Is There Any Mindfulness Technique To Use When My Senses Are Overstimulated?

[WaterfallMachine]

For some reason, my senses can be really sensitive. Especially to noise. I can handle crowded environments but if I stay too long — I actually start crying. Loud noise seems to increase other sensitivities — like getting too sensitive to bright light and the cold. I'm usually allowed to leave the room when I want to since other people are aware of this. I start worrying about this — if it'd get worse — and then later on because of my anxiety, it actually does get worse.

Anyway I can relax that anxious tendency? At least the worrying part? The easily getting overstimulated part I'm looking for therapy in.

Edited August 16, 2017 by WaterfallMachine

[AleksM]

@WaterfallMachine  I was also hypersensitive for a period, it was overwhelming. I have bought some crystals and it helped me.Moldavite especially helped me during that period. It does get better after a while though. I recommend you visit more nature and walk barefoot on the earth, it Will help you a lot. This energies need to be grounded.

[TimStr]

@WaterfallMachine

Get into Shinzen Youngs work, he offers you a whole periodic table of mindfulness techniques. Nobody can tell you what will work for you, you have to figure it out for yourself. 

But I can recommend a few things, that worked for me. 

Fist thing, you could try is just basic mindfulness with labeling (see, hear, feel). The point of this is to create a continuous stream of concentration that you can shine on one event after another in your experience. This may help you with the general overwhelm. 

Another thing, you could try, is what Shinzen calls Focus on Flow. Instead of labeling specific events you focus your attention on the continuity of experience. You basically create one big conceptual object out of it, that you then concentrate on. For example, whenever I have to move through large crowds (at train stations, airports, etc.) I focus on the flow of the movement in my entire visual field. I try to see the movement of every person and also the movement of the space around me relative to me as I am walking. This allows me to navigate through crowded places very effectively and effortlessly and I enjoy it to feel kind of merging with the general movement of the scene before my eyes. 

Edited August 16, 2017 by TimStr

[WaterfallMachine]

19 hours ago, AleksM said:

@WaterfallMachine  I was also hypersensitive for a period, it was overwhelming. I have bought some crystals and it helped me.Moldavite especially helped me during that period. It does get better after a while though. I recommend you visit more nature and walk barefoot on the earth, it Will help you a lot. This energies need to be grounded.

Sounds interesting. Mind if you explain more what you mean by energies needing to be grounded with nature?  What energy is that? Why does it work well? Maybe understanding that would help me figure this out better. 

[AlwaysBeNice]

It just triggers feelings that are still suppressed in the subconscious, the sound/visual data is just shaping a neutral movie.

[AleksM]

@WaterfallMachine You can ground yourself in different ways. Physical exercise, hiking, nature walks, barefoot walking on the earth, crystals, gardening, deep breathing.

When you meditate a lot, practice mindfullness and all this spiritual stuff it tends to unground you, that's why it's so important to stay connected to the body and earth.

 

 

Quote

Being grounded is an essential skill for empaths and highly sensitive people who pick up emotions from the people and environment around them. It means that you're present in your body and connected with the earth, allowing you to feel centered and balanced no matter what's going on around you.

If you aren't grounded, you're like a leaf in the wind: very vulnerable and thrown off balance very quickly. But when you are well grounded, you are like a big, strong tree. If something happens around you, it doesn't influence you so much and you are able to feel much more peaceful and balanced in your daily life. Source: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17987/why-grounding-is-difficult-for-highly-sensitive-people-what-to-do-about-it.html

Some articles with more information:

https://www.mojan.com/content/spiritual-grounding-centering-clearing-protection/  (a symptom of being ungrounded is being sensitive to light and sound)

http://in5d.com/this-is-what-happens-when-you-ground-yourself-to-the-earth/

https://scottjeffrey.com/grounding-techniques/

 

 

[WaterfallMachine]

@AleksM

I didn't know strengthening my intuition would have these side effects. No wonder I've been getting oddly more painfully empathetic. My senses have always been sensitive but these days I kept getting a sneaking suspicion that it was getting worse. I've been absorbing all this energy without knowing. Damn.

The mojan article helped the most. I was getting sensitive enough to lights and the music from the dancing club outside my house that I was getting exhausted. When I tried the exercises, it cleared up those sensitivities almost instantly. I was vaguelythinking of learning more about chakras somewhere along the way but thanks to this, I'm putting it on my priority list. 

Thanks! 

Ps : I've been feeling a pain in my head. Does that mean anything with the context of all this?

Edited August 17, 2017 by WaterfallMachine