Member-only story
Fear and the life of an HSP and empath
“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you in living in better conditions..”-Hafiz
No shit, Sherlock. I mean, I LOVE Hafiz. His poetry is a breath of fresh air, but really? Wouldn’t we all love to live in a place without fear? What is the actual value of fear, if it has any? Why are we fearful in the first place?
Today, I have so many thoughts about fear. Fear is not my friend. It has not been my friend since I was a little girl who had panic attacks and hypochondria. To complicate my unadulterated fear, I am an HSP, a Highly Sensitive Person, and an empath.
This wonderful combination of acronyms means that when you are happy, I am happy. When things seem stable, the smells are natural, and the surroundings are safe, I am well. However, if things are not safe and I feel threatened, either in reality or simply perception, then I am not well. It means that if you feel threatened or are ill, I feel threatened and ill. And, contrary to popular belief, it’s not a choice I make.
It is far more complex than that. But these acronyms have helped me to make sense of my ENTIRE life. The things I love to do: baking, playing piano and violin, gardening, reading, exploring the woods…all of these things are ways I re-stabilize. I call it grounding. Each of these brings me into my body after…
