Great post, Tobias! I wholeheartedly agree. The revelation that my 'Oversensitivity' is a superpower came to me about 40 years ago. It saved my life (although it couldn't save me from going through some serious shit in my life). Developing that superpower has become my life's work (starting about 25 years ago). So it's definitely not a 'quick fix life hack' from struggle to glory. But it's the only life worth living!! Thank you so much for your work 🙏🩵
Thank you so much for sharing! What have been your practices, tips and tricks you learned along the way and would like to share with those who are where you where around 40 years ago?
Of course! I am sharing more than just tips & tricks. I have developed a whole new model of Consciousness and a discipline and series of practices based on this model. I'm publishing it all on my substack channel : Synchronosophy, a new chapter every Saturday : https://veronikabondsynchronosophy.substack.com/
Awesome, subscribed:) Love the last post about coherence, your post actually inspired me now to enroll in a course about exactly this topic which I was already considering!
Thank you for you this post, Tobias! This resonated so much, for many years I had a “love-hate” relationship with my empathy. The world tells us we should be strong and emotions are a sign of weakness, more so for men than women. But mostly being in male dominant field from school to university and work (in a science / mathematical / tech environment) I felt that should apply for me too. Now, I’ve accepted my empathy and believe it’s the greatest thing I have. It’s what makes me human, what allows me to connect with people even more at a deeper level and care for them even better. And I’d rather feel more, both the good and the bad, than feel nothing or suppress my emotions. But I’ll be honest at times it is a bit like a double edged sword-but that’s the antithesis for most things in life.
Thank you, Sara, for the encouraging words and being so open. Yes, as a man with high empathy, I definitely struggled a lot with what you described. (Btw, I also mostly work in a tech environment.).
But I learned to trust my intuition and not listen to the opinions of others too much, especially if I feel that the opinion of others or of society comes from a place of lack and, at its roots, fear.
Mindfulness practices, kung fu, writing, a community of like-minded people help me immensely.
Do you have any practices or tips you would like to share that helped you integrate and thrive in places where it normally felt difficult for you before you realized / practiced them?
I think I genuinely used to hide my softer and empathetic side, but would express myself a lot through arts and being creative. Used to to 2 hrs per dance mon-sat growing up, plus playing musical instruments etc. So, I think when I was a kid that was my outlet.
Now, I am authentic in the way I am - of course I know there are times where less should be expressed, especially in a work environment. For me, it was more of a personal switch rather than an environmental switch if that makes sense. Being in touch with naturally soft and empathetic side. :)
You described it wonderfully, it's a personal switch. Yes, in a work environment it's difficult to be yourself, but when you have a place and space where your true authentic self can shine out, you can reload the energy:) thanks for sharing.
I always felt so misunderstood. In the last year I’ve found my people and for the first time, I feel seen and feel like I am making true, authentic connections. It’s been quite a journey coming back to myself and learning the power of my sensitivity. And also that I’m not alone. Thank you for this.
I was anxious and burnt out from heavily masking for so long and was ready for change. Breath work and therapy moved a lot for me and the more open I became, the more I realized what I needed. A lot comes up from time spent in stillness. I started showing up in healing spaces and letting myself be vulnerable; stopped drinking. The right people showed up or stayed. Most of my social time now is spent one on one with others, having tea and deep conversation on my porch.
I hope you find your people. Spaces like this and the beautiful words you are putting out there will help for sure!
Yes you are definetely not alone, but I know that it can definitely feel that way in daily life without sensitive people around you. Love that you have found your "tribe" I am still discovering it i believe. Thanks a lot for your thoughts:)
I have definitely always felt apart. I never have a group have friends; I tend to have a few individual friends, and they tend not to like each other 😅.
I also remember being four or five years old, and feeling really confused as to why people are still the way they are, and why the world is in as much trouble as it is. I know memories are highly fallible, so who knows how accurate this is, but I remember clearly thinking, “why is it like this? We should be so much further along than this by now.” I still feel this way, sometimes. I know our species is capable of so much more; more tenderness, more community, more love for ourselves, each other, and the world.
Have you tried starting a chat community here, Tobias? I feel like maybe Slack is a bit of a non-starter for some people. I had never used it before joining yours, and I like it ~ it’s a bit like Discord, but easier to use. The thing is, I keep hearing about Slack in podcasts and articles as this sort of invasive thing that never lets you focus when it’s used in some office settings. So if people have experience using it in that context, they may just want to avoid it altogether. Just throwing out ideas, feel free to consider or ignore them as you please 😉.
I’ve been feeling like keeping my mouth shut rarely accomplishes anything, (except when keeping mean and critical comments to myself… those I will continue to keep the lid on 😆) and we can really only find out if we connect by speaking or writing/typing our experiences.
I had a feeling you’d experienced similar; we’re kindred spirits I believe.
Thank you for all those wise words. I really like the chat community idea! Maybe also a weekly sharing space or something to also engage with my readers:) Thank you so much, will look into this idea this weekend!
While I would love to be part of this wonderful world you are creating for HSP, I am not a Slack kind of person. I prefer to remain separate from the group and join in when I can contribute something of value. Good luck, All.
Awesome post by a fellow HSP! Love that he is so young and navigating these big questions already. This was also my journey, I remember reading The Alchemist when I was 12 years old, and asked questions that no one knew how to answer. I see this now in my nephew and its beautiful to see this gift being passed on :)
Thank you🙏🏼 yes it is indeed a beautiful gift, which needs some "getting used to"..I am so grateful I alreqdy pretty much learned how "to deal with it"😁
I'm an empath, which means I feel what others are feeling. It is my gift from God and it comes with responsibility. God wants me to pray for others that struggle. Once I figured it out, I know what to do and I do it. There's also people who think logically, with their head, and those that think with their heart- emotional. It's a neat trick to decide to override the heart with the head, but it can be done.
I'm an empath, which means I feel what others are feeling. It is my gift from God and it comes with responsibility. God wants me to pray for others that struggle. Once I figured it out, I know what to do and I do it. There's also people who think logically, with their head, and those that think with their heart- emotional. It's a neat trick to decide to override the heart with the head, but it can be done.
Great post, Tobias! I wholeheartedly agree. The revelation that my 'Oversensitivity' is a superpower came to me about 40 years ago. It saved my life (although it couldn't save me from going through some serious shit in my life). Developing that superpower has become my life's work (starting about 25 years ago). So it's definitely not a 'quick fix life hack' from struggle to glory. But it's the only life worth living!! Thank you so much for your work 🙏🩵
Thank you so much for sharing! What have been your practices, tips and tricks you learned along the way and would like to share with those who are where you where around 40 years ago?
Of course! I am sharing more than just tips & tricks. I have developed a whole new model of Consciousness and a discipline and series of practices based on this model. I'm publishing it all on my substack channel : Synchronosophy, a new chapter every Saturday : https://veronikabondsynchronosophy.substack.com/
Awesome, subscribed:) Love the last post about coherence, your post actually inspired me now to enroll in a course about exactly this topic which I was already considering!
Thank you! And good luck with the course. It's a very important topic , going right to the roots of everything.
Thank you for you this post, Tobias! This resonated so much, for many years I had a “love-hate” relationship with my empathy. The world tells us we should be strong and emotions are a sign of weakness, more so for men than women. But mostly being in male dominant field from school to university and work (in a science / mathematical / tech environment) I felt that should apply for me too. Now, I’ve accepted my empathy and believe it’s the greatest thing I have. It’s what makes me human, what allows me to connect with people even more at a deeper level and care for them even better. And I’d rather feel more, both the good and the bad, than feel nothing or suppress my emotions. But I’ll be honest at times it is a bit like a double edged sword-but that’s the antithesis for most things in life.
Thank you, Sara, for the encouraging words and being so open. Yes, as a man with high empathy, I definitely struggled a lot with what you described. (Btw, I also mostly work in a tech environment.).
But I learned to trust my intuition and not listen to the opinions of others too much, especially if I feel that the opinion of others or of society comes from a place of lack and, at its roots, fear.
Mindfulness practices, kung fu, writing, a community of like-minded people help me immensely.
Do you have any practices or tips you would like to share that helped you integrate and thrive in places where it normally felt difficult for you before you realized / practiced them?
I think I genuinely used to hide my softer and empathetic side, but would express myself a lot through arts and being creative. Used to to 2 hrs per dance mon-sat growing up, plus playing musical instruments etc. So, I think when I was a kid that was my outlet.
Now, I am authentic in the way I am - of course I know there are times where less should be expressed, especially in a work environment. For me, it was more of a personal switch rather than an environmental switch if that makes sense. Being in touch with naturally soft and empathetic side. :)
You described it wonderfully, it's a personal switch. Yes, in a work environment it's difficult to be yourself, but when you have a place and space where your true authentic self can shine out, you can reload the energy:) thanks for sharing.
I always felt so misunderstood. In the last year I’ve found my people and for the first time, I feel seen and feel like I am making true, authentic connections. It’s been quite a journey coming back to myself and learning the power of my sensitivity. And also that I’m not alone. Thank you for this.
How did you learn to love the power of your sensitivity and how did you find "your people"?
I was anxious and burnt out from heavily masking for so long and was ready for change. Breath work and therapy moved a lot for me and the more open I became, the more I realized what I needed. A lot comes up from time spent in stillness. I started showing up in healing spaces and letting myself be vulnerable; stopped drinking. The right people showed up or stayed. Most of my social time now is spent one on one with others, having tea and deep conversation on my porch.
I hope you find your people. Spaces like this and the beautiful words you are putting out there will help for sure!
Yes you are definetely not alone, but I know that it can definitely feel that way in daily life without sensitive people around you. Love that you have found your "tribe" I am still discovering it i believe. Thanks a lot for your thoughts:)
I have definitely always felt apart. I never have a group have friends; I tend to have a few individual friends, and they tend not to like each other 😅.
I also remember being four or five years old, and feeling really confused as to why people are still the way they are, and why the world is in as much trouble as it is. I know memories are highly fallible, so who knows how accurate this is, but I remember clearly thinking, “why is it like this? We should be so much further along than this by now.” I still feel this way, sometimes. I know our species is capable of so much more; more tenderness, more community, more love for ourselves, each other, and the world.
Have you tried starting a chat community here, Tobias? I feel like maybe Slack is a bit of a non-starter for some people. I had never used it before joining yours, and I like it ~ it’s a bit like Discord, but easier to use. The thing is, I keep hearing about Slack in podcasts and articles as this sort of invasive thing that never lets you focus when it’s used in some office settings. So if people have experience using it in that context, they may just want to avoid it altogether. Just throwing out ideas, feel free to consider or ignore them as you please 😉.
And love that you share it all so openly! I have and had a very similar experience like you described.
I’ve been feeling like keeping my mouth shut rarely accomplishes anything, (except when keeping mean and critical comments to myself… those I will continue to keep the lid on 😆) and we can really only find out if we connect by speaking or writing/typing our experiences.
I had a feeling you’d experienced similar; we’re kindred spirits I believe.
Yes I think so too, maybe part of the same oversoul / soul family or whatever you want to call it:)
🖤 exactly
Thank you for all those wise words. I really like the chat community idea! Maybe also a weekly sharing space or something to also engage with my readers:) Thank you so much, will look into this idea this weekend!
You’re welcome! I really enjoy your content, and I want to be a part of this community you’re building. I’ll do what I can to help. 🖤
Awesome!😁🙌🏽
While I would love to be part of this wonderful world you are creating for HSP, I am not a Slack kind of person. I prefer to remain separate from the group and join in when I can contribute something of value. Good luck, All.
Hey there, no problem:) Sure, I mean you can also interact with people here on Substack, whatever works best for you!
Wholly truly aggred ..✨
Thanks for your comment, Neha🙏🏼
Awesome post by a fellow HSP! Love that he is so young and navigating these big questions already. This was also my journey, I remember reading The Alchemist when I was 12 years old, and asked questions that no one knew how to answer. I see this now in my nephew and its beautiful to see this gift being passed on :)
Thank you🙏🏼 yes it is indeed a beautiful gift, which needs some "getting used to"..I am so grateful I alreqdy pretty much learned how "to deal with it"😁
I'm an empath, which means I feel what others are feeling. It is my gift from God and it comes with responsibility. God wants me to pray for others that struggle. Once I figured it out, I know what to do and I do it. There's also people who think logically, with their head, and those that think with their heart- emotional. It's a neat trick to decide to override the heart with the head, but it can be done.
I'm an empath, which means I feel what others are feeling. It is my gift from God and it comes with responsibility. God wants me to pray for others that struggle. Once I figured it out, I know what to do and I do it. There's also people who think logically, with their head, and those that think with their heart- emotional. It's a neat trick to decide to override the heart with the head, but it can be done.