Missed my last post? Read Part 8 of My Highly Sensitive Recovery where I discuss finally finding my home in paradise.
Four years after completing my island tours, and 2 years of feeling like a tired salmon swimming hard upstream to make the enormous transition and settle into island living, I have never been happier in my life. Having embraced fully and deeply the truth of being a Highly Sensitive Person brought my internal world great relief and even greater self-forgiveness. Relief to know I belonged to a unique group of people that I could genuinely relate to even if I hadn’t met them, and forgiveness for the endless years I had berated myself for being so sensitive and so unlike nearly everyone else around me. I had found my tribe, my own pack, and I was finally … home.
This profound trait led me to my paradise — the highly sensitive Big Island of Hawaii
On every possible level; emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, career, social, living quarters, relationships, it has taken me years to begin to treat myself in ways that led to thriving. In the midst of all consuming burnout, Dr. Aron’s seminal research and writings led me to an understanding of myself and my needs that would push me to sacrifice literally everything in my southern California life in order to answer the calling of this profound trait. That answer was to move to this highly sensitive Big Island of Hawaii where I now live.
From before my Hawaii transition and since, my mental/physical/spiritual transition was an extremely slow evolution. Treating the myriad severe disorders that were a result of my inadvertent self-destruction has taken years to conform and create an internal space of genuine self-care. Having spent time on ocean-going vessels, I relate it to the turning of a massive cruise ship; you turn the wheel to the sudden north, and the ship takes many minutes to actually make the full turn.
This full-care, self-loving, self-caring, self-compassion takes years to turn toward and arrive at one’s true north. Like all humans, I still have trying moments. However, the majority of time I enjoy the deepest contentment and joy and mental/physical/spiritual health I could have ever imagined.
Looking for more? Continue reading Part 10 of My Highly Sensitive Recovery where I discuss the effects of a punishing lifestyle on a HSP.
