Posts about Rants

This Freaking Nectarine: An Ode to Fruit

This Freaking Nectarine: An Ode to Fruit

It boggles my mind that anything can taste this incredible. This freaking nectarine is so perfectly sweet, tangy, and juicy that it makes my eyes roll back in my head. Even as it just sat there in my fruit bowl, it gave off a heady fragrance that made me think of...
One step forward….one step back.

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...
Eating outside is overrated

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...
Turn the volume down. I can’t hear you.

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

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”

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)

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

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.

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

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...
Bad news: we can’t change the world to fit our needs

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

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,...
Why do we equate “sensitive” with “weak”?

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 Hate Talking on the Phone

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 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...
Remembering the dreaded “Class Participation”

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 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...
“I Hate Sensitive People”

“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

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

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

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?

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...