Vibrant Days…
Flourishing with Sensory Processing Sensitivity
Came across this relevant idea of energy multipliers. Suleika is a beautiful writer and companion for the soul.
Garlic for the Energy Vampires by Suleika Jaouad
In the middle of writing Between Two Kingdoms, I got to spend three months as a writer in residence at Jack Kerouac’s bungalow in Orlando. Florida being Florida, it was swampy and hot, and the house was all 50s decor, haphazardly furnished with Jack’s things—like the armchair in the office where, as rumor goes, he sat and drank himself to death.
Soon after I arrived, I learned I was to have frequent visitors. Kerouac pilgrims showed up at all hours to pay homage and peer into the windows. One day I took Oscar out for a walk, and I came back to find a man sitting in my living room. I was terrified—I thought he was going to murder me. But he simply asked, “What time does the museum tour start?”
At residencies, there’s often a self-imposed pressure to be hyperproductive, despite such external distractions, despite any demons you’re wrangling on the page. You expect to be more prolific than you’ve ever been before. That was me: I was certain I would finish the first draft of my book—but I found myself despairing that I’d make any progress at all. I would wake up and pretend I hadn’t and try to go back to sleep. I would work hard for a few days and then lose momentum. I wrote forty pages and had to toss them. I reached a point each afternoon that wasn’t normal sluggishness. I was depleted, drained, or as Jon says, done.
Once you’ve hit that place, it’s difficult to pull yourself out—not only to do the things that make you feel better, but also to think of what might help. So one day I sat down and made a list:
Energy Multipliers
3 pp of journaling
A long walk with Oscar
Reveling in the gorgeousness of the ocean
A very long, very hot bath
Call Lizzie / Lily / Melissa / Mom
Turn off phone & read read read
Red wine and The Alexandria Quartet
Rearrange furniture
Make bucatini all’Amatriciana
Frank Conroy’s prologue to Stop-Time
Make a care package for a beloved
Clean sheets
TAKE A NAP
I kept the list tacked above my desk. Anytime I felt low down, I’d scan my finger along the options and choose one.
Thriving at Riverbank December 2024 Session – **Registration Now Open**
Come explore the natural connections highly sensitive people have with nature, the arts and spirituality.
When: Tuesday evenings December 3, 10, and 17th 2024. 6:30-8:00 CST on Zoom.
Where: Sessions will be via Zoom only. You will receive a link when you register.
For: Adults with high sensitivity that want to grow, deepen their understanding of the trait and experience connection with other highly sensitive adults.
Facilitator: Candy Crawford MSW, LCSW, International Consultant on High Sensitivity (ICHS). Candy has presented and collaborated with Elaine Aron for over 10 years.
Cost: $249 for the entire group (due first session). Sign up now, space is limited.
Group Objectives:
*Experience a safe, structured community with other hsps.
*Deepen understanding of trait via teaching, reflection and group process.
*Deepen awareness of inner agency and strengths.
*Explore what it looks and feels like to thrive as a highly sensitive person.
Contact Candy at 630.991.6200 or email lakeorwoods@gmail.com to register.
Thriving at Riverbank January Session 2025 – **Registration Now Open**
Defining Does: Depth of processing, overstimulation, emotional reactivity, and sensory sensitivity.
What: Psychoeducational HSP Group
When: Thursday mornings January 2, 9, and 16, 2025. 9:00-10:30 CST. Sessions via Zoom.
Where: All sessions on Zoom. You will receive a zoom link when you register.
For: Adults with high sensitivity that want to grow, deepen their understanding of the trait and experience connection with other highly sensitive adults.
Facilitator: Candy Crawford MSW, LCSW, International Consultant on High Sensitivity (ICHS). Candy has presented and collaborated with Elaine Aron for over 10 years.
Cost: $249 for entire group (due first session) Max in each group: 5.
Weekly Topics:
Week one: Depth of Processing: what is it and how it can work for me.
Week two: Overstimulation: how to handle and experience less.
Week three: Emotional reactivity and sensory stimuli: how to process and move on.
Group Objectives:
*Experience a safe, structured community with other hsps in nature.
*Deepen understanding of trait via teaching, reflection and group process.
*Learn and apply skills of self regulation and self care.
*Explore what it looks and feels like to thrive as a highly sensitive person.
Contact Candy at 630.991.6200 or email lakeorwoods@gmail.com to register.
What I keep watching:
Sight my eyes, phone and soul captured this month:
