This is where I share my ponderings about being an HSP.  Try to normalise HSP feelings and experiences you might recognise or resonate with.

And comment on things that delight and touch or rile and grieve the HSP in me.

You’ll also find references and links to others’ insights, writing and research.  Because the more we learn and share about being an HSP, the less alone we feel.

You might even find something to make you smile …

We are living on this planet …

‘We are living on this planet as if we have another…

Sensitivity conference report

As HSPs, we know our sensitivity is often not understood or enthusiastically…

4th International Conference on Sensitivity Research

The fourth such conference is about to be held on 19 and 20 June…

Coleman Barks: Rumi poems, a great voice and a cello

I was sad to hear this week of the death of Coleman Barks earlier…

HSP senses working overtime

An antidote to my last post, and a tribute to an XTC song ... I…

Will we ever learn?

‘Futility’ by Wilfred Owen (written in 1918 about World…

HSP emotional loneliness and what to do about it

Recent research by the Social Health Institute of Palacky University…

A shout out to the Highly Sensitive Man and Boy

It might be surprising to know that just as many males as females…

Releasing the pressure of relentless HSP processing

Processing, processing, always processing.  Deeply.  My reality,…

Gone but not forgotten – tribute to a trio

Well, a lot has happened since my last blog.   I heard about…

Signs that Jessie Buckley might be a Highly Sensitive Person?

I’m not laying claim to Jessie Buckley as an HSP because of…

What unhealthy habits might HSPs ditch in 2026?

Energy and balance, two things I crave as an HSP.  And two things…

For HSPs struggling with the sorrows of the world

As we come to the end of another year, I wonder if you’re feeling…

The peace-inducing effects of a singing bowl on a busy HSP brain

Last weekend, I was at a conference workshop hosted by Leonore…

The whole purpose of this website … and a mantra for these times

    “One of the most important things you can…

An HSP dilemma: overcoming the tension between fairness and forgiveness

Sensitivity often comes with a strong sense of fairness.  And,…

10 signs you’ve probably met another Highly Sensitive Person

I read a comment in a chat chain the other day.  The person…

Delighting the senses right to the end

The author Elizabeth Gilbert recently recounted the words of…

In celebration of The Highly Sensitive Person

As HSPs, we often see the downsides of our sensitivity and are…

The double whammy: being a Highly Sensitive Person and experiencing childhood emotional neglect

We all want to be understood, loved and prized.  As children,…

Being a Highly Sensitive Person – somewhere between recognition and diagnosis

Did you see Channel 4’s recent programme, “Do You Have ADHD?”? In…

Do you ever wonder if you’re ADHD, autistic or bipolar rather than a Highly Sensitive Person?

It's not unusual for Highly Sensitive People to wonder if they’re…

Highly Sensitive Person: Label or explanation? Limiting or limitless?

I've been asked if ‘labelling’ someone as a Highly Sensitive…

The importance of being received as a Highly Sensitive Person

I know from my career as a counsellor how important it is for…

“Chicken-hearted” or highly sensitive?

Sadly, I was at a cousin’s funeral earlier this week.  He…

What’s your relationship with blue?

Continuing the blue theme from the last blog … I’ve always…

Are you a ‘blue mind’ HSP?

I’ve just returned from a week in a beautiful part of Ireland. …

Is there a word made for you?

Do you ever come across a word that captures something about…

Enough of the game-playing …

The HSP ease of excitation I spoke about in a recent blog shows…

Learning through laughing, clarity through conversation

‘Everything, Everywhere, All at Once’, words used to describe…

Three types of HSP – feeler, sensor and aesthete

Do you ever find that something you’ve read or heard before…

Do HSPs think they have a monopoly on being (highly) sensitive?!

I’ve heard those words as both a question and a statement. …

This HSP’s response to the ambush in The Oval Office

Disrespect is trading peace for profit, others' lands for aggressor…

The joy of small things

That’s the title of a book by Hannah Jane Parkinson (HJP),…

How can I be an HSP and lack empathy?

That’s a question I’ve been asked a few times – and sometimes…

HSP as Traitor?

I’m blogging again this month earlier than usual.  Had to…

From Christmas reflections to insights and a poem

Did you answer the questions I posed in the last blog?  Or any…

12 reflections for Christmas

Like most HSPs, I’m reflective by nature … AND … I’m…

Are you a high sensation-seeking HSP?

Does that question make you think of adrenaline sports and risk-taking? …

Nuance or nuisance?

When you consider the sorts of things it means to be an HSP,…

Same answer, different question

Have you ever been asked to share a quality you appreciate about…

How HSPs connect with nature – an interesting perspective

As an HSP, I suspect you already know you have an affinity with…

Perfect time for a dose of DOSE

Are you noticing any changes in your mood with the change in…

An HSP playlist

I love my music – it’s one of the ways I relax, particularly…

An HSP journey in song titles

The other day I heard ‘Senses Working Overtime’ (a song by…

Another take on ‘enough’

'Enough' is a funny word. It’s often a measure against which…

The day ‘too much’ became ‘enough’

My last two blogs were about the fears of being ‘too much’…

How to reframe the fear of not being ‘enough’

My last blog was about the fear of being ‘too much’. This…

How to reframe the fear of being ‘too much’

That word “too” ... It appears in lots of phrases that…

HSPs and aesthetic sensitivity

As HSPs, we can be particularly stirred or moved by art, music,…

12 ways it helps to know you’re a Highly Sensitive Person

I often talk in my blogs about the importance of discovering…

Grit and graduation

Last week, Roger Federer got an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth…

Music, empathy and being highly sensitive

I’ve always loved music – its melodies, rhythms and beats. …

All the light we cannot see

Last weekend I was lucky enough to see the Northern Lights a…

Being highly sensitive and performing under pressure

I don't know about you, but watching the TV programme Masterchef …

This will sound weird but …

Sometimes it’s hard to put what we feel into words. Have…

Chance or choice, risk and reward

My last two blogs have been about belonging and being ourselves. Both…

Being ourselves

Sometimes a quote just says it all. Continuing the theme of…

How to belong by choosing not to

The desire to belong is a fundamental part of human nature. …

HSP energy – where it goes and what it needs

Energy is an HSP’s most precious resource. With it, just…

How Wordle shows up the HSP in me

Who knew that Wordle would show up how I think as an HSP? I…

DOES – The main characteristics of a Highly Sensitive Person

Elaine Aron (who coined the term Highly Sensitive Person) uses…

All I want for 2024 is …

At the end of the last blog, I wished you all that you wish for…

An end-of-year poem

HSPs - and other soulful people - tend to love quotes and poems. …

How to avoid taking on emotions and responsibilities that aren’t yours

HSPs often see what needs to be done, and jump into taking action…

Pay attention Be astonished

Last month I got my first ever tattoo. It took me 10 years…

From grief to relief

I’ve been working on a presentation for a conference at the…

Being highly sensitive and the sorrows of the world

I wanted to write something light-hearted for the blog but found…

From raw exposed nerve to fully-fledged HSP

The other day I was watching a video by a fellow Highly Sensitive…

HSP emotional temperature and energy

The last blog piece was about physical temperature.  This one…

Me and my HSP temperature gauge

As an HSP, I’m sensitive to lots of things – emotions, nuances,…

‘Sensitive’ – the book

Earlier this year, a great new book came out about being highly…

Finding joy in finding your place as an HSP

In my last blog, I spoke about the joys of being an HSP.  In…

The joys of being a Highly Sensitive Person

We HSPs tend to be acutely aware of the struggles our sensitivity…

You can be sensitive and struggle and still lead with soul …

…and write sensational speeches. Jacinda Ardern departed…

Are you turning up for your highly sensitive life?

Model Christine McGuinness’ recent TV programme on being autistic…

The hardest word for a Highly Sensitive Person…

Elton John says, “Sorry seems to be the hardest word”. I…

HSP heaven

Just before the pandemic lockdown hit in 2020, I decided to buy…

How things land

Planes lands on tarmac.  Bees land on flowers.  And events…

The power of naming emotions … and the link to happiness

It’s a trendy thing just now to write books about identifying…

The maths in being an HSP

Maths was never my favourite subject at school.  I hadn’t…

The Whelms and their antidotes

As an HSP, you’ve probably met The Whelms - Overwhelmed, Overwhelming,…

HSP by design

The design of this website has been like a window into my HSP…

Shards

Us HSPs like detail. And, for me, a shard is a particular type…

“I have no other thinking available”

That’s a quote from 'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig. I’ve…

This Being Highly Sensitive

I've been wanting to write something about being highly sensitive…