Why is it so hard just to be yourself?

Why is it so hard just to be yourself?

Is it OK just to be yourself? Reflecting deeply on this question can reveal the next steps on your  path to healing anxiety and shame. Last October, I published a post called I can only relax when I’m alone.  That article got more responses than any other I had ever... Read more
Do you back down to avoid conflict?

Do you back down to avoid conflict?

Many sensitive people back down to avoid conflict, fearing the intense overarousal conflict can cause. But avoiding conflict takes its own toll on you and your relationships. Is there a better way?  Elaine Aron says overarousal is the biggest relationship challenge... Read more
Why mess equals stress for sensitive people

Why mess equals stress for sensitive people

For many sensitive people, mess equals stress. We can’t change our temperament, and we can’t avoid making messes. What’s a person to do?   My friend, who is also a highly sensitive person (HSP), called to say the chaos in her apartment was driving... Read more
How do you handle an emotional shock?

How do you handle an emotional shock?

Most of us have our ways of recovering from every-day relationship “bumps”….but how do you handle an emotional shock? Talking yourself out of it unfortunately doesn’t work, as I was reminded last week. One night not long ago I walked full-force into a wall. I... Read more
6 relationship benefits of deliberate forgetting

6 relationship benefits of deliberate forgetting

In our closest relationships, attentiveness and memory are key…but forgetting has benefits too. The venerable Alexander Pope rightfully declared that “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”So I hope he’ll forgive me for offering you my own version of his famous... Read more
“Being inside my body is so difficult”

“Being inside my body is so difficult”

Silvia wrote me to say, “Being inside my body is so difficult.” She wondered if Focusing might help. Yes. Focusing can help a lot—by shifting the inner relationship between our ill body and our inner parts that (understandably) hate feeling sickness or pain.  Thanks... Read more