Do you dread waking up anxious? Here are 3 ways to prevent it
If you often find yourself waking up anxious, a proactive approach will make a big difference in breaking the pattern. When my son was a tiny baby, I carried him everywhere in a cloth sling close to my chest. He slept contentedly, curled up and out of sight, while I...
Thoughts about HSPs and aging—at any age
The news about HSPs and aging is nuanced and complex. One thing is certain, though: your self-care has a major effect on your physical and mental health as you age. I received a thoughtful email from a reader some months ago, commenting that she’d had a hard time...
Do you overdraw your energy account?
When you overdraw your energy account, you feel crummy. Even so, it can be hard to accept the choices this forces you to make as a sensitive person. I’ll never forget the look the student health center doctor gave me when I showed up in her office one morning. I was a...
Feeling self-doubt? Try this antidote.
When you find yourself feeling self-doubt—a widespread challenge for HSPs—identifying and honoring your needs is a powerful way to restore your equanimity. This is the glory time of year for our dahlias. The plants respond to the cooler nights with a riot of blooms,...
Do you trust your spiritual intuition?
Learning to recognize and trust your spiritual intuition is an essential task if you are highly sensitive. I remember all too well the first time I consciously recognized my spiritual intuition—that deeper knowing that serves as the foundation of a sustainable, happy...
The latest research on HSPs and sleep: bad news and good news
Here I offer nuggets from the latest research on HSPs and sleep—a highly pertinent topic for sensitive people. Who could possibly resist this face? My son couldn’t… he found this kitten under the dumpster after work the other night. You can guess what happened next....
I love lists… but lists can be dangerous
I'm a big fan of lists, but lists can be dangerous for HSPs. Here’s how to avoid the pitfalls of a bad list. I love lists. I’m like Toad in Arnold Lobel’s children’s books about the adventures of Frog and Toad: One morning Toad sat in bed. "I have many things to do,"...
Three powerful metaphors to help you cultivate Loving Adult Presence when your inner world gets crazy
As highly sensitive people, we need to cultivate Loving Adult Presence to be able to hold all that goes on in us. Here’s how. With gratitude to Dr. Elaine Aron for defining them, I’ve often mentioned the four key tasks highly sensitive people need to complete in order...
Do “small things” bother you? Perhaps they aren’t as small as you think.
If small things bother you, how do you handle it? This is a challenge for many HSPs. When I spotted this small, jewel-like bug in our garden, I found myself thinking about the small things that bug us. I’m not talking about small physical stuff, like scratchy tags,...
How to be with despair
Difficult as it sounds, you can learn how to be with despair. We need this skill now more than ever. If you are highly sensitive, then you’ve likely experienced despair. I used to believe that if I evolved enough or did enough inner work or “got my s— together” once...