Hi Ryan! I’ve seen you around substack comments quite a bit - I think we follow a lot of the same writers. I’m an HSP and my oldest is likely one as well and I’m eager to learn more about how to support him better. With regards to the holidays, I was just telling my spouse I want to make Christmas “shorter” this year. I’m already dreading the five week season of special events and stuff around the house that has traditionally started for us the day after Thanksgiving.
PS - Id like to register for the event, but Im not sure if registration page is working. I wasnt able to enter my info - page just reloaded. Thanks for this discussion!
Hello hello! I’m so glad we connected. You’re not alone -- others reported that issue -- and Nur Space tells me it’s fixed now. I’d love to have you if you’re willing to give it another try.
1000% HSP. I love the idea of having a wider aperture (naturally.) This just gave me permission to skip a Halloween party tonight and read a book instead, thank you.
I could not like this more! I mean, I know HSPs that also spend hours on their costumes... and we had a great Halloween ourselves with our costumed kiddo! But it ended at 6:30 and I’m also totally thrilled with that. I will probably do a puzzle later. Point is, joy can look exactly the way we want it to look. ❤️
I love this and relate to being an HSP and parent! My child is now 16, but when they were younger, I felt so guilty for feeling so overstimulated much of the time. I'm now reading Katherine May's book "The Electricity of Every Living Thing" which reeeeally resonates. She felt she was an HSP for most of her life until receiving a diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder in midlife (which would now be considered autism.) I was a guest on a podcast recently called Neuroqueering to talk about my new book. I referred to myself as an HSP, and the host said that she considers HSP an ableist way of to say autistic. I have been mulling that over in my own mind since. I'd love to hear your (or anyone's) thoughts on this... the HSP/autism link is something I'm just beginning to learn more about. Thank you for your work and this post.
Thank you for sharing! That book is on my list! I have heard that some feel it’s being used as a euphemism for ASD. I don’t see it that way, and that is typically not how the sensitivity research I’m seeing frames things, nor is it how I’ve heard it discussed among folks who work with individuals who have a wide range of sensory processing issues, such as OTs. This may be a big oversimplification but it is sort of like saying that squares and rectangles are the same, when in fact it is true that a square is one kind of rectangle, but not all rectangles are squares. It is true that folks with ASD are often highly sensitive, but that is not the only defining trait of ASD, and sensitivity is also a trait possessed by many who do not meet the criteria for ASD (and either have a different diagnosis, like ADHD, or none at all). If that makes sense.
I fall into the latter category and so do my family members, and we have loved ones who do meet the criteria for ASD and are working through the midlife reckoning you describe, and I think it’s our duty to be as helpful as we can to each other while respecting that the paths we walk are different. Which includes being allies and advocates in settings that may include ableist assumptions or structures that impact our peers with ASD, rather than being complacent and silent if we are able to “pass” as neurotypical in those settings, or othering those who cannot. That would be problematic. I would encourage people exploring sensitivity research for personal purposes to balance compassion for self when choosing the best strategies for navigating their world, on the one hand, with a willingness to advocate for others in that position, and a willingness to interrogate any implicit biases they may have about neurodivergent individuals along the way, on the other.
Such a thoughtful response. Thank you so much for taking the time. This is something I'm looking into more and more these days, as my teen, ex, and myself are all neurodivergent -- and the research I've done thus far feels validating in terms of self-compassion around my sensitivities (and compassion for theirs, in different ways.)
Hi Kate! It looks like Nur Space’s “Register” button was broken before, which may explain the confusion. I’d love to have you if you have a moment to try re-registering!
Hi Ryan! I’ve seen you around substack comments quite a bit - I think we follow a lot of the same writers. I’m an HSP and my oldest is likely one as well and I’m eager to learn more about how to support him better. With regards to the holidays, I was just telling my spouse I want to make Christmas “shorter” this year. I’m already dreading the five week season of special events and stuff around the house that has traditionally started for us the day after Thanksgiving.
PS - Id like to register for the event, but Im not sure if registration page is working. I wasnt able to enter my info - page just reloaded. Thanks for this discussion!
Hello hello! I’m so glad we connected. You’re not alone -- others reported that issue -- and Nur Space tells me it’s fixed now. I’d love to have you if you’re willing to give it another try.
Registered! Looking forward to it
1000% HSP. I love the idea of having a wider aperture (naturally.) This just gave me permission to skip a Halloween party tonight and read a book instead, thank you.
I could not like this more! I mean, I know HSPs that also spend hours on their costumes... and we had a great Halloween ourselves with our costumed kiddo! But it ended at 6:30 and I’m also totally thrilled with that. I will probably do a puzzle later. Point is, joy can look exactly the way we want it to look. ❤️
I love this and relate to being an HSP and parent! My child is now 16, but when they were younger, I felt so guilty for feeling so overstimulated much of the time. I'm now reading Katherine May's book "The Electricity of Every Living Thing" which reeeeally resonates. She felt she was an HSP for most of her life until receiving a diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder in midlife (which would now be considered autism.) I was a guest on a podcast recently called Neuroqueering to talk about my new book. I referred to myself as an HSP, and the host said that she considers HSP an ableist way of to say autistic. I have been mulling that over in my own mind since. I'd love to hear your (or anyone's) thoughts on this... the HSP/autism link is something I'm just beginning to learn more about. Thank you for your work and this post.
Thank you for sharing! That book is on my list! I have heard that some feel it’s being used as a euphemism for ASD. I don’t see it that way, and that is typically not how the sensitivity research I’m seeing frames things, nor is it how I’ve heard it discussed among folks who work with individuals who have a wide range of sensory processing issues, such as OTs. This may be a big oversimplification but it is sort of like saying that squares and rectangles are the same, when in fact it is true that a square is one kind of rectangle, but not all rectangles are squares. It is true that folks with ASD are often highly sensitive, but that is not the only defining trait of ASD, and sensitivity is also a trait possessed by many who do not meet the criteria for ASD (and either have a different diagnosis, like ADHD, or none at all). If that makes sense.
I fall into the latter category and so do my family members, and we have loved ones who do meet the criteria for ASD and are working through the midlife reckoning you describe, and I think it’s our duty to be as helpful as we can to each other while respecting that the paths we walk are different. Which includes being allies and advocates in settings that may include ableist assumptions or structures that impact our peers with ASD, rather than being complacent and silent if we are able to “pass” as neurotypical in those settings, or othering those who cannot. That would be problematic. I would encourage people exploring sensitivity research for personal purposes to balance compassion for self when choosing the best strategies for navigating their world, on the one hand, with a willingness to advocate for others in that position, and a willingness to interrogate any implicit biases they may have about neurodivergent individuals along the way, on the other.
Such a thoughtful response. Thank you so much for taking the time. This is something I'm looking into more and more these days, as my teen, ex, and myself are all neurodivergent -- and the research I've done thus far feels validating in terms of self-compassion around my sensitivities (and compassion for theirs, in different ways.)
I really appreciated your question and the thoughtful way you posed it! Honored to be walking this path of exploration with you.
Thanks for sharing! This is great and made me feel really seen as an HSP.
I'm so honored to hear that! Would love to have you at the discussion if you feel so called. :)
My yoga membership is for HSPs.
I’d love to hear more about this!
I think I just registered but not sure 🤔
Hi Kate! It looks like Nur Space’s “Register” button was broken before, which may explain the confusion. I’d love to have you if you have a moment to try re-registering!
Thank you!!!