The Sensitivity Spiral – Why Yesterday’s Choices Shape Your Energy Today and What to Do About It
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 15
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 16
Written by Sinead Rafferty, Career & Alignment Coach
Sinéad Rafferty is a Career & Alignment Coach for highly sensitive people (HSPs), empaths & neurodivergent professionals. She has 15+ years’ experience empowering the genius of others. Founder of The HSP Purpose Pathway™ online course & community, she is passionate about the strength of high sensitivity & the impact of empathic leadership.
Have you ever woken up feeling completely depleted and not sure why? You may have even technically rested the day before. As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) or Empath, your nervous system works differently. You process more, feel more, and absorb more. If you're not mindful, what happened yesterday (and the day before) can echo powerfully into today and tomorrow.
It’s not just in your head. There's science behind this energetic spiral, and unless you learn how to clear, reset, and care for your system intentionally, you're far more prone to cumulative stress, emotional fatigue, and ultimately burnout.
Today, I will explore how this happens, how it affects your life and work, and five science-backed reasons why you need to start treating your sensitivity as a daily energetic practice, not just a personality trait. I am a fellow HSP, so I get it, I live it.
First, the science
High Sensitivity, also known as Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS), is a genetically based trait studied most prominently by Dr. Elaine Aron.
Roughly 20–30% of the population is born with this trait, which leads to:
Deeper processing of sensory and emotional stimuli
Increased emotional reactivity and empathy
Greater awareness of subtleties in your environment
Higher susceptibility to overstimulation
From a nervous system perspective, HSPs are wired to process more data, more deeply, and constantly. This is largely due to a more active insular cortex and mirror neuron system in the brain, which governs emotional awareness, empathy, and internal experience.
But here's the catch: that deep processing burns more energy. Without rest, reflection, and regulation, yesterday’s sensory input won’t just vanish. It accumulates, and that’s when the spiral starts.
5 reasons why yesterday impacts your energy today
1. Your nervous system doesn’t automatically “shut off”
Non-HSPs can often switch off after a long day. It is not so simple for HSPs. Your nervous system lingers in a state of heightened awareness, especially if you haven’t had time to decompress. The conversation you had, the loud environment, and the emotional tension you experienced at work or with a loved one are still running in the background, active in your system.
Why it matters:
This residual stimulation keeps your nervous system in a low-level state of alert, draining your energy even while you sleep.
Tip:
Try 10–15 minutes of sensory down-regulation before bed, meditation, gentle yoga, qi gong, journaling, reading, dim lights, or even a “shower visualization” to mentally and energetically wash away the day. Doing this visualization in a real shower is even better.
And it goes without saying, no scrolling! It might feel relaxing at the time, but it is the opposite of down-regulation for your nervous system.
2. Emotional absorption has a delayed impact
Empathy is a core part of the HSP experience. You don’t just understand other people’s emotions, you often feel them as if they’re your own; you absorb them. And often, you don't notice until much later.
Why it matters:
You may wake up feeling emotionally “off” without realizing you’re still carrying yesterday’s energy from someone else. And often, the challenges of others and their energy can weigh heavier on you than your own experience.
Tip:
Build emotional and energetic hygiene into your routine. Name what’s yours, and release what isn’t. Journaling, EFT (tapping), or using a simple mantra like “I release what doesn’t belong to me” can help a lot. Energetic protection practices and maintaining empowering boundaries are also essential.
3. Your energy system stores overload
From a nervous system regulation standpoint, HSPs are more prone to dysregulation, that is, staying in states of fight, flight, or freeze for longer after a stressor. This is due to the depth of perception and processing you experience, as well as the need for energetic and physical transitions. If you don't pause to recalibrate, the overload stores in your body and, over time, builds up.
Why it matters:
Stored stress in the body shows up as fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, or even muscle tension and immune dysfunction.
Tip:
Use breathwork to reset your vagus nerve (your body’s calm-down switch). Try this: inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6, repeat for 3 minutes. Vagus nerve sleep meditations are also really effective. And give yourself the grace of transition between energetic states.
4. Cumulative sensory load leads to “energetic debt”
As an HSP, you may accumulate micro-stressors all day: noise, clutter, interruptions, conflict, bright lights, and social cues. Individually, they seem small. But over time, they build into an invisible energetic debt that has to be repaid.
An energetic debt from previous experiences may also be lingering, and the more significant or traumatic, the bigger the debt. Unraveling your childhood experience is key for most HSPs to feel empowered in their true nature.
Why it matters:
If you don’t consciously rest and process, that “debt” becomes exhaustion and burnout. And because you’re more aware of everything, it takes longer to reset.
Tip:
Schedule non-negotiable recovery time, 10–20 minutes between meetings, a no-screen lunch break, and non-structured time in your day, “white space” where nothing is scheduled. It’s not lazy, it’s necessary.
5. Mental replay wastes energy
HSPs tend to replay, reprocess, and ruminate, part of that deep-processing wiring. If yesterday held emotional friction or perceived mistakes, your brain might still be sorting through it today.
Why it matters:
Mental replay uses energy that could be spent on creativity, decision-making, or simply feeling present.
Tip:
Create a “mental closeout” ritual at the end of your workday. Jot down what went well, what you’re letting go of, and one intention for tomorrow. Your mind loves closure.
Remember, overthinking is natural for HSPs, but your pattern of thought is within your control. This is the difference between being reactive and taking control of your energetic state.
When you don’t recalibrate… burnout comes faster
Without regular recovery, you risk moving into HSP burnout, a state of physical and emotional depletion caused by prolonged overstimulation. This can look like:
Chronic fatigue
Brain fog
Frustration
Lack of creative flow
Emotional numbness or dysregulation
Loss of joy or purpose
Social withdrawal/hermit mode (hiding away)
Physical illness
Because your system is more sensitive, you burn through internal resources faster than others, and you need more intentional care to replenish.
Think of recalibration as a return to yourself, to your center, the grounded version of you that feels calm and peaceful. Allow sufficient time to recalibrate. If you had a busy 3 days, give yourself 3 days less busy. If you’ve had a stressful 6 months, give yourself 6 months' grace to recover before expecting yourself to be at 100%. Grace and self-compassion are what lead to recalibration, and without them, it’s far too easy to lose yourself.
It takes practice to reach an optimal energy flow that works for you.
The most important thing you can do is to validate your true, authentic experience, that is your starting point.
How can you protect and restore your energy as an HSP?
Here are four (4) essential recalibration practices to help you clear yesterday’s energy and protect tomorrow’s clarity:
Morning stillness
Before anything else, tune inward. Breathe, journal, meditate, or simply sit in silence. Reconnect with yourself before the world enters.
Daily energy check-in
Ask: What am I feeling? Is it mine? What do I need today? This small pause builds massive self-trust and regulation.
Movement as medicine
Walk, stretch, dance, move energy through you. You don’t have to be a gym person. Just move so the tension doesn’t stagnate.
Scheduled solitude
Time alone isn’t selfish; it’s survival. Even 20 minutes of solitude a day can restore your nervous system and reclaim your mental space.
You’re not fragile — You’re responsive
Being an HSP doesn’t mean you’re weak or incapable. You are incredibly strong; you live in a world that is set up largely for non-HSPs, so don’t underestimate the strength you already have. Your nervous system is finely tuned, like a high-performance engine; it needs regular calibration, care, and consciousness. Do not run it into the ground!
When you honor your sensitivity, protect your energy, and clear yesterday before you move into today, you don’t just avoid burnout, you unlock a deeper, steadier power. One rooted in self-awareness, intuition, and sustainable vitality. From this energetic state, you can take advantage of your innate skills and abilities and apply them in the world!
Want to discover what’s really draining you?
Take the free quiz: “As an HSP, what’s the number 1 block holding you back from the life you dream of?”
You’ll get personalized insight into the core challenge affecting your energy, identity, or potential.
And if you're ready to explore more deeply, join The Purpose Pathway, a space for HSPs, empaths, and intuitive professionals to align with their purpose, master their energy, and thrive at work.
Your sensitivity is your strength, but only when you honor it.
Let's connect on LinkedIn or Instagram and visit my website for lots of free resources.
Read more from Sinead Rafferty
Sinead Rafferty, Career & Alignment Coach
Sinéad is a visionary coach on a mission to uplift and empower the impactful contribution of purpose-driven and ambitious highly sensitive (HSP) & neurodivergent professionals.
Passionate about the role of empathic leadership in today’s society, Sinéad sees sensitivity as a powerful force and one with great purpose.
She guides her clients through an aligned and authentic approach to embodying sensitivity in meaningful ways so they can apply their innate skills and strengths to their work.
Her unique approach aims to not only bring balance to the depth and intensity of the trait of high sensitivity but also to achieve truly original, creative, and evolutionary contributions in the world.
