Let me start by admitting that I never planned to pursue an academic career in the first place. As a result, I don’t have a typical university professor background. Whilst growing up in Switzerland, music was my main passion. I played various instruments and dreamt of touring the world as a bass guitarist. And in […]
If You Can Manage It, Be Sure to Do What You Want
As some of you know, I took off three months from my usual tasks (mostly answering emails, doing interviews, speaking, etc.) to focus more on writing and research. I was surprised by how happy it made me. Almost ecstatic! I realize that I thrive on being creative, as do most HSPs, and I have not […]
Excerpt from Bill Allen’s Confessions of a Highly Sensitive Man, Chapter 3: Being Different Growing Up
Excerpt from Bill Allen’s Confessions of a Highly Sensitive Man, Chapter 3: Being Different Growing Up Quiet and Alone I was a shy child and introverted. One of my earliest recollections was around the age of four. My parents had switched churches, and I can clearly remember the first Sunday we attended the new church. […]
Does this work for me?
Guest blog, “Does this work for me?” written by Tom Falkenstein, psychotherapist and author reflects on the publication of his book “The Highly Sensitive Man” On a rainy evening in London in Spring 2015, I decided to write a book about highly sensitive men. Although only a little over five years ago now, it feels […]
Coping with Uncertainty
I do not have to tell HSPs that we are now mired in personal and global uncertainty, because we hate uncertainty. We always process decisions deeply (e.g., struggle), and it’s hardest when there are so many uncertainties and future influences that we can think of all too well but cannot control. Right now, almost everything […]
Quiet Leadership
“That’s just the point: an honest and sensitive man opens his heart, and the man of business goes on eating – and then he eats you up.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky The year 2020 has started off with a bang and our world is upside down in many ways as COVID19 has brought us an unprecedented […]
Notes from a Highly Sensitive Person of Color – By Will Harper
I was born a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and a Person of Color (POC) in the good ole’ USA. My mother was a beautiful and caring ethnically mixed HSP, Josephine Valorie (French, Native American, and Caribbean) and my father was, unfortunately, a confused, Black, non –HSP, whom I will call Mr. Man. My Mom is […]
Why Can’t I Just be Normal?
By John Hughes Why can’t I just be normal? That question resonated with me. Deeply. It came from one of the men attending the first highly sensitive men’s conference this past March in Scotts Valley, California. I wrote it down. And I’ve thought about it since then. A lot. It truly describes how I feel […]
Sheltering in Place for HSPs who are Parents or Part of a Couple
“Hope is not a matter of waiting for things outside of us to get better. It is about getting better inside about what is going on outside.” -Joan Chittister I know there is now a great deal of advice out there for managing during this time, but I thought I would add some especially for […]
Big Picture Living During a Time of Global Crisis
Lately, I have been speaking about one way to reduce anxiety (a normal feeling for HSPs): Look at the big picture. I advise it now more than ever: Maintain the big picture. How? Ask yourself, what are your real risks? (Don’t minimize, but don’t catastrophize either.) What will things be like a year from now? Even two […]