For about 20 percent of the population, it’s a fact. Highly Sensitive People (or HSPs) are born with a very responsive nervous system. The technical term is sensory processing sensitivity.

Every child has essential needs. What happens in childhood plays a huge in shaping us as adults. Childhood events — especially those related to our caregivers — help form our attachment style as adults.

It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time. In fact, it can be quite helpful. Healthy anxiety can serve as a warning of sorts. Our minds and bodies are hard-wired to alert us to situations that require our attention. It may not be fun to feel anxious but it sure can be helpful.

When a romantic relationship ends, we usually expect to feel down, a little depressed, angry and rejected but not anxious.

Night time anxiety sets in as we slow down. Our body clock shifts, melatonin goes up and the body tells us it’s time to rest. For someone who has anxiety, leaving all the days’ or weeks’ thoughts behind is rough. There is a struggle between our mind and body about going into rest mode.

It seems to be an oxymoron to say that people can be both anxious and depressed, yet it happens regularly. There is a circular action to it, both in the physical response and the emotional response ~ the physical response goes something like this: you get anxious and wound up, your heart beats faster, maybe your breathing speeds up and drains your body of energy.

The truth is that every few years a new virus comes along and scares us all because we don’t know what it is, or how it will affect us. This year it’s COVID-19, in 2009 it was the swine flu, in 2016 we feared the Zika virus. Those diseases have come and gone, and we have survived and even thrived since then. Taking the long view about this will help you through this one.