The Elevator of High Sensitivity
The elevator of High Sensitivity is a measurement tool to see where you are in your subconscious „high sensitivity“ developmental stage.
Let's be honest! Nobody likes being highly sensitive.
Different people have different coping strategies, and they are reflected in the Elevator of High Sensitivity!
You start as the light-headed and light-hearted person who is able to manage his/her life, family, job, and kids.
You feel stressed, but it is normal.
There is so much to do and so little time.
You are always behind, until you are completely exhausted.
You need vacation, a time-out to recover and replenish your energy.
You were back and forth on survival (1st chakra), pleasure (2nd chakra), and stretching 3rd chakra issues like being in control, emotionality, boundaries, personal power, and your individuality.
A lot to deal with, so confusion kicks in.
This is when coping mechanisms start to be of importance!
Feeling highly sensitive means that you feel all emotions 10 times stronger than before.
That costs you a lot of time and energy.
You are not used to it and want to get out of this developmental stage.
Most people go up in their energy, some jump into empathy, and a few consequently become chronically fatigue.
Progress and consequence when escaping your highly sensitive self
First step
Anxiety: a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome (Oxford Languages).
Conscious ways of dealing with anxiety include amongst others mindfulness, relaxation techniques, breathing techniques, dietary adjustments, and exercise.
A subconscious reaction will be to go up in the Elevator of High Sensitivity to the next level, the level of hyperactivity.
Next step
Hyperactivity: the condition of being abnormally or extremely active (Oxford Languages).
Hyperactivity is often not noticed as a coping mechanism for high sensitivity. People will usually feel good and not even notice their hyperactivity. However, hyperactive people might show the following symptoms: short attention span, difficulty concentrating, remembering names, numbers, or miss out on details of information.
For me, as a highly sensitive person and empath, hyperactive people drive me nuts.
Third step
Restlessness: the inability to rest or relax as a result of anxiety or boredom (Oxford Languages).
Hardly anybody would make a connection between high sensitivity and restlessness. But in the Elevator of High Sensitivity, restlessness is the logical consequence of hyperactivity and anxiety. Everybody can feel restless from time to time, but if restlessness is experienced frequently, it can dramatically reduce your quality of life.
Restlessness may affect your mental state and mood. There is a possibility that you will experience difficulty in concentrating, not being able to relax or being constantly uneasy.
To counteract restlessness, meditate, or do breath work. Also start being aware of your thoughts, your feelings, your mood.
Restlessness can cause a variety of health issues, such as depression, dementia, bipolar disorder, etc.
A subconscious reaction will be to go up in the Elevator of High Sensitivity to the next level, the level of sleeplessness, probably without a clue how you got there.
Ultimate step
Sleeplessness: the inability to sleep, insomnia (Oxford Languages).
Chronic sleeplessness is usually the result of stress, certain life events or habits that disrupt sleep and can influence your energy level, your mood, your health, your work performance and quality of life.
Sleeplessness has been associated with a wide range of health issues, physical and mental problems.
Fatigue & Empathy
High sensitivity avoiding mechanisms expanding to the sides!
Fatigue is a combination of physical, emotional, and mental influences and often caused by empathy. Fatigue is the body's reaction to too much energy to process that is not recognized as "authentic."
