Stonewalling: What It Is, When It’s Abuse, and What to Do
Conflict is natural and happens in every intimate relationship. There’s nothing wrong with conflict if we have healthy ways to deal with it. The problem arises when we resort to destructive conflict styles. One example is known as stonewalling, which occurs when one person goes silent in response to conflict. You may have experience with...
Sensitivity is a Superpower: A Resource from a Highly Sensitive Child
A Resource Written by a Highly Sensitive Child The following guide comes from an 11-year old highly sensitive child, Joshua Harper Rautenbach, with permission to publish from his parents. Joshua reached out to me from Singapore for a school research project in which he set out to understand his own sensitivity as a superpower. In our...
HSPs and Emotional Neglect: Common Struggles & How to Heal
If your emotional needs as an HSP were ignored or ridiculed growing up, you‘re not alone. It’s not uncommon for HSPs to experience emotional neglect by caregivers. As an HSP, you have unique emotional needs, most of which you arrived into this world with, due to your genetic trait. Some families have an understanding of how to support highly...
For Highly Sensitive People Who Feel the Pain of the World
Do you feel the pain of the world as a highly sensitive person? Do you want to do something but don't know where to start? Do you tend to shut down when you feel overwhelmed? Maybe you wonder if anything you do will even matter. As a highly sensitive person who has felt the pain of the world since I was child, I get it. I know these anxieties and...
Autumn Anxiety and HSPs: Why You Feel It and How to Cope
The following article on autumn anxiety and HSPs was originally written for Highly Sensitive Refuge under the title "For Highly Sensitive People, Autumn Anxiety Is Real". Do you experience anxiety when fall sweeps in? If your mood and energy suddenly feel off balance at this time of year, you’re not alone. As a highly sensitive person (HSP), I’ve...
Spiritual Bypass: 5 Common Examples, Why It Happens, and What to Do
Spiritual bypass is a term that describes attempts to rise above and effectively deny unpleasant emotions, experiences, and realities in order to feel good and avoid discomfort and painful truths. Leer en español con Yoga en Red: Bypass espiritual: 5 ejemplos comunes, por qué sucede y qué hacer) Listen to my podcast interview with The Outerknown:...
Highly Sensitive Activists: Your Sustainable Fuel for the Long Haul
Highly sensitive activist? Is this a thing? Honestly, I’m not sure, but I invite you to come forth and make it one because your care, complexity, and courage are needed. Whether you already see yourself as a highly sensitive activist or are reluctant to consider yourself as such, I believe you’ll find the tips in this article helpful in how you...
8 HSP Holiday Anxiety Triggers + How to Cope
Do you face HSP holiday anxiety? First off, you don’t have to be highly sensitive to experience holiday anxiety. There are enough pressures, time crunches, and social marathons to cause even our non-HSP friends to feel stressed. However, there are some triggers that only HSPs understand. And even universal holiday anxiety triggers tend to affect...
6 Common Leadership Challenges of the Highly Sensitive Leader
This article was originally written for Highly Sensitive Refuge under the title "6 Challenges Every HSP Leader Must Face — And How to Overcome Them". Many highly sensitive people (HSPs) are natural leaders. As an HSP, you have a unique way of seeing the world, which is likely accompanied by a high level of emotional intelligence and deep...
Feeling Self-Critical? How to Transform Self-Criticism as an HSP
Transforming Self-Criticism as an HSPYou know how your sensitivity can feel like a weakness, but it can actually be one of your greatest sources of strength? Well, what if I told you that critical voice in your head has similar aspects? What if your inner critic could indeed shift from being a voice of shame to a voice of empowerment?...