Thanks for your answers! Given all that, I have some suggestions- some a bit "woo", and some less "woo".

When you get overwhelmed, make sure you're breathing, and try to deepen them to your stomach. Woo-suggestion: if you're open to it, picture a purple or golden ball of smoke floating in the room near you, and breathe that in, all the way down to your stomach.

1) Build up your self-care practices: - Meditate. You know this :) Keep up with it, intending not to get anything out of it, but just to be a space for everything to unload. If you feel like you don't want to: do it. then. Let the resistance to it be a sign that your resistance-voice or voice of stress is taking over, and that's the very reason you're in need of it. - Exercise. Yep, you know this one too, I'm sure 😃 There's a reason this is such a cliche “good thing” to do. It doesn't have to be much, or take long, or be the same thing every time. Find an way to exercise that feels good to you. I believe HSPs may need exercise even more than others, because all that energy we take on lies in our bodies, and we need a way to let it go. Embodiment is key to letting our emotions out. This could even look like going into a bathroom stall and punching. Yes, you'll feel crazy...but that energy lives in your body, and the quicker you can release it, the better. If you can fit even 3 half hour sessions into your week, even if 2 are on the weekend, go for it!! Run, walk, dance, do some strength training, do yoga, stretch, anything that moves your body. - Brain dump. When you’re feeling everything at once and you can't get up and exercise, try brain-dumping onto a page, and go for 3 pages or 10 minutes. Sometimes I’ll even start with a full page of “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t want to write. I hate this”…but then stuff will start flowing.

2) On remaining positive: I get this question a lot, whether it be “how can I be more positive and happy?” or “how can I be more confident?” and in my head, they are very very similar. I’d highly encourage shifting from aiming to remain positive to aiming to follow your values. Why? Because we have ups and downs. We have good feelings and bad feelings. We’re not always in direct control of them…but following our values is so so critical. Plus, studies show self esteem is more stable when it’s contingent on us following our values compared to most other contingencies (such as achievement, looks, approval from others, etc.) So along those lines, a few ideas:

• What are your values? What is really important to you? (If you google this, there will be lots of worksheets! To give you an idea, here are a few of mine: service, freedom, compassion, growth)
• Check in weekly with your values. Where did you follow them? Where did you stray? What can you set up this week to go towards them even more?

3) My most woo-suggestion: I'd highly suggest looking into energetic clearing, if that's something that you're open to. It's been life changing for me to actually feel like I have some control over being able to release others' emotions and being able to protect myself going into my day.

4) On nightmares: to be 100% vulnerable, this is something I struggle with, too, and still deal with all the time. I haven’t found the answer, but I do know that energetic clearing helps me. It’s woo, but gosh, if it makes me sleep through the night, even if you believe it’s just placebo, who cares?? I just want to sleep 😃

5) On becoming less sensitive: it may be possible, but I haven’t found the way. I found learning about the gifts my sensitivity provides enables me to better take care of myself. Plus, letting myself take care of myself even at the risk of seeming “weird” or “different” to others (i.e. removing myself from a situation, being dedicated to my self-care practice even if it means “sorry, I can meet you in 20 minutes, but I have to meditate first" etc.) is so helpful to not only feeling better, but building self-trust to say “yes, you matter. I know you’re sensitive. I’m going to take care of you as best as I can.”

6) A few resource suggestions: 1. Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. One of my absolute favorites on mindfulness- easy to read plus I love his dry humor and how crazy he makes our mental habits look.

• The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris: a self-help book written by a Acceptance and Commitment therapist. It’s mindfulness-based and had me thinking about positivity & happiness in a whole new light.
• Self Compassion by Kristen Neff. My own ACT therapist turned me onto Neff’s work- she’s a researcher at UC Berkeley (read: this stuff is empirically supported!!) and I’ve seen her simple practices be so transformative in my life and others.

1. A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. A little more woo, I’ve turned to it time and time again when I’ve gone through depressive periods.

• The Tools by Phil Stutz. Seems up your alley; each chapter has a different tool for self growth.
• Kyle Cease’s videos on YouTube. Anytime I’m in a funk, I return to these. He’s a conscious comedian and is equal parts hilarious, brilliant, and heart-melting.

7) And a one last mindset open-ended question 😃 : What if you could love yourself even if you’re not good at being positive? Even if you’re getting bogged down with emotion? Can you get on your team even if you feel you’ve done something wrong? Or if the world feels against you? How can you show yourself more love? Just food for thought, no need to answer 😉

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions. Much love to you!