internal signals, to better understand my needs. I can tell whether I need more quiet time or more sensory input on a given day AND give myself the sensory input I need to feel calm and emotionally regulated. I feel like I can show up as who I want to be more often. I’m more creative, more playful, more grounded, curious, and loving.
To learn more, you can check out the program with this link*. If you decide to purchase, you’ll also get 20% off (make sure you get the message 20% OFF APPLIED at checkout for your discount).
But the #1 change I made that made the most obvious positive impact on my nervous system by incorporating Neuro-somatic intelligence (NSI) tools into my routine. These tools not online helped me on a personal level, but I credit them for allowing me to finally take substantial action in my business.
Here’s 2 free weeks of full access to their live classes and video library if you’re interested in checking them out for yourself: NSI tools*.
You can also check out their podcast: Trauma Rewired to learn more about what they have to offer.
Breathwork. I don’t know why, but this term sometimes makes me cringe.
Maybe because it feels/sounds like some exclusive and elusive topic that you have to be “in the know” to participate in.
But I’ve realized that breathwork is just a practice that encourages paying attention to and sometimes consciously controlling your breath as a means to relax or process emotions or tough stuff.
Being outside. Maybe an obvious one, but cannot stress the importance of this enough.
And not just being outside to take care of yard work or do some chores….but to just sit (for me, without looking or listening to my phone) to let yourself just be and observe.
Walking and hiking are also amazing ways I can shift out of a bad mood and see the bigger picture.
Water and hydration. I LOVE coffee…the darker, the stronger, the better. But I’m so sensitive to caffeine, I find my enjoyment of the drink is quickly marred by my resultant jitters and/or bad mood.
I definitely have made it a point to hydrate in the morning before having a little bit of coffee, matcha, or tea. I’ve experimented a bit with adding salt or electrolytes to my AM water, but haven’t really noted any positive differences at the moment. So right now… I just drink at least 2 cups of room-temp water before anything else first thing in the morning.
Respectful movement. Respectful is the key word here.
I am so good at forcing myself to exercise, to walk, to be productive, to physically stress my body out…and it has backfired in the past.
I suggested to schedule or set a reminder on your phone to move RESPECTFULLY. It’s made all the difference to make sure I’m moving in a way and in the right amount that is nourishing to my body…I sometimes do this by specifically doing less than I think I’m capable of or thinking I should do.
As sensitive and neurodivergent people, how quickly we can process the signals our bodies are sending to our brains (and vice versa) can be somewhat delayed, so I find that doing a bit less is helpful to make sure I don’t overdo it without realizing I did until it’s too late and I get overly fatigued or even sick.
Resting enough…but not too much. This one I’m definitely still working on. I find that the majority of days I’ve done wayyyy too much (physically, mentally, emotionally, in every way-ly) or feel like a bump on a log, just sitting around all day and feeling like not doing much of anything.
Sometimes it’s good to relax, but sometimes I take the relaxation a bit too far and become grumpy and spacey and blah after too much rest OR maybe not the right type of rest. 1 or 2 days of complete rest “lazy” days can very easily turn into a full week of doing nothing for me, so a little bit of activity and feeling of purpose can go a long way, especially for us HSPs.
Another thing that could be tough to manage is making sure you get enough rest without overdoing it for you personally on the technology/TV/phone scrolling front. Taking time to rest without tech is crucial to really recharge (see #4 again). It might be also helpful for you to learn about the 7 types of rest, and incorporate rest that you might be missing to feel more relaxed and recovered.
Sleep schedule. Very personal - you might benefit from trying out certain evening and morning schedules (post on HSP morning routine coming soon!) to find what works best for you.
Our sleep schedule and times naturally vary based on life events, illness, stress, moods, season, and cyclical times. Another thing I’m personally working on not beating myself up too much if I sleep in “too late” while also knowing when I’ve had enough. Ongoing process for sure.
Music. One of the best ways to support your nervous system might also be one of the simplest ways: music.
BUT somehow I also don’t always remember how beneficial music can be. Listening to (or maybe making!) music you love is an easy way to change up your mood/vibe/energy. I’ve also found it to be an effective way to process stress and emotions that I don’t really know how to actively process any other way.
What do you think? What do you do to support your nervous system? What do you do to decompress and relax?
Anything else you think HSPs should try?
Let me know your thoughts and join our community for more motivation, inspiration, and information about starting and growing your own online business and creating a purposeful, balanced, HSP life you love.
I would love to hear if you try out NeuroFit* or NSI tools*!
Let me know how it goes for you and if it feels effective and impactful for you too.
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Journal prompts and final thoughts to consider:
What things do I currently do throughout my day that seem to relax me AND also don’t make me feel worse afterwards? (ie. not something like stress eating, binge watching, using too much social media for your limits) How can I incorporate more of these things into my day?
Imagine you added one of these 9 things to your daily routine. Write about how you would feel and what benefits you think you would experience.
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