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2014 Holiday Gift Guide for HSPs

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I hate the holidays.

I hate how Christmas decorations show up before Halloween and Jingle Bell Rock can be heard on November 1st. And what is the deal with the Starbucks red cups anyway? I just don’t get why it’s “a thing”.

But I’m not entirely anti-holiday.

I love gingerbread. And cozy sweaters. Also: presents. Both giving and receiving.

I also really enjoy reading all of the lists of gift ideas (Sew Mama Sew has a fun one every year called Handmade Holidays). I almost never buy things (or make things) from the lists I read, but they inspire me to think outside of my particular box.

So I thought I’d write my own (short) list of gift ideas for the highly sensitive people in your life.

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Reframing Confidence

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The more I talk with introverts and highly sensitive people, the more I hear a deep desire to feel more confident. And although I did a series on confidence earlier this year, I’m beginning to realize that this confidence building thing isn’t answered with just a few tips and some mental “hacks”.

What’s actually needed is a major reframe.

This doesn’t mean that you have to spend thousands of dollars on a coach (though I’d be happy to talk to you if that’s what you’re looking to do. wink, wink), and it doesn’t mean that you have to move to a new city and start a new life. Or whatever other drastic, scary thing might be your go-to nightmare scenario when words like major and reframe are thrown at you.

So, what does a major reframe look like?

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Are you an HSP?

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You just spent a day at Disneyland with your family, getting lost in the throngs of people, noises, lights, and smells. Your kids are ready to ride Space Mountain again, but all you want to do is go find a dark, quiet place to hide out for a while.

If that sounds familiar, you might be a highly sensitive person.

In 1996, Dr. Elaine Aron published her groundbreaking book, The Highly Sensitive Person, in which she described what an HSP is, reassured us that it was okay to be one, and gave us permission to take better care of ourselves.

Before I read The Highly Sensitive Person when I was 26 years old, I thought there was something wrong with me that only a lifetime of therapy (and maybe drugs) would be able to fix. I felt neurotic, imbalanced, and constantly frazzled.

But Elaine Aron taught me it’s okay to be me… a highly sensitive person.
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