Are you looking for a gift for an introverted, highly sensitive friend, co-worker, or family member? Then this list is for you. Featured are presents for people who are overwhelmed by social and environment stimuli, are empathic, sensitive to beauty, and cherish privacy and peacefulness. (And don’t forget to treat yourself!)
Having houseguests can be fun…but stressful. In this listener-requested episode, I offer tips on how to survive houseguests and how to deal with being a houseguest yourself.
There are times when you might find yourself with friends or family staying under your roof. Depending on the situation, you might be excited and happy about this–and a bit stressed out. Look, it’s not normal to spend 24 hours a day with someone. Ok,...
Are you easily overwhelmed by long gatherings with family and friends? Here are some tips on how to deal with big parties.
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/69._Meditation.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS This episode is for those who have never tried meditation, are curious about it, or who have tried it but felt like...
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/68._Realizations.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS Discovering the concept of high sensitivity and learning you are a Highly Sensitive Person can be a major life...
HSPs put their heart and soul into everything they do. They pay attention to details and want to do things right. When they are criticized, it’s like someone is taking their careful actions and words and tearing them apart.
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/Ep._63_drowning_no_ad.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS Two acquaintances in the same week made similar comments to me out of nowhere: that they felt behind, like...
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/Ep._62_no_ad_benefits.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS In episode 59, I started a series about the positive aspects of being a Highly Sensitive Person. I talked...
I worked in an office environment for around ten years, with most of that time either in a cubicle or in a big room with other people. A lot of the time, I hated it.
A common misconception about HSPs is that they’re emotionally fragile and not mentally strong. Not true!! Amy Morin, an expert on mental strength, talks about using coping skills as an HSP!
Give yourself a self doubt pep talk! Here are my tactics to respond to negative self talk, specifically in regards to work.
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/55._Grossed_Out.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSIn this episode, I share stories about things that have grossed me out–a cow lung, pinning insects, and...
Have you ever heard of floating? In the therapeutic, spa-sense? A float session consists of lying naked (or in a swimsuit) in an individual tank of warm water that is super-saturated with Epsom salts. The door of the tank can be closed so you are in complete darkness...
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/53._FAQs_about_HSPs.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSThis episode is especially for those who do not have the trait of high sensitivity. It’s for those who...
For Highly Sensitive People–particularly introverts–the concept of parenting may elicit feelings of anxiety and overwhelm in addition to the standard emotion of joy. There is an extra layer of challenge due to the ease with which HSPs become overstimulated...
I’m a member of several Facebook groups for HSPs and I see this topic come up a lot: People will describe a co-worker, family member, or a stranger on the internet who says things that they disagree with so strongly that they get angry…and sometimes they...
Learn about the challenges and benefits of being a highly sensitive man and how to cope–from sensitive men themselves.
“If you suffer from HSP…” I saw this in a tweet the other day. It made me wince. HSP is not something you suffer from. That’s like saying you “suffer” from being left-handed. It’s not something that needs to be cured or...
If you find yourself easily distracted (especially when working at home), please know that you aren’t the only one. Lots of us share the same struggle. The key is to acknowledge, accept, and adjust.
Lately, I have been hearing about cognitive behavioral therapy all over the place. From a close friend, HSPs who’ve emailed me to talk about it, in blog posts, and more. A friend told me in detail about her experience in cognitive therapy sessions, and I was...
This episode 38 is about handling criticism. I talk about three little tactics I use to help deal with negative feedback in my life.
This episode 37 is about criticism, which goes hand-in-hand with publishing a book and reading reviews! I talk about how HSPs often criticize themselves in order to avoid the trauma of criticism from others.
It gets really hot in New York in the summer. 90 degrees isn’t unusual. When I lived and worked in Westchester County, just outside NYC, my coworkers always seemed to want to eat lunch in the courtyard outside our workplace. Even when it was like 90 degrees and...
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/24._Tips_for_Coping.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSIn this episode 24, I provide some tips on how to deal with the challenging aspects of being highly sensitive....
I’ve mentioned several times about how my husband Jim has tried to understand my high sensitivity. At first, he didn’t buy into the idea at all. Slowly, over time, I could tell he was accepting it more. He was able to observe, realtime, my visceral...
Have you ever said to yourself: I’m tired of being hurt and let down by other people. How can I be less sensitive? Maybe you feel like you give a lot to other people but they don’t return your thoughtfulness. You care so much, but others don’t...
Anticipatory grief is a grief reaction that occurs before an impending loss, typically, the death of someone close to you. Anyone can experience it. But for HSPs, anticipatory grief can be extremely intense.
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/17-_Highly_Sensory_People.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSEpisode 17 of the Highly Sensitive Person Podcast is brought to you by the word sensitive. A blog reader,...
When I was a young kid, I remember wondering why women on TV and in movies would make jokes about lying about their age or not wanting to admit their age. I thought it was so stupid; who cares how old you are? I completely, totally did not comprehend why it was a bad...
When I first learned about what it meant to be an HSP and an introvert, it was life changing. But I had to find a way to explain it to the person who has to deal with me the most, my partner. How could I explain that there’s nothing wrong with me, but that I’m just different, and my desires and needs are just as valid as a non-HSPs?
Oh, sweet, sweet, sleep. Dr. Elaine Aron recommends that HSPs “spend 8-10 hours in bed each day, sleeping or not.” (source) I totally agree! I love my sleep. “Getting enough sleep” is never a question for me. It is essential. I love feeling...
A friend posted a link to my new podcast on her Facebook wall and someone had some not-so-nice things to say. Here’s some of it: I think someone ‘realizing’ they are highly sensitive is about the worst thing that could happen to them. It’s the...
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/HSP_decision_free_life_Ep4.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSWe face dozens if not hundreds of decisions every single day–from big decisions to tiny ones, and...
Learning about introversion and high sensitivity has helped me accept myself so much more. And since then, I’ve tried to build my life in a way where I can avoid situations that stress me out and upset me. I attend fewer social events (and I don’t beat...
Learning about being one of these Highly Sensitive People can be life-changing. But should you tell other people about your discovery?
With all this talk about how us HSPs feel emotions so deeply, I’m reminded that not all these emotions are sanguine. I had a run-in with anger the other day. Sigh. I don’t want to admit what I’m about to admit, because, of course, in retrospect, it...
I’m glad you asked! Now that you know you’re a Highly Sensitive Person, wouldn’t it be great to meet other people like you? Who also hated small talk? Who didn’t want to hang out at a noisy bar all night? Who were conscientious and good...
Has your spouse, partner, or friend told you that they are a Highly Sensitive Person? What are you supposed to do with that information? What does it mean to be a HSP? And what does it mean for you, as their loved one? I’ve interviewed three people whose...
Why do so many of us think that being “sensitive” means you are “weak”? Sensitive is supposed to mean “quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences.” That doesn’t sound weak at all…it sounds observant! It...
I’m a little bummed out right now. I submitted my blog to a local publication, the San Diego Reader. In every issue, they publish short excerpts from local blogs. I figured–why not? They published it today. Here it is. The headline they chose for the...
I enjoy traveling, but it isn’t without its challenges as an HSP. Here are a list of the essentials (and, well, not-so-essentials) that will help make your trip much more comfortable and enjoyable. Sleep Mask: Block out any offending light sources when you are...
Here are products and resources that can be used in the cubicle or office to make your life as a Highly Sensitive Person a little better.
Something weird has happened to me over the past ten years or so. I’ve slowly gotten more and more scared of turbulence on airplanes. It’s now to the point where I’m barely fighting off a panic attack. When I was younger, I enjoyed turbulence. I would snicker when I...
We’ve all heard about anger management–what about anxiety management? Now, not every highly sensitive person struggles with anxiety, but many of us do. Anger management teaches people how to understand and acknowledge their feelings and anger. Us anxious...
Is there a connection between being a highly sensitive person and depression? According to Dr. Elaine Aron’s research: Yes and No; it depends. To super-simplify: If an HSP grew up in a non-supportive environment, they are more likely to be depressed. If an HSP...
Decision-free living. Did that phrase give you goosebumps? It did for me. Do you realize how much of your energy and power that decision-making takes from you over the course of a day? Let’s look at how HSPs approach decision making. We thoroughly examine (and...
Amy over at Nomadtopia is spending a few weeks in Bali and has discovered lots of menacing stray dogs hanging out near her apartment. She found herself feeling fearful and stressed about having to walk by and encounter these scary canines. Her anxiety would rise...
White noise is amazing for helping drown out noise of the world. Learn about pink noise vs white noise and the best white noise machines!
People who know me are sometimes surprised that I travel as much as I do, since I don’t seem like the most laid-back person ever. Since little things tend to bother me more than the average person, you’d think independent travel would be more difficult...
I’m learning every day how to better manage my needs as a person with high sensitivity and introversion. Like I always say, folks, it’s about acknowledging, accepting, and adjusting! I do feel frustrated and even mad at myself sometimes because I have to...
I wish I was normal and that little things didn’t bother me so much. Do you hate being highly sensitive and wish you knew how to be less sensitive?
Storytime. Several years ago, I kept getting this feeling like my heart was skipping a beat, or that it was beating double occasionally. I had lots of tests done, and it was determined that I have mitral valve prolapse (MVP), a really common heart disease–but no...
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Yesterday I was talking to my mom on the phone and she described a super-HSP moment. She was a regular during the drop-in times at the local tennis club. One day, the club announced that instead of just showing up to play (the definition of “drop-in”),...
Do you have a hard time making decisions? HSPs are cautious decision-makers who weigh every piece of information before making a choice.
I’ve always thought of myself as a “night” person. Not because I like to party, but because I like staying up late after everyone else in my house is asleep. Last night, when I was typing away at 2am, I realized why I’m a night owl. Because...
