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. Sometimes this was a […]

I love listening to white noise

A few years ago, I discovered the site Simply Noise. With just a few clicks, it plays white noise and even pink or brown noise on your computer (there’s an app, too). This website saved me many times when I was in a noisy office, or when people in the cubicles next to me were […]

Feeling Overwhelmed When Nothing is Wrong

Have you ever had the feeling of being overwhelmed, but you didn’t know why? Maybe there aren’t any huge problems or stresses in your life, but still you feel cranky and annoyed by everything. I find that these feelings come about when I’m overstimulated or have spent too much time in social situations, and I […]

Highly Sensitive Person Travel Tips

People who know me well are sometimes surprised that I travel as much as I do. My husband and I have been on the road the past 7 months, traveling through Mexico, Cuba, France, Hungary, Poland, Bosnia, Bali, Australia, Thailand, and Cambodia on a budget. Prior to this trip, we’ve spent time in the Middle […]

Being highly sensitive helps me relate to people with a mental illness

Have you ever watched the show Homeland? The main character, Carrie, portrayed by Claire Danes, struggles with bipolar disorder. Even though I have never known anyone who is bipolar, I feel like Danes does a great job acting what must be a tough role. I believe her when she is being irrational and acting out on the […]

Sensitive to Physical Violence: Boxing’s Not For Me

I recently went to a Muay Thai fight in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’ve never seen boxing or fighting in real life before. I was looking forward to an interesting night. I know I am sensitive to violence in movies, so I wondered if seeing people hit each other would bother me. And yeah, it kind of […]

Intense feelings upon seeing beggars or the homeless

I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and I’ve seen people all over the world who are begging on the street or homeless. In Thailand, especially, we’ve seen people missing limbs and with severe physical disfigurement. In Bangkok, we saw a woman sitting on the street, begging, with what looked like large tumors hanging off her […]

The Worst Places on Earth for HSPs

Overstimulation. Noise, chaos, bright lights, smells, crowds. These are the highly sensitive person’s kryptonite. There are some places that have overstimulation in spades, and it’s best you avoid them if you don’t want to ruin your day. Here’s my list of the WORST possible places I can imagine as an HSP. Casinos Overstimulation to the max. A […]

Finding the “stasis of peace”

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 do so many things that aren’t “normal” just to feel comfortable. I […]

Sorry if This is a Bit Dark: Hating my Sensitivity

Warning: This is a bit dark. I hate that I’m highly sensitive. I wish I was normal. I wish I wasn’t bothered by so many small things. I wish I could just be happy instead of always wishing things were better. And these feelings make me angry at myself. Why do I have to complain […]