HSP Ramblings: Not "Overstimulated," just Tired!

Sarah and I attended an event last night.

She was a live guest on the "Strange Brau" podcast; while I had a vendor table for my painted Alchemy Stones.

The event took place at a popular local hotel; there was a pretty good crowd gathered in the hotel dining room. It's an old building from the 1890's and the quarters were pretty cramped. We found an alcove to set up our vendor table that was out of the main traffic patterns.

Recipe for "HSP overstimulation?"

Well, not exactly. I enjoyed myself — as did she — and whereas we were happy to leave and get back to the piece and quiet of our house after about six hours of being "on," neither of us felt particularly overstimulated.

This morning, however, I feel like I have "the blahs."

In other words, both my brain and spirit feel "tired," like I just attended a four-day convention of some kind. Since we are both HSPs, we were both feeling this.

The Importance of Knowing What's What

As I sit here and type these words, I am reminded of the importance of we who are Highly Sensitive to be aware of "what's what," when it comes to managing the effects of our trait.

It's easy to fall into the trap of attributing everything in our lives to "overstimulation," simply because it's a popular buzzword that tends to be closely associated with our trait. But it's not always applicable, nor accurate.

In this case, Sarah and I are — quite simply — tired. So we're taking this day more of less off, as an act of self-care.

Part of what we gain from learning how we are affected by our High Sensitivity is an awareness of what we are experiencing, rather than simply "that" we are experiencing... which is why I always encourage my fellow HSPs to really learn all they can about the HSP trait.

It's not a "label," it's a life coping tool!

Thanks for reading!

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Reflection: Remembering Dr. Ted Zeff

It is with great sadness that I recently learned that Dr. Ted Zeff passed from this plane of existence on August 18th, following a long struggle with cancer.

For those who might not know, Ted was one of the early "pioneers" in the world of High Sensitivity, focusing extensive research and energy on the particular issues facing highly sensitive men. He was an author and wrote several books about the HSP trait, and would bravely step into the public eye with TV interviews and more.

I had the privilege of meeting Ted at an HSP Gathering Retreat many years ago, where we enjoyed several deep conversations about what it meant to be an HSP and male. He worked tirelessly to overcome the numerous societal stigmas attached to being sensitive when you happen to be male. In between, we had quite a few lengthy email "conversations" about highly sensitive men.

In many ways, he inspired me to not simply resign myself to a thought pattern of "this is simply how the world IS," with my own sensitivity. I am very grateful for that.

His soft spoken voice will be missed by many in the global HSP community.