How To Navigate The Holidays As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
A special thank you to, Donna Chisholm, Andrea Brideau, Robbie Leigh, and Fiona Fletcher Tavernier. About how to navigate the holidays has a Highly Sensitive Person.
Crafting Intentional Holidays
The holidays, a joyous time for many, can evoke stress and overwhelm for high-sensory individuals. Robbie Leigh, our empowerment coach for highly sensitive people, sets the stage by reflecting on her childhood experiences and how they shaped her approach to the holidays. As a child, she sensed the stress and busyness around her, prompting her to make intentional choices as an adult.
Strategies for a Yummier Holiday Season
- Mindful Choices: Donna Chisholm, a high sensory HSP relational coach, emphasises the importance of mindful choices. From integrating mindfulness and self-compassion to promoting trauma integration and somatic embodiment practices, Donna guides us from disconnection to connection during the holidays.
- Creating Personal Spaces: Fiona Fletcher Tavernier, a certified integrative trauma practitioner, brings her expertise to the discussion. Specialising in working with highly sensitive people who have experienced trauma, Fiona stresses the significance of creating personal spaces tailored to individual needs.
Recognising Signs of Overwhelm: Insights into Depression
Andrea is an HSP coach specialising in unravelling hearts to help individuals live fully in their hearts and find solid value in the world. Her unique perspective and experiences add depth to the discussion, reinforcing the importance of connection and self-expression. Opens up about a significant childhood experience—post-holiday depression. She shares how she felt the initial feeling of depression was later understood as her nervous system protecting itself by numbing out. Andrea draws a connection between depression and an overwhelmed nervous system, highlighting the importance of recognising these signals. As an adult, she has learned to interpret these feelings as cues to regroup and spend time in nature.
Listening to the Body: A Source of Valuable Information
The conversation takes a profound turn as Andrea emphasises the value of paying attention to our body’s messages. Acknowledging the information as beneficial for the body and nervous system, she shares her practice of listening to these signals and responding accordingly. Andrea’s journey toward self-awareness and self-care reminds us to prioritise our well-being during the holiday season.
The Power of Permission: Crafting Personalised Holidays
Robbie Leigh, the podcast host, introduces the concept of permission as a critical factor in creating joyful holidays. Participants discuss the significance of permitting oneself to navigate the season in a way that aligns with individual needs and preferences. The conversation delves into establishing new traditions, saying no to certain activities, and embracing a personalised approach to holiday celebrations.
Embracing Wisdom and Self-Acceptance: Reflections on Past Holidays
As the discussion deepens, participants share personal reflections on the impact of past holidays and the importance of breaking free from attachment to family dynamics. Andrea Brideau emphasises the value of not being overly attached to past experiences and encourages embracing the wisdom of our adult selves. The conversation shifts towards being fully present and allowing ourselves to be authentic.
The Power of Boundaries: Navigating Dysfunctional Dynamics
Donna Chisholm adds to the conversation by highlighting the importance of setting boundaries. She shares her childhood experience of yearning for more celebration and joy in a dysfunctional family setting. Donna advocates for surrounding oneself with people who value and understand, emphasising the significance of creating safe and warm spaces during the holidays.
Choosing Relationships: Focusing on Love and Acceptance
Fiona Fletcher Tavernier echoes the sentiments of boundaries and emphasises the importance of choosing relationships that align with our values. She encourages acceptance of others for who they are, recognising that individuals cannot be changed. Fiona underscores the role of humour in navigating family dynamics, offering a perspective that finding joy in challenging situations can be a powerful coping mechanism.
Transformative Power of Acceptance: Raising Vibrations
Robbie Leigh shares her focus on acceptance during the holiday season. She encourages accepting family members for who they are and finding humour in various situations. Robyn acknowledges the transformative power of approval, stating that while we can’t control others, we can raise the energy in a room by elevating our own vibration.
Harnessing Highly Sensitive Qualities: Improving the Energy in the Room
The conversation takes a positive turn as Donna Chisholm highlights the powerful traits of highly sensitive people. She mentions the ability to sense others’ energy and positively influence the atmosphere by raising one’s own vibration. Donna invites everyone to pay attention to the energy in the room during the holiday season, encouraging a mindful approach to heart-centred interactions.
The Illusion of Power: Recognising Our Limits
As the conversation delves into the complexities of family dynamics during the holidays, Donna Chisholm shares a profound realisation. She reflects on the false sense of power she experienced when attempting to intervene in familial conflicts during past holiday gatherings. Donna acknowledges that while it may not be her responsibility to interfere, the conditioned response to protect loved ones is deeply ingrained.
The Importance of Naming Truth: Acknowledging Conditional Responses
Donna emphasises the significance of naming our truths, including the desire for holidays to be different than they are. She underscores the importance of meeting the truth of each moment with awareness and tending to one’s inner state. Donna encourages embracing the truth of our desires while simultaneously releasing attachments to outcomes beyond our control.
Shifting Responsibility: Focusing Inward
The discussion takes a turn towards the concept of responsibility, with participants expressing the need to shift the focus inward. Robbie Leigh shares her practice of letting go of the responsibility for others’ feelings and comfort. The participants collectively highlight the importance of turning inward and recognising that one’s responsibility lies in managing one’s own internal world rather than shouldering the emotions of others.
The Power of Self-Love: Nurturing Amidst Chaos
Donna Chisholm introduces the idea of navigating chaos with internal tenderness and self-love. She emphasises the efficiency of highly sensitive individuals in processing and attuning to their own needs. The discussion underscores the unique capacity of highly sensitive people to find solace within themselves, even amidst external chaos.
Responding to Chaos: An Opt-In Family Setting
The conversation takes a nuanced turn as Donna Chisholm introduces the idea of family gatherings as opt-in experiences. She envisions a scenario where individuals actively choose to participate in the family setting, acknowledging the agency to opt into the dynamics and challenges that may unfold. This perspective reframes the approach to family interactions during the holidays, recognising the power of intentional participation.
Opting Out with Intention: Prioritising Meaningful Connections
The conversation turns as Robbie Leigh introduces the notion of opting out of certain holiday activities with intention. Robyn emphasises recognising one’s agency as an adult, acknowledging that decisions come with consequences. The key is prioritising meaningful activities that bring genuine joy and connection.
The Freedom to Choose: Initiating Healing Conversations
Building upon this idea, Fiona Fletcher Tavernier suggests that opting out can catalyse healing conversations. She encourages individuals to openly communicate their reasons for opting out, fostering understanding within family or social groups. Fiona sees this as an opportunity to break habits and initiate discussions about what truly matters to everyone involved.
Permission to Tune In: Empowering Others to Express Their Needs
Fiona’s insight resonates with permitting others to tune into their own needs. By openly discussing personal choices, individuals create an environment where others feel empowered to express their desires and preferences. Opting out becomes a shared experience that encourages authenticity and mindful decision-making.
A Different Perspective: Navigating Loneliness during the Holidays
The participants broaden the discussion to include those who may experience loneliness during the holidays. Andrea Brideau emphasises the societal pressure to partake in many festive activities, which can be overwhelming for those seeking connection. The conversation touches on the importance of considering individuals’ diverse experiences during this season.
Embracing the Spectrum of Holiday Experiences: Loneliness and Meaning-Making
Andrea Brideau introduces a unique perspective on the holiday season, highlighting the experience of loneliness and the sense of being left out during festive times. She acknowledges that societal expectations and media often project an image of abundant family gatherings and celebrations, which may only resonate with some. Andrea shares her own experience, expressing empathy for those who, like herself, may navigate the holidays with a different twist.
Acknowledging Loneliness: Compassion and Self-Reflection
Andrea emphasises the importance of acknowledging and addressing loneliness during the holidays. She notes that while others may be caught up in chaotic family interactions, individuals experiencing solitude can reflect on the positive aspects of their own situation. Andrea shares her personal experience of finding solace in the simplicity of spending the holidays with her partner.
Meaning-Making and Nature Connection: Rediscovering Joy
Fiona Fletcher Tavernier introduces the concept of meaning-making, emphasising the ability of highly sensitive people to find deep significance in their experiences. She suggests that as high sensory individuals, connecting with nature and paying attention to the shifts in the seasons can bring a sense of joy and magic during the holiday season. Fiona shares her personal practice of capturing the beauty of nature through photography, finding inspiration in the subtleties of the environment.
Rediscovering the Magic: Tuning into Nature’s Rhythms
Fiona expands on the idea that the holiday season can be a magical time when approached from a nature-centric perspective. She encourages individuals to attune themselves to the energy and shifts in nature, finding delight in the small wonders such as moss growth, changing leaf colours, and captivating sunsets. Fiona’s approach connects to the season’s essence beyond commercialised expectations.
Practical Tips for Enjoying the Holidays
Robbie Lee shares a practical and insightful cheat sheet for navigating the holidays as a highly sensitive person. Her tips include being in nature, limiting shopping, prioritising self-care, and intentionally eating a snack before social gatherings. Robbie emphasises the significance of slowing down to signal safety to the nervous system and suggests a unique approach to managing large gatherings by staggering visitor times.
Celebrating the Individual Journey
Fiona Fletcher Tavernier expresses gratitude for the unique perspectives shared in the conversation. She highlights the importance of embracing one’s truth and finding joy in personal preferences, whether it involves nature, photography, or intentional choices during the holiday season. The participants conclude by encouraging listeners to honour their own experiences, recognising no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating the holidays.
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