Cliff's Blog Radio Interview
![[img: Cliff]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/316.jpg?a=1102948953166)
Cliff will be interviewed by Elizabeth Ann Blake on the BlogTalkRadio Podcast.
AIR DATE: Thursday,
January 21, 2010
8:00 PM EST
TOPIC: Do you have a question about being a highly sensitive person? Cliff will take calls from listeners.
CALL-IN NUMBER:
(347) 857-4311
WHERE:You can listen to the interview live or
on demand at the blogtalkradio web site. |
Making Sense of Your High Sensitivity
In my book, I reflect upon my life and provide a unique perspective on the lessons I have learned as a highly sensitive person.
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Meet Other HSPs
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"Being Different"
Teleconference
![[img: Black Sheep]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/323.jpg?a=1102948953166)
TOPIC: Does being "different" bother you?
WHEN: Thursday,
January 28, 2010
8:00 - 9:30 PM EST
WHERE: On the phone
COST: Free
High sensitivity affects about 20% of the population. How do you feel about being "different"? How do you utilize your uniqueness?
This call will be recorded for the benefit of those who cannot attend. All "yes" RSVPs will receive a link to the audio download shortly after the call.
Join our group, learn more, and RSVP for this event.
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Dear ,
![[img: Beach]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/319.jpg?a=1102948953166) Happy New Year Everyone! One of my goals for 2010 is to hear more from you! I need your input in order to publish the most pertinent and meaningful information that I can. Please email me if you have any of the following:
1. Comments, suggestions, topics of interest.
2. An HSP challenge, large or small, that you'd like to share. I'll anonymously publish some of your challenges in this newsletter.
3. A desire to share your background or experience with others. Perhaps you want to be a "Featured HSP" or write a guest article about your expertise or interests. This is a great way to showcase your talents or your business to other HSPs. We need to support one another! (Submissions should be no more than 600 words.)
4. Questions about being a highly sensitive person. I plan to add an "Ask HSP Cliff" section in the newsletter.
5. Other HSP resources. Perhaps you know of another newsletter or publication that I could submit articles about HSPs. My mission is to spread the good word about high sensitivity.
6. HSP product suggestions. I plan to add more products to my web site. Please let me know of any products that have been particularly helpful to you.
Please note that I will be doing a radio show on Jan 21st at 8 PM EST on BlogTalkRadio. For this segment, I will answer questions about being a highly sensitive person. See the sidebar for details.
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The Time To Get Real Is Now!
![[img: Self Reflection]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/320.jpg?a=1102948953166) Another year has closed its doors, and a new year is open before us. It is the perfect time to reflect upon our lives and make positive plans for the future. The thought of having a clean slate and getting a fresh start motivates us to improve our lives. The New Year is full of endless possibilities and potential.
Unfortunately though, we often lose steam as the months pass. Facing "reality" is difficult to do, especially when it requires making changes and leaving our comfort zones behind.
In my case, I feel as though I'm at a crossroads in my life. The past year has been especially challenging. I pushed myself beyond the limits of my emotional and physical capabilities. Chronic stress and not taking the time to rest and relax have taken a toll on my body and spirit. I'm a diabetic and have severe arthritic problems. Unless I make major changes to my lifestyle, I'm at risk for serious health problems.
I don't mention my personal struggles to elicit sympathy, but rather to share the realizations I've made along the way. I know that many other highly sensitive people face similar challenges. As HSPs, we tend to experience life on such a deep level, both emotionally and physically, that stress-induced health issues are a major concern. Self-care is critical to our well-being, and when we don't take care of ourselves, we pay the price.
![[img: Doctor]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/321.jpg?a=1102948953166) Despite many early warning signs, I deluded myself and neglected to do the things I needed to do in order to stay healthy. Several months ago, my doctor suggested that I make better food choices and keep my stress level low. I was trying to do the best I could, but it wasn't good enough. The hardest part for me was to admit that I actually had a problem. It's sometimes easier to tolerate a concern than to work on resolving it.
Highly sensitive people often have a hard time making changes, even when we know we need to. The important question we all need to ask ourselves is: Should we be realistic about ourselves and deal with our unhappiness, health situations, etc., now or when they get worse? You have more choices than you think. Doing nothing is a choice. Why not make the best choice for yourself?
As for my choice, I've decided to take the "hard road" and deal with my problems before they get worse. The time for me to "get real" about my health is now. After admitting that I needed help, I decided to follow my doctor's advice and take medication for my diabetes, to seek the help I need to make better food choices, to cope with my arthritic problems, and to take the time and rest that I need to deal with my chronic stress.
We often need a compelling reason to make a change. For me, it's not feeling well, mentally or physically. I'm also faced with the real possibility of having long-term health problems if I don't act now. I know this journey won't be easy, but I'm determined to do all I can. I'm motivated to feel better and do the best I can in my life.
The advantages of facing my health challenges are that I will feel better, be more productive, and have a strong sense of well-being. The downside is that making life changes can be very stressful at the beginning. I'll keep you posted on my progress in future editions of this newsletter.
I hope that you will also be inspired to "get real" about any changes you need to make in your life. Although change can be difficult for highly sensitive people, it can be extremely rewarding and the beginning of a positive transformation.
(Note: If you have a family history of arthritis or diabetes, you can find helpful information at The Arthritis Foundation and The American Diabetes Association.) |
![[img: Black Sheep]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/322.jpg?a=1102948953166) Many of us have had an experience in which we felt like the lone black sheep in a vast sea of white sheep. For some of us, however, this sense of not belonging runs more deeply and spans a period of many years. It is possible to feel like the black sheep in families and peer groups that are supportive, as well as in those that are not. Even if we receive no overt criticism regarding our values, there will likely be times when it seems that relatives and friends are humoring us or waiting for us to grow out of a phase.
Sometimes we may even think we have been adopted because we are so different from our family members. These feelings are not a sign that we have failed in some way to connect with others. Rather, they should be perceived as the natural result of our willingness to articulate our individuality.
Many black sheep respond to the separateness they feel by pulling back from the very people to whom they might otherwise feel closest and embrace a different group with whom they enjoy a greater degree of commonality. You may be much more sensitive than the people around you or more artistic, aware, spiritual, or imaginative. The disparate temperament of your values and those of your family or peers need not be a catalyst for interpersonal conflict. If you can move beyond comparisons and accept these differences, you will come to appreciate the significant role your upbringing and socialization have played in your life's unique journey.
![[img: Sheep Herd]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs070/1102126619665/img/326.jpg?a=1102948953166) In time, most black sheep learn to embrace their differences and be thankful for those aspects of their individuality that set them apart from others. We cannot expect that our peers and relatives will suddenly choose to embrace our values and offer us the precise form of support we need. But we can acknowledge the importance of these individuals by devoting a portion of our energy to keeping these relationships healthy while continuing to define our own identities apart from them.
(Note: On 1/28, I will be hosting a free teleconference on the topic of "Being Different". See the sidebar for details.)
This article is from the DailyOM web site, which offers daily inspiration and products to nurture the mind, body, and spirit. We highly recommend this resource!
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Please email me if you have any comments, suggestions, or topics of interest. As always, we welcome your feedback, and please tell others about us! To forward this newsletter, just click the "Forward email" link in the footer.
Warmest Regards,
Cliff Harwin
The Highly Sensitive Person Publishing Company |
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