5 Ways To Recover From The Holidays As An Empath Or Highly Sensitive Person

Approximately 15-20 percent of the population (about one in five people) have the personality traits of an empath/highly sensitive person. 

Empaths and HSPs tend to be more hyper aware and sensitive to their environments, things going on around them, and other people’s feelings and emotions. This is why the holidays can be EXTRA overwhelming if you fall in the category of an empath or highly sensitive person (or both). 

There’s a lot going on during this season and most people tend to see way more people than usual and experience a lot of different emotions. For this reason, it’s super important to have strategies ready to go post-holidays. Empaths and HSPs need time to process and recover from these experiences. 

There are tons of ways to nurture yourself as an empath, but we’ll cover just a few that can help you through the holidays. If you want to learn more ways, you can sign up to receive my FREE resource, “50 Ways to Self-Care as an Empath”.

Rest

This one should be obvious, but the majority of us neglect it, especially during the holidays. Rest is your best-friend as an empath or highly sensitive person. Not just good sleep, but also just resting and relaxing during the day. After the holiday gatherings are over, take some time to chill on the couch, in your bed, in a bath, or wherever makes you feel the most relaxed. Read a book, watch TV, or do literally nothing. Don’t do anything that takes more of your energy. Do as little as humanly possible (without totally neglecting your responsibilities).

Alone time

This is a game-changer for empaths and HSPs. After being around soooo many people with soooo many different emotions, it’s so important to clear your mind, body, and soul of all this extra energy you’ve experienced. It can be A LOT to be around so many other energies, so take time to be alone. It’s most beneficial for you to relax and decompress when there’s no one else around, and no other feelings to feel. Not just physically, but also mentally. Try to detox from social media and communication with others (outside of anything urgent) as well.

Grounding

Grounding can help bring you to a state of awareness and get centered. This means bringing your attention to the present moment. You may feel flustered after the holidays and be replaying all your conversations and interactions on repeat. You may be dawning on certain conversations or certain emotions you felt, either your own or other peoples’. 

Grounding can help you get out of that cycle and focus on what's happening in the NOW. You can simply work on some breathwork to get connected to your body, or focus on the environment and senses around you. Another popular method for grounding is walking barefoot on the ground and feeling the earth beneath your feet. Whatever you decide to do, you should always envision yourself coming back to center and work on focusing on the present moment. Let go of all those past interactions and emotions.

Havening

Havening is a technique that involves self-soothing touch to relieve pain, stress, and anxiety. It calms the nervous system and provides a feeling of safety. It can especially help negative memories. The holidays and being around some people could bring up negative memories from previous holiday experiences. This can make it extra hard to recover. If you’re having a hard time letting go of a negative memory, try using the havening method to mitigate the stressful feelings and emotions.

 Emotion Separation

This technique will be your best friend as an empath, not JUST for the holiday season, but all the time! 

As an empath or HSP, you not only feel the emotions of other people, but you also may be taking them on as if they are your own. During the holidays, there’s no shortage of people you see and emotions you may be experiencing. Emotion separation is a technique to help you separate which emotions are yours vs. emotions you may have picked up from others.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Write a list of what emotions you’re experiencing.

Step 2: Label the emotion/feeling as “Mine or “Not Mine.”

Step 3: Claim the emotions that are yours, and lovingly send away the ones that are not yours.

That’s it! It’s an amazing technique to reset your mind, body, and spirit after the holidays. But, be sure to keep it on hand any time you need to separate the emotions you’re feeling after social interactions.

The holidays can be hard, and recovering from them can be even harder as an empath or highly sensitive person. That’s why having specific strategies like these are super beneficial! You need to nurture yourself and your sensitivity. Even though the holidays may be a “vacation” for some, they may not actually be relaxing. So, it’s okay to take time to process and recharge after the holidays so you can bounce back and be ready to take on the new year!