Many years of knowing and working with Highly Sensitive women (and being one myself) has shown me what a diverse group we are. It is nothing short of infuriating to see HSPs portrayed as ‘shrinking violets’ or so vulnerable that they need to take special care when out in the world.
I don’t think I’m the only one that gets annoyed when reading advice suggesting that if you are Highly Sensitive it would be a good idea to notify those around you so that others, at work or at home, can accommodate or make allowances and adjustments for your sensitivities! If that doesn’t set you up to feel ‘different’ in a not-so-good way, or feel like there is something ‘wrong’ with you, I don’t know what would. The attitude of ‘be careful with us’ diminishes us.
We don’t need or want others to ‘be careful with us’ we simply want others to respect who we are, who we were born to be.
Highly Sensitive women are strong, resilient, talented, and quite able to take on the world, thank you very much. We may be quiet and reflective but when we are in full swing, nothing stops us. You may see us as cautious (and truthfully many of us believe we are ‘too’ cautious at times) but we are the members of your team who will see any potential pitfalls or errors, we will ‘cross the T’s and dot the I’s’ so to speak. We see things others do not. Call it intuition, psychic ability, good guessing or enhanced brain waves. Whatever or however you see our ability to read between the lines, you better believe it is real.
Of one thing you can be sure (and proud), whatever we do, we do with heart and soul. And…passion.
Passion fills us with joy. Passion gives us the energy we need to keep going in the face of difficulty. Passion overcomes our fear when we need to fight for what is right and just, two things we passionately believe in.
Without passion we suffocate.
Most people think that anyone who is sensitive is automatically an Introvert. Well, not true. Quite a few highly sensitive individuals are Extroverts and many more are simply able to draw on both their introvert strengths and their extrovert abilities. We are actually very adaptable and flexible! It is true that we often like ‘alone’ time to recharge our batteries, but that does not mean that we are anti-social or fearful of the world at large. It simply means that we love peace and quiet, even solitude. No apologies.
As I write this I am flooded with memories of talented, strong and powerful Highly Sensitive women. So let me sum us up…
We are world travellers.
We are techies.
We are artists and performers.
We are scientists.
We are daughters, sisters, mums, and grandmothers.
We are partners.
We are leaders.
We are philosophers.
We are environmentalists.
We are animal rights activists.
We are healers.
We are wise women.
We are.
Until Next Time…Defy Ordinary!
