Highly Sensitive Woman

The experience of living as a highly sensitive woman in a noisy, busy and unrelenting world

Don’t fall flat on your face from Burnout…Prevent it

The City from Tate Modern (Dr Bev’s blackberry)
The City from Tate Modern (Dr Bev’s blackberry)

Since we launched our new website a very few weeks ago we have heard that we actually made burnout  “cool, sexy, and funky”!  We’ve even had someone tell us that they “wished they were burned-out so they could join the realm!”  Great!  We love the enthusiasm BUT you definitely don’t have to be flat on your face from burnout to join the Burnout Queens.  Not at all!  Our biggest hope is that you stop living a burnout lifestyle and prevent yourself from falling flat on your face from burnout.  (In fact burnout makes you accident prone so falling flat on your face is more than just a turn of phrase!  Would you believe it, one of our lovely Burnout Queens actually did take a dive and broke her beautiful nose!)

If we could pick just one thing from our repertoire that would prevent you from burning out what would we pick?  That’s easy!  Put yourself Front & Centre in your life.  That means you taking you and your life seriously.

We wouldn’t think of implying that you aren’t serious about everything you do in life (some of you even get serious about playing) but really, truly, we know your natural tendency is to make sure that everybody else has everything they need and want before you focus on yourself!

There are too many advantages to count to putting yourself  ‘Front & Centre’ in your life, so here’s the crowning glory.  When you live from Front & Centre you will follow your dreams, find your interests, acknowledge your needs, know what you want, choose healthy relationships, and embrace being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).

Sound too good to be true?  What’s the catch?  (tick, tick, tick…thinking) that’s right, there is none!  Life only gets better and better when you choose Front & Centre.  The only thing that can get in your way (ok maybe a couple) is listening to other people who actually like you putting them first (I’m sure you all have one or two of these in your life, I know I do) or listening to the Mind Chatter that is going on in your head,( shhh, listen…)  “I can’t put myself first I have kids;  I’m being selfish;  It’s not nice to be self-centred;  Who do you think you are?  I can’t ask for that, I’ll be a nuisance.”   That’s Mind Chatter whispering or shouting at you to get back in line (that would be behind everyone else in your life)!  Being Front & Centre means believing in yourself and all of your gifts and strengths.  When you do, you will show up BIG TIME in your life…crown and all!  That means more you for you, and more you for those other important people in your life.  It’s a win all around!

We will be rolling out, red carpet and all of course, plenty of classes and programmes, videos and audios all aimed at upping both your skill and capacity to put yourself  Front & Centre in your life.  In the meantime, take time to practice your new attitude!

flourish720

Here’s one great tip!

Visualisation!  Imagine a big ballroom and at one end is a gorgeous velvet and gilt throne; make it any colour you want.  This is where you need to be, this is where you are headed.  It is from this throne that you will direct your life.  See yourself walking straight down that red carpet, donning your tiara and taking your seat.  Sit tall, settle in and make yourself comfy. You have just taken your first and most important step to banishing burnout!  You are Front & Centre in your life.

Until next time, grab life by the crown!   

How to live a Balanced Life

kitchen garden kenwoodIf you’re looking for that thing called Balance, then our 1st video is perfect for you!  “Decide What Balance Means to You” is your first step to living a more balance-friendly life and lifestyle.  What burnout queen doesn’t want that!

Join Dr Toby (one of The Burnout Queens) in the kitchen garden adjacent to Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath, north London and get going!  http://youtu.be/XOmOLYU9bA4

This is the first in our series of 10 videos “10 Key Ways to Make Your Life More Balance Friendly.  Key #2 will be available next week.  In the meantime…

Grab Life by the Crown!

Dr Toby & Dr Bev,  The Burnout Queens

Do you have “The new all-about-me attitude?”

chess pieceJust had a great call with a long-time VIP client who works internationally in the justice system.  She is at the top of her game and has decided to go freelance so that she can free-up her highly pressured lifestyle…somewhat!

Here’s the glitch: making the transition from completely involved prized employee to being freelance is tricky.  It means giving up oodles of control, having the pick of plum projects, and being out-of-the-loop for management decisions.  This is a difficult mind-shift when you have been integral to the company as part of their executive team and in helping the company establish a strong footprint in an international market.

Being an HSP professional makes it even more challenging.  Throw in a burnout personality and it’s dynamite!  The biggest challenge?  Easy!  Learning to put yourself Front & Centre in your life, before company needs.  Learning to say “YES” to your life first and then considering what that means to others involved.  You have to learn to take a deep breath and set firm boundaries, new ones, otherwise it is so easy to keep getting drawn back in to corporate ‘stuff’.  If you say “Yes I’ll help you with that one thing” the message is received as “Yeah! She’s back in!”  It can be a slippery slope and given an HSPs usual caretaker/nurturer personality it is a slope you don’t even recognise being on!

Being tough doesn’t come easily to my HSP professional who has been raised and trained to be responsible, conscientious, and considerate.  No, when she makes the shift to Front & Centre, this new “all about me” attitude and belief system feels selfish, self-centred, and a little like stamping her foot to get what she needs or wants. 

The Burnout Queens ask, “And what’s wrong with that?”  It is all about you when you put yourself Front & Centre in your life.  That is how it ‘should’ be and that is exactly what makes you strong, powerful, confident, and able to do and be your absolute best for yourself and for others.

Like all transitions, going from employed to consultant or freelancer has a steep, but natural, learning curve.  Our natural tendancy is to want to do it fast and do it right.  Like any big transition or change it takes time and patience to navigate the shift, but the outcome is oh so worth it.

The Burnout Queens

The messy or pretty reward game

glam officeWere you rewarded for not being messy or for making your homework really pretty when you were a little girl?

Now that you are all grown up, what has this taught you about how you run your business or your life?

Are you in charge of the annual report and can’t help yourself but make it gorgeous looking?  Are you waiting for praise for that fabulous neat and tidy household of yours?

If you don’t get the rewards (recognition) do you resent others, or think you didn’t do a good enough job to warrant praise?

Leave your thoughts in the realm.

The Burnout Queens

1 125 126 127 128

Photography: Caroline True Photography | Illustration by Veronica Miller | Site Design: Kim McDaniels | Disclaimer