As an occupational therapist, wellbeing coach and sensory integration practitioner for teens and young adults, I’ve found that the most effective grounding strategies are often the simplest, and they begin in the body. Time and again, I see how body-based approaches can be in supporting regulation in the moment, especially when someone is overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected.

In this post, I share why I support my clients to develop body-based grounding strategies, and why I believe it forms the foundation of meaningful, sustainable regulation.

When I was sixteen, after my last day of high school with the shirt-signing and pretence that we’d all keep in touch, I was determined that there would be absolutely no circumstance that would see me in a school again. But a number of years later as an occupational therapist,  I have frequently found myself shepherded by a well-meaning pastoral officer down corridors heaving with students. The familiarity of the experience hasn't changed with time; the echo of the past remains, albeit though revised understanding. 

When you are highly sensitive in school, there are a number of aspects of the physical and social environment that can be overwhelming, stressful or simply downright draining. I have summarised the three that stand out from my own experience and from those of the young people I work with. 

New York is extraordinary. It is fast, layered, noisy, crowded, visually dense, and demands attention. For many people, that intensity is energising. For highly sensitive people, it can be incredibly overwhelming. However, being highly sensitive does not always mean you need to eliminate stimulation, but it can mean that you need an approach which is more intentional and selective.

Here are five things I did as a highly sensitive person and occupational therapist, to manage my capacity whilst travelling in one of the most stimulating cities in the world.