Unapologetically Sensitive

Managing Crises as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Do you tend to over function when there is a crisis? Do you push through even though it's not the best for you? Do you allow yourself to ask for help and get support? I was in the middle of a crisis when I recorded this, and I wanted to share my observations; what was helpful, and what things were challenging.   You don't have to do things alone....

Welcoming Your Own Humanness with Self-Compassion Guest host Jen Perry shares her gremlins about recording for me this week and being unapologetic about it.   She talks about valuing self-compassion over self-esteem.   Jen talks about how to slow the process down and create peace in the moment to help you soften.   She talks about why curiosity and kindness support self-compassion. Jen talks about...

Juggling Priorities & Managing Self-Care How do you manage prioritizing your own self-care when life is hectic and busy? Are you able to be flexible when things change, and can you ask to have your needs met?   If not, what gets in the way? When plans change, are you able to have self-compassion for yourself and others, or do you get angry and upset that things haven't gone as planned? I got a pup...

Vulnerability and Intimacy in Relationships   Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) often don't reach out when they need support because they are afraid that they will overwhelm others with their intense feelings, or that the other person won't be there for them, or will disappoint them.   Jen and I talk about what it's like to show up for each other when we're having an emotionally intense time.   We ta...

Self-Care for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents Dr. Lindsay Gibson, author of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, and Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents talks about self-care in regards to self-confidence, security, self-connection, self-awareness and emotional self-protection. She talks about how being an adult child impacts a person's choices and behaviors in r...

TITLE Sitting with Intense Feelings, AND Noticing What's Right. GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW I got my feelings hurt a few times this past week, and it's been hard.   I spent 3 days crying, and it triggered some trauma from my past.   This was NOT my baseline, but I was incredibly sensitive and kept getting my feelings hurt.   I was also able to feel the connection and support I had at the s...

TITLE Listener Question: Being New in a Group that doesn't Understand the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) GUEST Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC EPISODE OVERVIEW A listener wrote in and asked how to be mindful when being new to a group that doesn't understand High Sensitivity. Jen and I talk about common barriers & fears that can come up when joining a group. We talk about confirmation bias and how that has...

TITLE Practicing Self Trust as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW Learning to listen to yourself as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) can be challenging.   When do you push and when do you rest? Your perception of yourself may be different than how others see you. I talk about feeling stuck, needing support, asking for help, and having someone remind me that I do bet...

TITLE Social Anxiety and the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)   GUEST Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC EPISODE OVERVIEW A listener wrote in and said she has social anxiety and finds it hard to talk to people. She gets anxious that she won't be able to communicate her thoughts clearly, or that she'll be misunderstood, or she'll lose her train of thought.   She also finds it difficult to talk about her own exp...

TITLE Navigating Social Situations as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW I recently attended a holiday party, and I observed the different stages I went through: feeling engaged and comfortable.   Then I had to set a boundary.   Then all of a sudden, something snapped, and I was done talking, and I wanted to go outside.   I found myself sitting alone, and I wondere...

TITLE Social Anxiety and Confidence in the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)   GUEST Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC EPISODE OVERVIEW A listener wrote in and said she doesn't feel like she's good at talking, and how can she manage her anxiety and gain confidence. We talk about how the wound of too much & not enough come into play, as well as teasing out if the listener knows what she wants to share, but gets...

TITLE Assessing 2021, and Creating what you want for 2022 GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW There are tools for writing at the end of the year that I've found really helpful. It's a way to acknowledge the gains you've made for the past year, and to talk about what you might want to create for the next year.   You can assess you relationships, finances, spirituality, play, creativity and more. Th...

TITLE Nurturing Authenticity in Relationships   GUEST Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC EPISODE OVERVIEW We talk about how communication is an act of love and an act of service to the relationship.   We talk about the wound of too much ; taking responsibility for others' feelings, and the importance of attachment and repair work.   We explore self-care, boundaries, reality checks and being authentic to see...

TITLE Best of the Podcast: It Was Hard Being Sensitive; But It's Not Hard Now   GUEST   Kelsey Cochrane EPISODE OVERVIEW   Kelsey talks about trying to fit in and learning how to feel her feelings without judging them.   Kelsey started letting others know what she needed, and this has allowed others to also ask for what they want. Kelsey talks about being her own worst enemy, and how she has learn...

TITLE Boundaries, the Holidays and The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) GUEST Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC EPISODE OVERVIEW Expectations around the holidays can cause stress, anxiety, and depression—especially for the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). We focus on setting boundaries, redefining what you want the holidays to look like, and how you can communicate compassionately while maintaining boundaries;...

TITLE I Don't Feel Like I Have to Hide Who I Am GUEST Amelia Breugem, Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist EPISODE OVERVIEW Amelia talks about how she no longer has the fear of being seen, and how she's allowing herself to be in the world without being guarded.   Amelia specializes in working with the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), intuitives and empaths.   Amelia wanted to learn about the trait of...

TITLE Listener Question: Difficulty in Close Relationships GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW This episode addresses boundaries, attachment, codependency, emotional dysregulation, managing conflict, C-PTSD, being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), and more. A listener shared that they struggle with conflict and cannot formulate a response during an argument.   In their family, there were explosive...

TITLE The Strength and Fortitude You Have as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), you may be more impacted by having strong emotional responses/reactions. You may have experienced trauma. You may have to rumble with your gremlins, shame, recovery, fears, and doubts. It's crucial to acknowledge that you got through it. You survived....

TITLE Making Ourselves Small, so Others Don't Feel Uncomfortable GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW We often are told to smile, be polite, to not make waves, and we lose our authentic spunky self. We learn that it's not ok to be authentic, or to say what we're really feeling (if we even know what that is) because we don't want to make others uncomfortable.   The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is p...

TITLE The Challenges Around Making Decisions—Letting it be Messy GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW Do you tell yourself to slow down when you get excited about something, and feel like you have to get more information? It's easy to get overwhelmed, then to get stuck.   As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), our Depth of Processing can be a gift, and sometimes a challenge.   There are steps you can...

TITLE 3 Year Podcast Anniversary: 7 Strategies for Success Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW Success is not linear.  Nor is it about waiting to have the confidence to do new things.  Success is messy, and it often involves lots of fear, doubt and insecurities.  If we wait until we feel confident, we may never do the thing .  I share 7 strategies I've used that help me as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP...

TITLE Attachment Relationships & The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW Relationships can be challenging—especially when we have attachment injuries and we haven't had healthy role modeling. We may believe we are too much. We want others to show up for us in ways that may not be realistic.  We have experienced hurt, disappointment and frustration. We can get stuck in...

TITLE Some of the Challenges the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Experiences in Groups GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW Joining groups can be painful for the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) for a number of reasons.  Group experiences have left us feeling misunderstood, invalidated, judged and alienated.  Does our previous trauma, play a role in how we approach groups? Being parentified and having t...

TITLE It's OK to Choose and Rechoose GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW Many Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) are often hard on themselves when they don't finish something, or they decide to do something else.  This doesn't equal failure.  It's ok to be undecided; unsure and to re-evaluate. Often if we have experienced CPTSD, we can struggle with trusting ourselves; we can feel overwhelmed, and we...

TITLE I don't want to be defined by my fear GUEST Solo episode EPISODE OVERVIEW My podcast pause turned into a literal break of my wrist.  It is not uncommon for HSPs to experience catastrophic thinking.  We can learn to move from that initial fearful thought into powerful thinking.  We can learn to feel the fear and do the scary thing instead of waiting to feel confident.  We can use mindfulness,...