Guarding your heart is a powerful concept that can shape your entire life journey. For those of us who are more sensitive than others, guarding your heart and mind isn't just a nicety, it's an essential. Guarding your heart as a highly sensitive person is about being mindful of what you allow into your innermost being - your thoughts, emotions, and core values. By carefully protecting your heart, you set the foundation for a life of purpose and fulfillment.... Read More
Why Do Sensitive People Struggle More with Friendships?
For many highly sensitive people, navigating friendships can be tricky territory. Because we tend to feel things quite intensely, overthink what we say and do, and sometimes over-connect with people in our attempts to show our affection, sensitive people struggle more with friendships. Moreover, you likely find that deep, meaningful connections are a non-negotiable need, and anything less can be unsettling or dissatisfying.... Read More
The Essential Guide to Empaths and Narcissists
Navigating relationships can be complex, especially if you're a highly sensitive person. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by toxic interactions, you might find value in The Highly Sensitive Person's Guide to Dealing with Toxic People by Shahida Arabi. There does seem to be a connection between HSPs, empaths and narcissists, and this helpful book is an essential guide. This book offers practical insights for reclaiming your power and setting boundaries with difficult individuals.... Read More
Is Hypersensitivity the Same as Being Highly Sensitive?
You might be wondering if hypersensitivity is the same as being a highly sensitive person. You're not alone, as I have wondered this myself. Through working with writers, editors, and creative people, I've noticed over the years that some people are quick to judge you, to jump down your throat, or quick to point out your flaws and insecurities. While I've always known I'm a sensitive person (even before I read about the HSP trait), it still bothered me that some people responded in emotionally volatile that left me feeling a sense of unpredictability and fear when having to deal with them. ... Read More
10 Options to Enhance Resilience While Navigating Life’s Challenges
In graduate school, I learned through personal experience how resilience in the face of challenge is something that can be learned and developed through the process of navigating life's challenges head-on. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.” Many highly sensitive people can learn to successfully navigate life's challenges by enhancing their resilience.... Read More
3 Surprising HSP Benefits of Connecting with Nature
Small or large, salty or fresh, waves connect me to nature. And like most highly sensitive people (HSPs), being connected to nature is very good for my body, mind, and spirit. You might be interested in these three surprising HSP benefits of connecting with nature. I hope they encourage you to take regular time to connect with nature. ... Read More
7 Presentations of Both High Sensitivity and Trauma
There’s a segment of the population that experiences life more vividly, more emotionally, and overall more sensitively. These Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) exhibit distinguishable characteristics, many of which are similar, if not seemingly identical, to symptoms of trauma. For HSPs with a background of trauma, one question understandably arises: Can trauma cause high sensitivity? In this article, we'll look at seven presentations of both high sensitive and trauma to see if we can shed more light on these topics.... Read More
Silencing HSP Negative Self-Talk in 4 Simple Steps
As an extremely self-aware highly sensitive person (HSP), I have realized that over the years, I have spent an exorbitant amount of time listening to my internal negative self-talk and even more time analyzing why my inner-critic speaks so loudly, where it came from, when did that voice start, and how the blazes do I shut it up. Silencing HSP negative self-talk is no easy task, to say the least.... Read More
New Study Reveals the Impact of Psychological Stress on HSPs
Recent studies in health psychology suggest a potential link between sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) and and the impact of psychological stress. SPS is the clinical name for the highly sensitive person (HSP) trait, as researched by Dr. Elaine Aron. This interesting study conducted by Jordan Buren and Dr. Grant Benham was reported by Sensitivity Research, one of the only research institutions devoted to the HSP trait. ... Read More
4 Strategies to Equip Yourself When Oversensitive to Criticism
If you’re a highly sensitive person, the word “criticism” might make you cringe. You may even consider it a dirty word. What others think to be constructive and helpful criticism can feel like destructive criticism to an HSP. In this article, we’ll explore why HSPs often struggle with criticism and offer some strategies for how to equip yourself when oversensitive to criticism.... Read More