Thoughts for the Thoughful Newsletter Header
  Volume 1                 Inspiration and Information for Highly Sensitive People
August 2008 
In This Issue
HSP Book Announcement
HSP Meetup Group
How well do you know yourself?
Upcoming Events
Featured HSP
Quick Links


My HSP Book
HSP Book
My first book, Making Sense of Your High Sensitivity, is now available.
 
As suggested in the subtitle, it is my hope that this book will help you to Discover, Develop, and Maximize your Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Traits.

Learn more
 
HSP "MeetUp" Group
[Handshake Image]
Join our Highly Sensitive Person Friendship Circle at meetup.com. 

This is a social group for highly sensitive people.

The group offers training courses, teleconferences,
and in-person meetings.

You'll meet other highly sensitive people in a relaxing, positive, non-judgmental, and supportive atmosphere.

(FYI - I'll check with the group to see if there's interest in any events listed below. If so, we'll plan a "meet up" and go together.)
Other Events
of Interest


Join Our Mailing List
Dear ,

We're excited to introduce you to the very first edition of our Thoughts for the Thoughtful newsletter. We welcome any feedback you have on this publication. As always, we're still experimenting with the best way to deliver inspiration and information to highly sensitive people (HSP).

The purpose of this newsletter, as well as all the information that we produce, is to help you learn more about your high sensitivity and put you in touch with others like yourself. There really is strength in HSP numbers!

Note: Many email programs automatically prevent the downloading of images. To give you the best experience, you may need to click an option to download pictures (you may also have an option to include us as a safe sender, which will automatically download images on future emails).
How well do you know yourself?
[Thoughtful Woman Image] How do you really see yourself? Do you understand what makes you "tick"? What motivates you? What pushes your emotional and physical "buttons"? The answers to these questions and how you act and react to life situations will determine the quality and richness of your life.
 
Three years ago, I found out that I was a highly sensitive person. I thought that I knew myself well. I didn't! The class that I attended about highly sensitive people was a real eye opener for me. I was relieved to find out that there was nothing wrong with me. This class was life changing.
 
There were 25 people in this class. More than half of the group knew about their high sensitivity. Many felt "victimized" by their circumstances. They felt like they were "cursed", and labeled themselves as fragile human beings who were incapable of coping with the outside world.

I was extremely frustrated with the group and let my feelings be known. I proclaimed that I just discovered that I was a highly sensitive person. I admitted that there are challenges in being highly sensitive, but this shouldn't be used as an excuse to withdraw from life. I told the group that I chose to utilize my high sensitivity to my benefit and would never let anyone label me as an inferior human being!
 
Being sensitive is sometimes looked at as a weakness. I always knew that I was sensitive, but I never thought of myself as weak. I felt that I was different and couldn't understand why. I seemed to take in everything around me. I would be abnormally affected by large groups of people, being in traffic, and certain people would just drain me. I was puzzled as to why I needed a lot of alone time to de-compress from life situations. Can you relate to any of these scenarios?
 
With my new found understanding of myself, I started to make progress in my life. I developed a strategy to work with my high sensitivity rather than against it. The better I felt about myself, the less I felt the need to apologize for being myself. People started to see me in a different light, a more favorable light.
 
An important life lesson I learned is when you feel good about yourself, people will have a positive impression of you. Also when you feel good inside, the outside world will not get to you as much. The new confidence that you experience will prevent you from becoming a pushover. You'll speak up and set boundaries whenever you feel it necessary. Aren't these good enough reasons to learn more about the true you?
Upcoming Events
Conflict Workshop
Topic: How Highly Sensitive People Can Peacefully Co-Exist With Others (View Event Flyer)
When: Wednesday, September 17, 7-9:30 pm EST
Where: Center for Relaxation and Healing at Plainsboro (NJ)
Cost: $25
To Register
: (609) 750-7432

Kick the Worry Habit!

Walk away from worry. Learn powerful tips & techniques for dealing with the worry and anxiety in your life.
When: Tuesday, September 30, 9-10 pm EST
Where: Conference Call
Cost: Free
To Register: Email Amy, and she will send you the conference call details.
Featured HSP
[Sun Flower Image] This month's featured HSP is Barbara Hall. I met Barbara last year at Book Expo America in New York. It's quite ironic how we met. We both missed the ferry that was going to the Javits Center where the expo was being held. While we were waiting for the next one, we had an interesting conversation about our projects.

We had so much in common. We were both authors and highly sensitive people! I gained so much knowledge and inspiration from her. She's had some adversity in her life, but she hasn't allowed that to stop her from being a person of accomplishment.

Previously, Barbara had been a real estate property manager as well as a consultant in the pharmaceutical industry. She courageously gave up these successful ventures in order to pursue her passion of writing and photography. Since then, she has become an award winning author and photographer.

There are no coincidences in life. It was meant for us to meet. I needed another reminder that being a highly sensitive person isn't a detriment to personal success. It's important for all of us to realize this important fact. When we move at our own pace and use our natural abilities, we too, can be people of accomplishment! To learn more about Barbara, feel free to check out her web site.

Please email me to share your story with other HSPs in future issues of this newsletter.
I'm very interested in any comments and suggestions, including other topics of interest. My objective is to give you the most meaningful information that I can. Feel free to email me anytime.  I would love to hear from you.

 

Warmest Regards,
Cliff Harwin
The Highly Sensitive Person Publishing Company