“Caretaking” vs “caring for:” why HSPs really need to understand the difference

Dec 10, 2024 | 1 comment

“Caretaking” vs “caring for:”  the health of your relationships lies in your ability to discern the difference. Arjuna—the street cat we took in a month ago—has been teaching me the truth of the saying that “dogs have masters; cats have staff.”... Read more

My calm HSP life has been shaken up—by a cat

Nov 26, 2024 | 4 comments

When your calm HSP life has been shaken up, it helps to notice that along with the stress comes aliveness.   My partner (who is also a highly sensitive person) and I lead a calm HSP life. Or we did, until three weeks ago. That’s when we brought home this beautiful... Read more

“My colleagues at work have labeled me sensitive”

Jun 4, 2024 | 2 comments

Being highly sensitive is a good thing, but being labeled “sensitive” is no fun. A reader, who I will call Elena, wrote to me recently to describe the discouraging situation she finds herself in at work: I’ve had a few experiences recently where my colleagues at... Read more

Why a faux apology feels awful…and how to make a real one

May 2, 2023 | 0 comments

We all know a faux apology feels awful. Once you understand exactly why, you empower yourself to make true apologies. Growing up, my family used to play a game called “Sorry!” “Sorry” was simple, but brutal. You rolled the dice, then moved your colored piece forward.... Read more

Saying goodbye to my dad

Mar 7, 2023 | 17 comments

My dad died last Saturday. He was 87. He had been in hospice home care for seven months as his heart slowly gave out. I’ve put aside the article I had been working on for today. It’s an important one, about apologies. I’ll finish it at some point. But since my dad... Read more