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Carol D Marsh's avatar

I love this - "Sensitive people are gifted at picking up on patterns, unspoken truths, and the implications of the past and present for the future. We deeply empathize with others, so we’re likely to speak up against injustice and suffering. We know what others need in order to feel included."

Thank you, Lori! Being specific about our strengths, like you do in this quote from today's newsletter, helps us center in what's wonderful about being an HSP. We need that.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Carol, thanks for your message! Sometimes I share what I needed to hear at an earlier part of my life. This post certainly taps a lot of it.

I’m grateful for all you do to amplify the strengths of HSPs!

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Alexander Lovell, PhD's avatar

"What if our sensitivity is not a burden, but a gift?" This perspective challenges us to reframe our understanding of our own sensitivities.

Instead of viewing our sensitivity as a weakness that makes us vulnerable to the world's pain, we can see it as a strength that allows us to empathize with others and make a positive difference in the world. Our sensitivity can be a source of compassion, creativity, and insight.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Thanks for pointing out how many opportunities there are within our sensitivity, my friend! 💚

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Victoria Fann's avatar

Thank you. This resonates deeply with me at this time.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

I hope you can find a mixture of both, Victoria. 💚

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Wild Lion*esses Pride by Jay's avatar

Lori, you put into words something so many of us feel—the pull toward solitude when the world becomes too much, and the quiet knowing that connection is what we truly need. Sensitivity isn’t a flaw, and it isn’t a burden. It’s an awareness, a depth of perception that sees what others overlook.

I appreciate the way you hold space for both—acknowledging the need for retreat while offering a path back to community. Not through obligation, yet through choice. Through knowing that being seen, being understood, is what allows us to keep showing up.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Jay, thank you for this reflection! I think the more we can be intentional when we choose solitude or connection, the more we feel like we are in charge of our own lives. Feeling our own power is so important to our well-being. And yes, it is only through "being seen, being understood" that we are able to show up in the world and do the things we (and the world) need.

I'm grateful, as always, for your presence and your light in the Singularly Sensitive community, Jay!

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Wild Lion*esses Pride by Jay's avatar

Lori, in the end, so much comes down to agency and clarity—and I’ve found that both require some point of stillness within to touch them. That stillness isn’t absence; it’s presence, a place where choices become clearer, where we remember we are not just reacting but deciding.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Beautifully put, Jay!

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Holly Holt's avatar

This title! I am feeling it so intensely.

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Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.'s avatar

Oh, Holly, I feel it, too! Honestly, it's usually a struggle for me, but the last month has been something extra. I'm so glad to have people like you to share this with! 💚

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