The Healthy Sensitive's Podcast

Five Activities to Help You Befriend Your Sensitivity

In this episode, we cover five activities HSP's can use to befriend their sensitivity (all inspired by Elaine Aron's Highly Sensitive Person Workbook). 

• Identify negative labels you have either told yourself or heard others say to you. Create a rebuttal to each one.
• Leverage your sensitivity as a strength by leaning into a sensory exercise.
• Identify ways in which you are a "priestly advisor" and the ways in which that serves as an asset in your work and/or in your relationships.
• Challenge your internal critic by getting curious about it. 
• Lean into growth mindset and the power of "yet" 

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Embracing Grief and Finding Meaning in Loss

In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, Leah navigates the poignant journey of grief and loss, drawing from her personal experiences. Following the loss of her cherished cat Sasha, Leah offers an exploration into the process of grieving, examining the varied forms and stages of grief as described by experts like Brené Brown and David Kessler.

Delving into the profound words of Thomas More's Dark Night of the Soul, she draws a parallel between her personal growth and the transformative power of profound grief. Leah also touches on the concept of post-traumatic growth, demonstrating how sensitive individuals can positively channel their emotional reactivity during times of loss.

Emphasizing the importance of deriving meaning and purpose in the wake of a loss, Leah integrates wisdom from thinkers such as David Kessler, Cheryl Sandberg, and Thomas More. She weaves scientific findings on resilience and personal-stories into a comprehensive narrative that sheds light on our emotional response to loss.

This episode also presents an in-depth analysis of various practices aimed at easing the pain of loss, from spiritual engagement and fostering connections to creative pursuits. Leah underscores the significance of shared grief and social connections in facilitating healing.

Whether you are grappling with a personal loss or guiding someone else through theirs, this episode sparks hope, offering comfort and perspective. It illuminates the path from grief to growth, transforming the loss into a catalyst for personal evolution.

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The Dark Side of Purposeful Living: High Sensitivity and Workaholism

In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, Leah Burkhart delves deep into the intriguing relationship between high sensitivity and workaholism. Primarily focusing on highly sensitive people, she sheds light on their profound depth of processing, which often leads to extended work hours, perfectionism, and excessive preparation for tasks. This life-altering conversation illuminates the positive and negative effects of this overwhelming drive on their lives.

Highlighting the innate empathy and responsiveness of highly sensitive individuals, Leah elucidates how these traits can spiral into workaholism. Such individuals tend to absorb the emotional needs of others around them, inevitably adding to their workload. This episode candidly addresses the challenges highly sensitive individuals encounter when setting boundaries at the workplace, largely due to their intense passion and enthusiasm for their work.

This discussion further underscores how highly sensitive people often link their self-esteem to professional achievements. Such validation from work accomplishments, although gratifying, can make them vulnerable to conflating their career success with personal worth. The talk concludes by deftly tackling the fine balance between the pursuit of career satisfaction and the reality of overstimulation commonly encountered by highly sensitive individuals.

We dig into personal examples, delving onto the real impact of this phenomenon on personal lives. The value of understanding this dynamic is stressed as a stepping stone towards positive changes. Leah shares insightful tips about time management, boundary setting, task delegation and cultivating empathy while preserving one's personal space and identity.

We also delve into the benefits of seeking internal validation, diversifying interests, effective feedback acquisition and embracing imperfections. The topics extend to include methods to prevent overstimulation like creating serene workspaces, incorporating physical activity in routines and stress management. Furthermore, addressing fear of failure paves the way to setting attainable goals, nurturing a growth mindset and fostering self-compassion.

Ultimately, this episode champions self-awareness to improve work habits and achieve a healthier work-life balance while prioritizing wellbeing. Be sure to check out the show notes for links to an online community and free meetup events for continued learning and support. Dive into this enlightening discussion on high sensitivity and strategies for combating workaholism today.

 

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How Having Purpose Affects Motivation and Resilience

In this episode of the Healthy Sensitive, Leah explores the profound impact of purpose on motivation and resilience. The discussion offers an extensive study on how appreciating your unique purpose can elevate your motivation, direct your life towards your goals, and enhance your stress tolerance. Leah elucidates the intriguing relationship between 'purpose', 'meaning', and our resilience, edging on the realm of neuroscience to portray how 'the seeking system' and dopamine pathways of our brain govern motivation.

She enlightens listeners with a variety of unconventional strategies known to stimulate dopamine production aiming to boost motivation. Insights from Joshua Freedman's article on misconceptions around life purpose are intricately debunked, and guidance is given to those searching for their life purpose. Backed by research and practical advice, this episode seeks to inspire listeners to discover their true purpose and heighten their motivation levels.

The episode also encompasses a discussion on the significance of emotional intelligence, human connections, and personal talents in identifying our true purpose. Additionally, it delves into aspects like long-term goals and spotlights the vitality of autonomy, mastery, and purpose in fueling productivity, as illustrated by Daniel Pink's book, Drive. Utilizing resources from luminaries such as Daniel Pink, Andrew Huberman, and Joshua Freedman can be an essential tool in comprehending and leading a purposeful life.

If you're seeking to uncover your purpose, or elevate your motivation, this is the episode for you! Whether you are driven by passion or curiosity, everyone has a unique purpose to unravel. Join us for insightful workshops or in our online community, and let us assist you in reaching your maximum potential. Stay tuned for more!

 

Citations:

Andrew Huberman from Huberman Labs: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/tools-to-manage-dopamine-and-improve-motivation-and-drive 

Daniel H. Pink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p4esMj2EC8 ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vSymiIrKP8 ; Drive: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805 

Joshua Freedman: https://www.6seconds.org/2021/01/13/coaching-purpose/ 

Purpose Checkup: https://www.bluezones.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/The-Purpose-Checkup.pdf 

Why Finding Purpose “Feels Right” https://www.kornferry.com/insights/this-week-in-leadership/purpose-neuroscience#:~:text=We%20humans%20are%20wired%20to,purpose%20that%20comes%20with%20it. 

 

Stay Connected! Healthy Sensitive Resources: 

Healthy Sensitive Community: https://the-healthy-sensitive.mn.co/ 

Healthy Sensitive Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/The-Healthy-Sensitives/ 

Book a Coaching Session: https://TheHealthySensitiveScheduling.as.me/ 

How to Clarify Our Purpose (and Why It Matters)

Our latest episode of The Healthy Sensitive takes you on a journey to discover your purpose. We help you comprehend the legacy you wish to leave behind by identifying problems you enjoy solving and people you love helping. Through an 'expansion and experimentation' mindset, we explore realms you are eager to delve into and learn from. Join us in this self-discovery journey as we navigate through curiosity, risk, trust, pleasure, and spirituality to identify the purpose that makes you come alive.

 

Resources and Links:

If you are interested in diving more deeply into this material as well as other on-demand content and want to connect with others and share your experiences... please join our online network: https://the-healthy-sensitive.mn.co/ 

To attend live presentations and workshops, join the Healthy Sensitive Meetup Group https://www.meetup.com/The-Healthy-Sensitives/ 

If you are interested in publishing an online course in the community and getting paid for it and/or want to lead a workshop in our meetup, please email me at leah@thehealthysensitive.com 

If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can go to my calendar at: https://TheHealthySensitiveScheduling.as.me/ 

 

A New Era: A Season Intro

Welcome back to the Healthy Sensitive podcast where we navigate high sensitivity and everything that comes along with it. This episode explores the host's journey with her own high sensitivity, her bouts with creative seasons, her struggles with consistency, and her passion for sharing informative content. She reflects on her many roles, from a clinical health educator to an entrepreneur, and relates to listeners who also thrive on a portfolio model of work.

This episode gives a sneak peek into exciting new elements being introduced to the podcast and the broader Healthy Sensitive community. The host shares her recent endeavor of creating structured content and an online community to enhance the sharing and access of valuable content. Courses, workshops, coaching programs, and even opportunities for others to create and be rewarded for their content will be featured in this revamped online community.

The host dives deeper into the target audience of the Healthy Sensitive – highly sensitive entrepreneurs. She acknowledges the unique challenges faced by this group especially in terms of self-promotion and provides solutions through the revamped online community. The focus is on promoting each other’s work instead of self-promotion. In this way, the online community can become a nurturing space for celebrating success and building networks.

As for future podcast episodes, expect regular content exploring wellness practices for highly sensitive entrepreneurs. Additionally, there will be premium content providing intimate details about the host's personal life for those seeking a deeper connection and understanding. The ultimate goal is to offer content that is engaging, educational, and entirely ad-free.

To join our online community, click here: https://the-healthy-sensitive.mn.co/ 

To schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, click here: https://TheHealthySensitiveScheduling.as.me/ 

To Join our Meetup Group, Click Here: https://www.meetup.com/The-Healthy-Sensitives/ 

If you have any questions or feedback about the online community meetup groups, or anything else about the Healthy Sensitive platform, feel free to email the host at Leah@thehealthysensitive.com.

 

Imposter Syndrome: Why Are So Many of Us HSP’s Prone To It?

In today's episode, I'll talk about:

The Types of Imposter Syndrome:

1. The Perfectionist: This person sets extremely high standards for themselves and feels like any mistake is a sign of failure.

2. The Expert: This individual believes they need to know everything before taking on a task and fears being exposed for not knowing something.

3. The Soloist: This type prefers to work alone, as they believe seeking help would reveal their lack of ability.

4. The Natural Genius: This person believes that their success should come naturally, and any struggle or need for effort indicates incompetence.

5. The Superhero: This type feels the need to excel in every aspect of their life, often at the expense of their own well-being.

Why HSP's are Prone to It:

1. Heightened Self-Awareness: Highly sensitive individuals tend to be more introspective and self-aware. While this can be a valuable quality, it can also lead to overthinking and analyzing their actions, which might contribute to feelings of inadequacy and doubt.

2. Intense Emotions: HSIs often experience emotions more intensely than others. This heightened emotional state can lead to a stronger response to perceived failures or mistakes, magnifying the fear of being exposed as a fraud.

3. Perfectionism: Many highly sensitive people have a strong desire for things to be perfect due to their attention to detail and sensitivity to their environment. This perfectionism can set unrealistically high standards for themselves, making it difficult to accept anything less than flawless performance.

4. Comparison and Sensitivity to Feedback: HSIs may be more attuned to how they compare to others and may take feedback, especially constructive criticism, to heart. A negative comment or even a small mistake could trigger feelings of not measuring up.

5. Empathy and Empathetic Distress: Empathy is a common trait in highly sensitive individuals. They may easily pick up on others' emotions and might internalize negative feedback or perceive criticism more intensely, leading to self-doubt.

6. Fear of Rejection: Highly sensitive people often seek harmony and avoid conflict. The fear of disappointing others or not meeting expectations could contribute to impostor syndrome as they fear being rejected for not living up to their perceived roles or responsibilities.

7. External Validation: HSIs may rely more on external validation to feel secure in their abilities. If they don't receive the praise or recognition they seek, they might doubt their competence and feel like impostors.

8. Deep Reflection: Highly sensitive individuals tend to deeply reflect on their experiences and actions. While this introspection can be insightful, it can also lead to ruminating over perceived mistakes and inadequacies.

Boundaries - What Are They REALLY And How Do We Set Them?

In this episode, we talk about:

• What boundaries are
• Types of boundaries
• Why boundaries are important to highly sensitive people in particular
• Why they are important to our health
• How to build boundaries
• How to communicate our boundaries with others (without being a jerk)

Jules De Vitto - Transpersonal Coach for HSP

Jules De Vitto, MAEd, MSc is a Certified Transpersonal Coach and Educator based in London. She helps those who identify with the traits of high sensitivity  to navigate emotional overwhelm, step into their authentic power and align with their true purpose in life. In our conversation, we talk about: 

- Jules' journey  to becoming a transpersonal coach

- Whether HSP's are born (nature) or made by way of challenging experiences (nurture)

- The strengths inherent in HSP's

- Why it is particularly important for HSP's to engage in an inquiry that engages the spirit (in other words - to develop an inquiry  about meaning and purpose) 

 

The Right Amount of Risk

In today's episode, I discuss: 

• The current risks I am taking on
• How we define risk
• Intuition vs. Impulse
• Highly Sensitive People and Risk
• HSP's and an inverted pyramid of needs
• Culture and risk
• What is worth doing even if we fail?
• Being creative with how we build our lives
• Trickster vs. Martyr 
• How to create an ecosystem that supports a healthy response to risk/failure

If ever you want support, you can reach Leah at www.thehealthysensitive.com or you can email her at leah@thehealthysensitive.com