Why Highly Sensitive Parents Need a Supportive Community (And How to Find One)

Parenting can be hard for every parent. However, it is like an emotional marathon for highly sensitive parents. Why does parenting feel so intense, and how can highly sensitive parents find the necessary support needed? Highly sensitive parents (HSP) are frequently weighed down by the demands associated with parenting due to their sensitive sensory and responsive sensibility.

You are most likely to be used to the needs of your child as a highly sensitive parent. You can notice their characters and likely expressions before anybody else. You can also identify if they need a break or attention at a particular point in time, while you can perceive when they are not feeling fine due to sickness even before the indications become noticeable to other people. A lot of highly sensitive parents out there opined that they know their children's needs even before they request such needs.

A study conducted on more than one thousand individuals revealed that highly sensitive parents find parenting more taxing than parents who are not highly sensitive, despite that parenting is difficult for everybody. Therefore, a supportive community is essential for the well-being of highly sensitive parents.

Why Highly Sensitive Parents Struggle

As a result of their certain response to stimuli, environmental factors, and emotions, highly sensitive parents frequently face unique challenges in their journey to parenting. Dr. Elaine Aron who is a psychologist coined the term highly sensitive people (HSPs).

This group of people comprises of 15-20% of the total inhabitants and they have different traits that distinguish them from other people who are not highly sensitive. They have improved sensitivity to details, sensitive emotional reactivity, and deeper cognitive processing in their surroundings. As these characteristics can be regarded as strong points, they can also make parenting predominantly challenging.

Below are reasons for the struggle of highly sensitive parents:

1. Sensory Overload and Overstimulation

Bright lights, piercing noises, or disorganized environments are some of the sensory inputs that highly sensitive parents are more attuned to. However, parenting frequently entails regular noise, disorder, and impulsiveness, which can devastate a highly sensitive parent promptly. The sensory overload can cause overtiredness, bad temper, and complicatedness for HSP to stay present.

2. Emotional Capability

Highly sensitive parents are extremely emotional for themselves and other people, meaning that they might strongly absorb the emotions of their children, whether it is grief, disappointment, or happiness. This empathy can promote strong acquaintances; but can also be psychologically draining, particularly when dealing with the emotional outbursts or tantrums of a child.

3. High Standards and Perfectionism

Some highly sensitive parents have extraordinarily high standards, making them determined to be the ideal parents ever. They are always particular about the welfare of their children. This self-imposed pressure can cause tension and exhaustion.

4. Problem with Setting and Maintaining Boundaries

Highly sensitive parents make great efforts when it comes to setting and maintaining boundaries because they are deeply attuned to the emotions and needs of their children. These people often put the comfort of their children above theirs. This makes them abandon their own emotional needs and self-care.

5. Decision Fatigue and Overthinking

Highly sensitive parents deeply process information and mull over all the available outcomes before making decisions. This will result in unselfish parenting choices but can cause anxiety and decision fatigue, particularly when you have innumerable decisions needed in bringing up a child.

Why Supportive Community is Important

A supportive community can be described as a group of people who are associated to provide practical, communal, emotional, and occasionally economic support to each other. It is the type of group that encourages mutual care, and ensures safety, and a sense of belonging, making its members feel empowered, valued, and understood.

Supportive communities are important because they play a very important role in our lives, rendering help and a sense of belonging when required. Supportive community members foster unity among their members and assist members who are experiencing challenges.

Importance of a Supportive Community

• Poignant Well-Being: A supportive community is an avenue for highly sensitive people to express their feelings or the challenges they are going through. This shows that they are not left alone as other individuals feel concerned and understand their plights.

• Useful and Timely Assistance: Timely help is guaranteed by the members of a supportive community at the time it is required most. This could be in time financial difficulty, illness, or major life changes. Practical support eases burdens and makes problems more controllable.

• Shared Resources and Knowledge: A supportive community offers a platform where members can share resources, skills, and knowledge. For instance, parents who are members of a parenting group share advice, as career opportunities are shared by members of a professional network.

• Joint Problem-Solving: Problems are solved by members of a supportive community through their problem-solving creativity and collective wisdom.

• Learning and Growth Promotion: Supportive communities frequently give members the chance to develop themselves personally and collectively through two-way learning, shared mentorship, and experiences.

How to Find a Supportive Community

It is a transformative experience to find a supportive community but to know the starting point can be a little difficult, particularly as a beginner to challenging a transformative experience, offering emotional, social, and practical benefits.

However, it can sometimes feel challenging to know where to face a particular challenge in life, or just uncertain of how you can link and get associated with compatible people. To find a supportive community, you must be open and put in extra effort as the benefits cannot be overemphasized.

Some practical ways to find a supportive community include:

1. Know Your Interests and Needs

It is important to understand what you want from a supportive community. What are your goals for finding such a group? Is it for professional networking, shared hobbies, emotional support, or spiritual development? Your search will be narrowed when you understand what you need the group for.

Moreover, think of what your interests are all about by considering the activities, causes, or topics of interest. This may include fitness, parenting, social justice, mental health, or social justice.

2. Take Advantage of Online Platforms

Join the online community platforms, such as LinkedIn, Reddit, and Facebook. They have numerous groups and categories devoted to different interests, identities, or challenges. Online forums like parenting are a form of supportive community.

3. Join Support Groups

There are many support groups out there that you can join as a highly sensitive parent. These include the parenting, mental support, disability or chronic illness groups.

4. Attend Events, Workshops, Seminars, and Community Events

When finding a supportive community, you can join any reputable workshop and classes in any area you are passionate about. You can also join seminars and conferences of interest to learn more about your personal or professional interests. Local festivals and markets are associations of supportive communities where community activities take place. They are the best places to meet people and learn about the available local groups in the community.

5. Look for Specialized or Educational Networks

An educational or specialized network is another great way to find supportive communities. They include continuing education, alumni groups, and professional associations. Join any of these groups based on your needs as a highly sensitive parent and you will be glad you do so.

6. Ask for Testimonials

Before joining a supportive community, make sure you request testimonials from family and friends. You can also contact local organizations like community centers, schools, or nonprofit organizations for recommendations.

7. Assess the Community

Evaluate the supportive community for mutual support to ensure that the existing members support one another actively. You also need to evaluate the atmosphere to make sure the community aligns with values, accommodating, and inclusive. When you finally join, do not be discouraged or give up almost immediately. Exercise patience, particularly if you don't get the instant connection you need. This is necessary because it takes time to build a relationship.

How Highly Sensitive Parents Can Thrive in a Supportive Community

Taking part in the collective well-being, developing meaningful relationships, and active participation are the ingredients highly sensitive parents need to thrive in a supportive community.

Here are some practical tips for making the most of your experience in a supportive community as a highly sensitive parent:

• Be Open and Reliable: As you are looking for help; you must open up by sharing your story, objectives, challenges, and experiences. Be authentic to foster profound connections and trust.

• Be an Active Member: The best way to participate actively is to have regular attendance as getting connected and building relationships needs consistency. Try your best to take part in functions, events, or meetings regularly. Moreover, participate actively in conversations by making your thoughts known. This will make you add value and promote the community.

• Help Others: Offer the required help to other members of the community whenever you are able. You can devote time to help, and give your resources, or skills. When members share their experiences, listen, be empathetic, and be present. Doing so can be amazingly supportive.

• Set Healthy and Realistic Boundaries: You need to set attainable and healthy boundaries to thrive in supportive communities as highly sensitive parents. Therefore, communicate clearly and understand your limits by avoiding overprizing yourself. Respectfully, let the community understand if you have time or space to recharge. Protect your interests and liveliness by setting realistic boundaries.

• Celebrate the Success of the Group: If you want to thrive in supportive communities, you must stress the achievements or successes of the community. Explain why the community stands out and also acknowledge the contributions of other members who support the community regularly.

Final Words

When it comes to navigating the sensory and poignant demands of parenting, highly sensitive parents experience some unique challenges. They always feel besieged by the strength of their experiences. The good news is that a supportive community is the solution and lifeline, providing validation, understanding, and useful resources to help them succeed. Highly sensitive parents can discover the necessary encouragement and empathy needed to embrace their capabilities and get over their struggles through their connection with like-minded people, such as online forums, local parenting groups, or sensitivity-focused organizations.

Building a supportive community guarantees personal resilience and creates a nurturing atmosphere for kids and their parents. For HSPs, looking for and cultivating these connections is not only of great importance—but also important for their well-being and that of their families.