4 business concepts I use to master HSP “complexity overwhelm”
Until I found effective ways to master HSP “complexity overwhelm”, the demands of contemporary life were making me wish I lived in a cave. Here are four tools I've drawn on from the business world that have helped me not only in my business but in “the business of...
“I can only relax when I’m alone”
Have you ever heard yourself say, "I can only relax when I'm alone"? Sensitive people are keenly attuned to people around us, and for some of us this attunement can morph into exhausting vigilance. Read on to understand how this pattern develops and how you can change...
Taming the Inner Critic
What do we mean by "taming the Inner Critic"? Impossible as it may sound, the only way to transform a Critic is to develop a relationship with it. The Critic needs your respect and trust before it will give up its role. In my favorite cook book, Quick Vegetarian...
Do you “think too much?”
What does it mean to be “in your head too much”? When we drop judgments and simply see our thoughts as messengers, we can learn to manage them. Shakespeare was my father’s first great love (my mother being his second). Our family took in plays whenever we could, and...
6 principles to create a sustainable sensitive life
Are you having trouble managing work? This is a crucial, complex project for those of us who are built sensitive—and a never-ending one. My friend Cynthia eloquently described this sustainability challenge in an email she wrote to me: "Now that I understand I’m an...
3 ways to recognize shame
Once you know how to recognize shame in all its forms, you can begin to heal this most toxic of emotions. When you feel shame, you think you feel awful because you deserve to feel awful. in other words, the shame feels like an inevitable and unavoidable consequence of...
4 ways to manage the overstimulation caused by a big project
How do you manage the overstimulation caused by a big project? Stretching yourself to realize a vision—or cope with a pressing emergency– is bound to leave you overwhelmed at times, especially if you are built sensitive. But with good strategies in place, you can...
Do you find conflict overwhelming?
Many sensitive people find conflict overwhelming. And we can find it particularly daunting to fight with the person to whom we usually turn for comfort and understanding. To keep our relationships healthy, we need ways to keep overarousal at bay—even when the going...
“I have strong fear reactions to things that aren’t in themselves traumatic”
If you have strong fear reactions to small stimuli, you may be experiencing subtle trauma. When you recognize the signs of subtle trauma, you move a step towards healing it. A reader, who I’ll call Sarah, sent me a thoughtful email addressing a topic that closely...
Feeling anxious? Check who’s “behind the wheel” of your mind
Why do you get anxious? We think the cause of our anxiety is external. But the true cause—and the path to relief—nearly always lies within. Imagine you are six years old. You are behind the wheel of a car. You desperately need to get somewhere, and driving is the only...