Posts about Rants
HSP Podcast #66: The worst places in the world for an HSP
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/66._World_places_on_earth_for_HSPs.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS Overstimulation. Noise, chaos, bright lights, smells, crowds. These are the highly sensitive...
The Highly Sensitive Writer: I Really Love Words & Fonts
Since I was a young child, it seemed that being a writer was my destiny. Many HSPs and introverts prefer expressing themselves through the written word. I’m also fascinated by fonts.
One step forward….one step back.
Journalists and writers seemingly can’t help themselves. When they write an article about Highly Sensitive People, they just can’t stop themselves from sticking in pejorative, judgmental language. Sometimes it’s so minor that it’s hard to...
High sensitivity isn’t a problem that needs to be fixed
“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...
Response to the Wall Street Journal article, “Do You Cry Easily? You May Be a Highly Sensitive Person”
A few days ago, an article was published in the WSJ titled, “Do You Cry Easily? You May Be a ‘Highly Sensitive Person.'” The subtitle: “HSPs can respond more intensely to sounds or crowds; ‘I keep tissues handy at all times.'” It was...
HSP Podcast #39: Responding to the Haters
One of the reasons being a Highly Sensitive Person is tough is because a lot of people don’t believe that high sensitivity is a legitimate thing. This episode is about dealing with those haters.
Eating outside is overrated
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...
The Importance of Caring Less at Your Office Job
Stress from a job can sometimes be alleviated by doing one thing: caring less. This might be easier said than done for a Highly Sensitive Person, who just cares *so* much about everything.
Turn the volume down. I can’t hear you.
mini-rant! The other day, Jim & I were hanging out at our friends’ house, just chatting for hours. I enjoy that. It’s so much better than going to a bar to hang out. I’d rather be at someone’s house, where the environment is controlled and...
HSP Podcast #17: Sensory Processing Sensitivity
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,...
Let’s “get some drinks”
After going to a party, a group dinner, or hanging out with people, extraverts will often say: Where are we going next? It reminds me of something my super-extravert husband does that drives me up the wall. We’ll have a lovely dinner with friends, and...
HSP Podcast #8: I’m So Jumpy! (Loud Noises and Sudden Sounds)
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/HSP_ep8_why_am_i_so_jumpy-.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSI am jumpy. I’ve been scared by my own shadow (no joke). Just last night, I was using my iPhone as a flashlight in the dark, when...
Incontinuities and Illogicalities Ruin Movies & TV
I was watching Big Bang Theory today. In the episode, Leonard was being sent on a trip to Switzerland to observe the Hadron Collider. The entire episode was about Sheldon trying to convince Leonard to take him on the trip instead of Penny, since it had been...
I’m not lazy…HSPs just need more sleep.
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...
Shower time: I Hate Feeling Dirty
I know I run the risk of sounding too damn negative all the time — “I hate this”, “I can’t stand that” — but these are truly the phrases people search for that lead them here. I could write a catchier title, but then how would...
HSP Podcast #4: Rant Against Working in an Office Cubicle
http://media.blubrry.com/hsp/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/highlysensitiveperson/HSP_ep4_cubicle_battles.mp3Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSSThis episode is a rant. I want you to understand that before you listen. If you don’t like...
Bad news: we can’t change the world to fit our needs
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...
Parties
I thought I was better at parties. My husband and I have a number of “couple friends”, i.e., other couples who are our friends. We’ve known them for years, we hang out regularly, and I enjoy spending time with them. Whenever we went to parties,...
Should you tell people that you are an HSP?
Learning about being one of these Highly Sensitive People can be life-changing. But should you tell other people about your discovery?
How cool would a fitness gym for HSPs and introverts be?!
The Social Anxiety / Shyness / Introvert / HSP Gym has dividers between every treadmill, every stationary bike, and every weight bench–kind of like cubicles. There is an indicator light above each machine area to let you know if it’s occupied. The gym has...
Why do we equate “sensitive” with “weak”?
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 reminded that most people don’t understand (or respect) high sensitivity
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 Hate Talking on the Phone
File this under “social anxiety.” The other day, a friend rang me. I saw her name pop up on my phone. I like this friend a lot, but I HATE talking on the phone. I audibly groaned and felt guilty as I stared at the ringing phone and decided to ignore the...
I Can’t Shop When People are Waiting for Me
I’ve never been able to shop with other people. Especially when someone is waiting for me. Just the idea of it sounds awful. There have been times when my husband and I are at the mall, and I need to buy something, and he’s in a generous mood and tells me...
Having “plans” weighs on me all day
If I have one thing to do in a day, it weighs on me all day long. Even if it’s something enjoyable. There will be a kernel of anxiety in my brain all day, until the event happens.
A Rant Against Job Interviews (Plus, 3 interview tips anyway)
I think it’s fair to say that most people dislike job interviews. And for HSPs, they are extra super not-fun. My rant: Unless you are interviewing for a job where interviewing will be your function, then being judged by your performance in an interview doesn’t...
Remembering the dreaded “Class Participation”
Going through old boxes of stuff at my parents’ house, I found this progress report from a religion class I attended in first grade, when I was about 6 years old. Classic!!! Check it out–I’ve got perfect marks on everything, except a C in “oral...
Brainstorming without talking: “Brainswarming”
Brainstorming is played out. Does anyone really use it as a way to solve problems anymore? It seems as out-of-touch as dial-up modems and AOL. There must be better ways to solve problems while harnessing the power of a bunch of brains at once, but how? Recent articles...
Mental Self-Flagellation: When I Screw Up, No One is Madder than Me
I do freelance work. The person I work for assigns me tasks from her own clients. The other day, I completed a project for her and submitted an online proposal for one of her clients. About five minutes later, I realized I had made a huge, huge mistake. I submitted...
All the Battles I Fought When I Worked in a Cubicle
Bright lights. A painful chair. Odors. Lack of privacy, quiet, and control. That’s office life. As an HSP, I’m highly tuned in to my environment and lots of little things become big things since I can’t stop obsessing over them.
“I Hate Sensitive People”
I discovered that some people were finding my blog by searching for the phrase, “I hate sensitive people.” Hi there, you!!!! I used to dislike sensitive people, too. When I was younger, I thought showing sensitivity was a weakness. I wanted to be tough....
The right to silence trumps the right to noise
I remember the time when I heard someone playing music in their cubicle. It was several cubes away, but I could still faintly hear it. I worked in a cube farm, as it is so affectionately called. Dozens and dozens of cubicles all next to each other in a giant room. I...
Don’t Stand Over Me While I’m Working
HSPs generally perform poorly when being watched, and yeah, I can totally confirm this. One of my old bosses would sometimes stand right over me and watch me while I did things on the computer. It was so insufferable that I called him out on it. I probably said...
My Goal is to Take Down Bright Lights in the Workplace
In all three of my previous office jobs, I had to be moved to a different spot in the office because I was bothered by the bright, fluorescent office lights. (In all three instances, this put me in a location in the building far away from the rest of my department....
Why Don’t People Know When to be Quiet?
So I’m working on my laptop in a huge public library. It’s a giant room filled with 4-seater tables filled with people on laptops or studying. I was the only one at my table when three people came and sat down. No big deal. It became apparent that two of...Check out my book!
