Healing with sensitivities can feel like walking in quicksand. With every step you take, you risk getting sucked deeper into the mud. It’s tough, disheartening, and confusing.

However, it is possible to cross that barrier and access a wider selection of healing tools.

Outlined below are the key principles worth your attention when considering incorporating new supplements into your routine:

1. Choose one supplement at a time only. Introduce it first, give it some time, and feel comfortable with it. If you start with a few things all at once, you won’t be able to tell how your body is reacting to them individually. It’s a good idea to pay attention to your body not only right away, but also during the night and the following morning.

2. Dissolve it in water, juice, or a smoothie. The idea is to take a smaller dose than swallowing a pill as it is. Drinking it dissolved, in very small sips throughout the day, can be easier for the body to handle. Consider starting with only half a capsule or less for a period of time. And don’t get excited too early — any physical reaction can take a while to surface. If you feel that everything is completely fine, great — but don’t rush into sipping your supplemented drink too fast, or even swallowing a capsule right away. Give your body time, and it’ll reward you.

3. If anything feels off — slow it down. Take less, or wait a bit longer to reintroduce it more gently. Pushing your body will not get results. I don’t believe in suffering through.

4. When starting with a new supplement, do it only in the morning or mid-day. This will reduce the likelihood that if anything isn’t going smoothly, it’ll affect your sleep. If you experiment in the hours leading to bedtime, it’s a riskier timing. Furthermore, your digestion can be a little weaker in the evening, which can make you feel more sensitive overall.

5. Make sure to start new supplements on a day you’ve slept enough. First of all, your digestion will be stronger and more capable of accepting new things. Secondly, when you’re tired, you’re more likely to make decisions that aren’t in your best interest. You might feel like you want to bring in something new, but it isn’t the right time — and perhaps what you need most that day is to rest. We can also be a bit careless in general when lacking sleep, and bringing in new supplements needs your full attention. Mindful and focused monitoring is what we’re after.

6. Don’t start anything new during sensitive times of the month. Ovulation or menstruation can be tricky when navigating new supplements. With these hormonal dips, our bodies can have slightly different needs. What feels fine on any other given day might feel different twice a month. While keeping introductions for other days is a solid guideline for everyone, even skipping supplements altogether on those specific days can work well. It depends and changes from person to person, so the safest option is tuning in to how your body reacts.

7. Don’t start taking a new supplement while under stress. It won’t fix it. Stress makes listening inwards more challenging and can make you temporarily more sensitive as well. Save your supplement introduction days for calmer moments.

8. Take new supplements with food or shortly after — not on an empty stomach. If a completely new supplement is taken first thing in the morning, it can be harder for your body to tolerate. Give your body time to wake up, start the day, eat a few things, and only then think about your supplements.

9. There’s tons of progress you can make with foods alone. So much to look into — food matters! It could be increasing amounts of leafy greens, adding another juice towards the evening, more fruits, ginger shots, aloe water… Countless powerful ways to boost your energy without any supplements. Trust it.

10. The restriction from taking supplements forces you to find other strategies to move forward and lean into behavioral adjustments. You learn the hard way what works and what stands in your way, and how to become consistent and uncompromising about it. You just can’t risk it — and your body clearly communicates. Yet somehow, while progressing further and getting stronger — being okay with supplements — it’s natural to start using them as a crutch and slowly leave behind supportive ground rules that might have been helpful in earlier stages. While supplements are extremely important, behavioral strategies are still the nuts and bolts of it all — and should remain a central priority.

It is possible. Slow and steady — keep moving forward.

I like Vimergy’s supplements as they’re potent, pure, and free from any additives — but the guidelines above apply to products from any brand.