Understanding your HSP trait, Part 1: Depth of Processing
Depth of processing is the central attribute of the highly sensitive trait. The better you understand how it manifests in you, the better you can care for yourself. In this four-part series, I'll explore the four key characteristics all highly sensitive people (HSPs)...
1 camel +2 HSPs + 5 border crossings = manageable craziness…with the right self-care
Before I update you on last week's adventures, welcome to all of you who are new subscribers. Thanks for reading....and thanks to all of you who have read what I write and still come back for more! In the last Listening Post I explored why I sometimes break my own HSP...
I’m breaking my self-care rules this week. Here’s why.
I'm embarking on a crazy scheme tomorrow, involving one U-Haul truck, two boats, four border crossings, a futon set...and eleven hours on the road. I've written no fewer than 44 articles here in the Listening Post about about HSP self-care. That self-care...
When you need relief on the spot from intense emotions: try heart breathing
What can you do when intense emotions come up in a public situation? Privacy is not an option, yet you need a way to calm yourself and be present with what is coming up for you. If we were in a session, I'd take you through a whole-body lead-in. This is a powerful...
3 blocks to asking for what you need…and how to overcome them
In the last Listening Post I talked about "love as a feeling" vs "love as a need." When you see love as a need, you are empowered to meet that need for yourself or for others. However, in love relationships and in other areas of our lives, many HSPs find it...
Is love a feeling or a need? Here’s why your answer matters.
Like many HSP's I fall hard when I fall in love. It was like that from the start. My teen romances felt like the Queen hit, Crazy little thing called love: This thing (this thing)/Called love (called love) It cries like a baby/In a cradle all night It swings (woo...
Let your clean boundaries be the “bad cop” so you can be the “good cop”
Many sensitive people suffer unnecessary stress when they fall victim to the biggest boundary-setting mistakes. Thanks to our neighbor who makes these amazing snow monsters every year, I have the perfect visual representation of the way I end up feeling when I fail to...
Do you experience symptoms of subtle trauma? Here are six paths to relief
Fortunately, HSPs have a number of resources we can turn to for relief from subtle trauma. Here are six of them. Many sensitive people experience subtle trauma. If you've recognized it in yourself, what is the next step? This is territory that can be very...
Don’t let fear of newness make you miss out
Why would I say I'm going to do something—something I really want to do— then not do it? I've been pondering that since our first trip to the Adirondacks last month. We both love hiking in the mountains, and we had talked for several years about getting there. Why on...
Why does it feel risky to talk about our HSP spirituality?
My friend Kaitlyn sends me her beautiful photos to use in the Listening Post. Last month she sent me this photo along with a note that said, "I haven't been able to pick up my camera lately...so I decided to share with you this hand painted mandala longboard I...