New Year’s resolutions and HSPs: change and intuition
Everyone can experience emotional challenges when it comes to making life changes, but those challenges may be especially intense for highly sensitive people (HSPs).
In her post Change and the HSP, from her blog “Inside the Mind of a Highly Sensitive Person,” Helen Akers takes a look at some of the challenges HSPs encounter when compelled toward change, either by circumstances or by the insistent voice of our own intuition.
She points out our conflicts about change, and how intuition may be involved.
Here are more quotes from her article:
“Call it avoidance, complacency, indecisiveness, stubborness or noncompliance. Whatever the term or definition, I have often tried to find some way to delay change or run in the opposite direction from it.”
HSPs and change
“Apparently, having difficulty dealing with change is something that the majority of HSPs find themselves struggling with. I would suspect this is because, as a group, we are more cautious.
“We’re the ones that look before we leap, at least twice or as many times as it takes before we feel somewhat comfortable. We also don’t like the unknown, which is what change encompasses.”
Intuition as our guide
“Change is the arena where we should allow our intuition to guide us more. What I’ve relearned over the past four years is that our intuition usually already knows the answer. We can make all the “pros” and “cons” lists that we want, wrestle between what the heart wants and what the mind says is best, ask others for their input, and then recheck those lists to make sure we didn’t overlook any detail.
“In the end though, we still need to make a choice over which way to go, what change to make, when and how we will do it or play the “wait and see” game by doing nothing at all.”
Out of the cocoon
“HSPs go about change the same way a caterpillar metamorphisizes into a butterfly.
“It’s a slower process that requires incubation, hibernation and a trust of instinctive nature.
“HSPs would be cheating themselves and greater society of the outward reflection of their inner beauty if they didn’t allow themselves to do the same.”
Related:
Article: Elaine Aron on holiday stress relief for sensitive people – Psychologist Elaine Aron, PhD wrote in an issue of her newsletter about holiday season challenges for highly sensitive people (HSPs), but her perspectives can be helpful for anyone:
She writes: “Here come the holidays and the New Year. Give yourself a gift by remembering to do this time of year your way: If you are already doing all you can, don’t expect anything extra of yourself without dropping something else, especially if the holidays are busy for you at work. Plan what you will enjoy, then cut it by half. Don’t buy into the idea that this time of year must be fancy or especially meaningful. It’s stressful enough during the holidays without trying to meet extra cultural expectations.”
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Article: Intuition: powers and perils
Gut reaction, hunch, instinct, nose, presentiment, second sight – the ability to gain understanding outside the usual senses and rational thought can be an invaluable guide to enhance our personal development and help realize ourselves more fully, but there are also potential limitations and distortions.
In her article How to Tell the Difference Between Fear and Intuition, Judith Orloff says,
“My approach to transforming fear has two stages. First, take stock of what makes you afraid and distinguish irrational fears from legitimate intuitions.”
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More:
Articles: change / growth / coaching / self-help
books: change/growth
Intuition / instinct
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