Why creating a sustainable sensitive life requires tough choices
To make the tough choices required to create and maintain a sustainable sensitive life, I rely on Focusing every day. I’ve had a recurring dream over the past twenty years. My vacation in Hawaii is over. I’m driving my rental car back to the airport. And suddenly I’m...
Why a faux apology feels awful…and how to make a real one
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....
Use this 4-4-6-2 breath practice for serious overwhelm
Do you have a reliable breath practice for serious overwhelm? For an HSP, an industrial strength calming resource is life-changing. I recently remarked to my partner, “I hardly ever get overwhelmed anymore!” Ha. My hubris was promptly rewarded. Our refrigerator died,...
Thank you
In eight years of writing these articles, I don’t think I’ve ever paused simply to thank you all for reading them. I’m happy to have a chance to do that. Hello dear readers, I've taken the past week to rest after returning from my dad's memorial service. I had a...
7 steps to tap the wisdom of your vivid dreams
Do you have vivid dreams? Most highly sensitive people do…and our dreams are a powerful resource of wisdom and insight. Years ago, in graduate school, I had a nightmare in which someone I knew and loved turned on me and tried to kill me. I woke up terrified. After...
Saying goodbye to my dad
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...
The high cost of not accepting your sensitivity
Not accepting your sensitivity can feel “normal” if you grew up being criticized for being “too sensitive.” But HSPs pay a heavy price for trying to be “normal.” As a kid, I felt like the Ugly Duckling: chronically awkward and self-conscious. If you had asked me why,...
4 practices to move towards a more sustainable HSP life
To build a more sustainable HSP life, you need a long-term vision and moment-by-moment awareness. What does it mean to live a sustainable sensitive life? Clearly, there can be no single blueprint for a highly sensitive person. After all, we represent a fifth or more...
The danger of overriding your HSP “pause to check” habit
Are you intimately familiar with your HSP pause-to-check habit? Understanding it will help you approach new situations with both confidence and self-acceptance. Remember the rule we learned when we were old enough to start crossing the street by ourselves?...
Do you need more spaciousness in your life?
The New Year is the perfect time to assess whether you need more spaciousness in your life…because spaciousness is a key element of a sustainable sensitive life. I have a New Year’s question for you: do you have enough spaciousness in your life? Do you have time… …to...