Strengths of Being a Highly Sensitive Mom

In motherhood it can be easy to get bogged down with the hard stuff. The overwhelm. The frustration. The fact that a baby or toddler makes so much noise and it can be so difficult to tolerate. There is no doubt that there are some things about motherhood and being highly sensitive that are tough. However, I think it’s important to our happiness and confidence as moms that we realize that our sensitivity brings so many positives and strengths to motherhood. 

In fact - some things motherhood I think come easier to me BECAUSE I am highly sensitive. 

ATTUNEMENT

One of the biggest ones is being attuned to my sons needs. I’m a therapist and one of the things we hear about often in the field is about attachment and the importance of secure attachment for emotional and relational health during life - I’m sure this isn’t just therapists who know this, but it’s been a large part of my education! One of the things that predicts secure attachment is an attuned caregiver. So you know your sensitive superpower where you can predict what people need before they ask for it or express an end for it? You can most likely often do this with your child as well! 

I can often tell when my son is getting overwhelmed, when he needs a snack, when he’s tired or when he is needing something small to shift in his environment just by being attuned with him. I’ve also often noticed that he was sick or guessed correctly that he had an ear infection prior to any big  symptoms (Fever, rash, etc) being present. 

Learning to lean into this knowing and realize that it’s accurate and helpful can be so empowering. No longer do you have to doubt yourself or think you’re an anxious mother (you could be, I definitely was before I learned to regulate my nervous system as an hsp mama). Instead you could start to feel empowered at your strengths and realize that sensitivity brings so much goodness to motherhood. 

INTUITION
Another strength of being an HSP mama is that as our kids get older due to this attunement we are often able to notice if our child is lying or being untruthful. We have amazing intuition. We can also pick up on if something is wrong at school or if they are having a mental health problem. Having this attunement can be tricky as we want to respect their boundaries as they get older, however it can help us be more present and helpful (and we can say NO to the study night that is really a raging house party!). 

This intuition is also very helpful in things like picking out childcare or a nanny or helping your child decide what extra curricular activity to sign up for. 

NOTICING SUBTLETIES IN THE ENVIRONMENT

As highly sensitive people we tend to notice things that other people may miss. I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve seen a glass on the table and thought ‘need to move that’ only for it to topple over a couple minutes later as my son is playing nearby. It’s these little moments when our superpower can save us so much time when we lean into it and honor it. If I would just take the second to remove the glass I would save myself the much longer clean up that come when it topples over. 

This is a small example, but it can show up in small and big ways in daily life. Perhaps you notice your child’s homework on the table or you see the soccer jersey isn’t in the closer the night before soccer practice. Noticing these subtle things allows you to be more prepared and have less of those ‘oh crap’ moments when we have to scramble to pick up the pieces or create a quick fix. 

NEXT STEPS - Support, Connection, Social Media and More!

These are definitely not ALL of the strengths that being highly sensitive brings to motherhood, just a few that have been really apparent to me lately. If you’re struggling to see your sensitivity as a strength or you’re drowning in overwhelm (mama, I’ve been there) I can help you. I use my years of experience as a therapist specializing in maternal mental health paired with my own journey as an HSP mama going from barely surviving to thriving in motherhood to help other HSP mamas find peace from the stress and overwhelm and start thriving in motherhood. 

If you’re ready to step into the power of your sensitivity as a mama and want some support and guidance in this process I would love for you to book a free connection call to see if therapy could be helpful in this process. Currently I am licensed to work with moms in Oklahoma and Colorado. Use the contact button at the top to book your free call!

If you’d like to hang out with me on social media where I talk about all things motherhood, sensitivity, maternal mental health and more - you can find me on instagram @fulfilledmotherhood.co

I hope this blog brought you some hope and encouragement as a highly sensitive mama. The overwhelm isn’t all it means to be sensitive. There are so many strengths :)