The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast with Julie Bjelland , LMFT

By Julie Bjelland, LMFTEducation Self-Improvement

The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast with Julie Bjelland , LMFT episodes

November 05, 2021 Do you have guilt or shame around being sensitive? A discussion with Julie and Willow
Guilt and shame tend to be a big problem for HSPs.
For the purposes of this episode, we are going to discuss this in relation to the trait of high sensitivity.
Guilt Culprits: We often try to please people. We don’t want to experience their disappointment. We try to do the right thing. We might feel guilty for setting boundaries, taking alone time, or needing to do things differently.
Shame culprits: Most of us have been told our whole lives that something is wrong with us for being “too sensitive” so we often walk around with shame about who we are.
Guilt and shame are exhausting and drain our energy. If we take alone time to restore but we feel guilty when we do it then we don’t restore. It even zaps us of our energy!
If we feel shame about who we are we have a hard time putting ourselves out into the world and deeply connecting to who we really are and finding our life purpose.
Ways to intentionally let go of guilt and shame
1. Acknowledge, normalize and validate your experiences
2. Learn about your positive gifts within this trait of high sensitivity.
3. Practice self-compassion for the hard feelings as it helps us feel more resilient too
4. Set boundaries. Redirect to internal focus. Remind yourself why you had to set that boundary or say no and remember your inner child’s needs.
5. Know that when we give up our needs we don’t thrive and that’s not good for anyone. Your needs are not less important than other people's needs.
6. Shift your mindset. It’s not possible to “please” anyone. That’s not our job, that’s their job.
7. Surround yourself with people who support you and limit or let go of those that don’t. Know that this community supports you! ❤️
8. Be intentional and give time to consciously shift
9. Seek out support from an HSP Psychotherapist who can be a great source of support to guide us through the deep parts. Check out the HSP Practitioners Directory!
10. Keep practicing! The more you practice the easier it is to release the guilt and shame.
Explore Julie's courses to help HSPs be at their highest level of wellness at HSPcourses.com
Explore all our episodes and links to our websites and resources at HSPpodcast.com
52 min
October 26, 2021 Learn to Trust Your Intuition and Tap Into Your Personal Power with Martina Barnes
From Martina: "ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF BEING AN HSP IS FINDING IT HARD TO IDENTIFY AND LISTEN TO YOUR INNER GPS SYSTEM, YOUR INTUITIVE GUIDANCE. THESE MESSAGES ARE OVERSHADOWED BY YOUR NATURAL EMPATHY AND ABILITY TO FEEL WHAT SOMEONE ELSE FEELS. ADDITIONALLY, SOCIETY GIVINGS YOU FALSE MESSAGES, TELLING YOU HOW YOU "SHOULD" BE. IN ORDER TO TRULY UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO STAND IN YOUR STRENGTHS, YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP THE COURAGE TO TRUST YOURSELF."
Martina is an experienced licensed psychotherapist, coach and master intuitive for high-achievers who are introverts and/or HSP’s. She has over 30 years of experience in helping others transform their lives by learning to listen to their inner guidance, embrace their gifts and get comfortable with being seen. She helps clients achieve Reliable Personal Power in every area of their lives. www.thebraveintrovert.com

Join the Sensitive Empowerment Community and explore more resources for the sensitive at JulieBjelland.com
49 min
October 12, 2021 Chakra Balancing For Creating Calm with Tammy Goen
Blockages in our energy systems can make it challenging to achieve a sense of calm. Learn how to clear and recharge your chakras to feel calm and clear and increase your flow.
Tammy is a holistic life coach and energy healer helping Highly Sensitives be themselves, be understood and be at peace. She helps clients develop full toolboxes of techniques for minimizing overwhelm, and shifting mindset and letting go of emotional and energetic blocks to live a full, joyful life. When she's not helping clients she's usually out connecting with the trees, rivers and mountains. linktr.ee/tammygoen
Get more info at HSPpodcast.com
46 min
October 05, 2021 The risks of assuming everyone can do what we can do as HSPs with Willow and Julie
As a percentage of the population nature has given us an ability to process sensory information more deeply. Our amazing trait is intended. Just as the role we are here to play in the world is intended. For many of us as HSPs, we have had to work out our place for ourselves. Learning how to find self-love and acceptance without guidance. Yet for many of us we are aware that beneath the challenges we often face, there is something we are good at. Something aligned with an area of life that fascinates us. So many of us as HSPs assume that everyone has these abilities. Yet nature has given us an ability to process more information for a reason. The truth is that not everyone can interpret the world in the way we can. Not everyone can feel as deeply as we can and not everyone has that secret little awareness that surprises us time and time again. When we assume that everyone can do what we do, we devalue this gift we have been given. Which in turn means we are devaluing ourselves and the responsibility we have to own the role that was intended for us. Join us this week as we consider the importance of exploring and developing what might seem normal to us, yet in fact, could well be abilities that are here to create a powerful impact on the world...
Learn more about Julie and Willow and explore more episodes at HSPpodcast.com
Explore the Nature Book here mentioned in this episode of photos from around the world, as seen through the eyes of HSPs.
49 min
September 21, 2021Keys to Managing Environmental Sensitivity with Andrea Weber
In this unique and inspirational event, Andrea will discuss the following:
What it means to be environmentally sensitive

Environmentally sensitive and HSP - similarities and differences

Proactive steps for both immediate and external environments

Recognizing the opportunity for personal growth and learning

Possible reasons for neglecting emotional wellbeing

Confidently requesting vs apologizing for our needs

Removing social stigma and creating much-needed change

Moving from limited existence to expansive living
People can find fulfillment and wellbeing with the challenges of managing environmental sensitivity. Practical tools, renewed perspective, acceptance, and self-empowered management can all help to achieve this.
Andrea Weber is founder of expansivehappiness.com, a site specifically designed to encourage, inspire and support those managing environmental sensitivities, while creating much needed public awareness around these conditions. Andrea has created an Environmental Sensitivity Quiz and a range of practical resources for environmental sensitivity management including the Self-empowered Sensitivity Management Program.
47 min
September 07, 2021HSPs & Sensory Overload with Julie and Willow
Quick Definition: Sensory overload is when our senses take in more information than our brain can keep up with processing.
In this episode:
Problem: HSPs not living to their fullest potential and the world needs you

Purpose: educate and validate that Sensory Overload is a real experience & give you tools & support

Offer solutions for you to live your best life (helps teens and children too!)
We take in more data than the majority. When our brain is overwhelmed by this input, it enters the fight/flight/freeze mode making us want to flee or fight or we might shut down. Once that is activated everything changes!
We release chemicals into the body that can make our heart race, shift how our body uses oxygen and how it functions in general.

We might feel unwell and overwhelmed and lose access to our cognitive brain, lose focus and memory, have an emotional reaction/meltdown/anger burst/irritability

we might get digestive issues, rashes, headaches, migraines, and other short-term, long-term health issues
Imagine that happening every day and what impact that might have on our health! Sensory overload is really hard sometimes and this is just a portion of our experience.
Solutions:
Acknowledge

Normalize

Validate

Mindset shift You aren’t “too sensitive”, the world is too loud and chaotic. You are born sensitive because the population needs a group of people taking in more data and who have higher levels of awareness. But society is not set up for our sensitivity levels and can often cause sensory overload (think about how loud garden equipment is or loud cars or motorcycles, bus brakes, airplanes, announcements, alarms), etc

Practice self-compassion instead of judgment (5 pounds vs 1000)

Be alone a couple of hours daily in quiet nature Try this Spend a few days alone in a quiet and peaceful nature setting and discover who you are without sensory overload! It’s life-changing to realize you can feel so much peace and bliss in nature. Plus creativity increases when you aren't in overload!

Practice “HSP” Self-care (balance lowers sensitivity challenges)

Advocate for your needs

Live consciously to lower sensory overload
Further Recommended Resources from Julie and Willow
Julie offers an online course that helps with Sensory Overload: Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Overwhelming Emotions. HSPcourses.com
Willow’s High Sensory Coaching Program. This allows us to consciously witness the unique advantages of being able to process sensory information more deeply and how this can be used to create your own business as a coach, facilitator, healer or consultant. https://inluminance.com/the-training
53 min
September 01, 2021 Resources for the Sensitive
Sharing all the resources created to help you thrive to your fullest potential!
15 min
August 23, 2021 Exploring Nontraditional Relationships for HSPs with Sarah Mathews, LMFT
My goal for this conversation with Sarah is that we open minds to the possibility that sometimes what’s been traditionally taught to us might not work for us and that we are free to explore what does! I want to normalize that doing things differently is OK! I want to normalize that doing things that work for us is a good thing!

I spent many years forcing myself into the boxes that were given to me that never quite fit and it’s my mission to help HSPs hear the messages that it’s ok to do something non-traditional.

For example, I think many HSPs want to have separate sleeping spaces or live separately and I’ll share some of my personal experiences with that with the hope to normalize it and show that there are many different ways to be in relationships that can sometimes work better for HSPs. You don’t even have to be in a relationship either! Many HSP Empaths especially find it feels better being single. Our goal is to normalize what feels best to you.

Sarah shares her personal experiences with polyamory and ethical non-monogamous relationships in hopes that we open minds to the fact that there are many different ways to be in relationships.

I personally love the idea of no labels, no boxes, no “shoulds” and creating our own way based on what intuitively feels right for us.

Part of empowerment for me means freedom to live in the way that works for us and acceptance and openness to many different ways of doing things!
Sarah is a marriage and family therapist practicing in Minneapolis, MN and specializes in highly sensitive individuals, relationships, and sexuality. She is bisexual and polyamorous and believes there are many ways to have fulfilling, healthy, and thriving relationships.
Sarah Mathews MA, LMFT
SarahMathewsLMFT.com
#612-399-6133
Explore all the podcast episodes at HSPpodcast.com
Join us live for the next episode in the Sensitive Empowerment Community! Plus I'm there every day offering support. SensitiveCommunity.com
46 min
August 03, 2021 The power of thought leadership and how we make a difference as HSPs with Willow and Julie
The way we think as HSPs is powerful and unique. We are deeply caring people and we are able to process key perspectives in life from many interesting angles. The way we see the world around us brings a great many insights to parenting, the workplace, movements, and also thought leadership as a whole. If you have thought about writing a book, starting a blog, or just making your unique perspective better known, this episode will be for you. This is a chance to explore your natural thought leadership abilities and how you can bring your unique perspective as an HSP into the world in a way that is meaningful and potent to support change. Join us this week as we continue to explore the important roles we play in leadership as HSPs in the world.
Listen to all our episodes, explore our bios and free resources on our websites at HSPpodcast.com
50 min
July 06, 2021Sensitive Leaders are Needed in Many Areas of Life with Julie and Willow
In this episode, we talk about…
Traditional leadership vs Sensitive leadership

Areas HSPs are needed

Challenges and solutions to HSPs in leadership
From the Sensitive Empowerment Community here were qualities that HSPs named about Traditional Leadership vs Sensitive Leadership…
Traditional Leadership
Alpha

Dominant

Patriarchal

Intimidating

Unhealthy

Instills shame

Often makes people feel smaller

People do things out of fear or shame

Loudest ones valued

Quiet ones lost
Sensitive Leadership
Kind-hearted and supportive

Empathetic, Compassionate

Helps you learn from mistakes without judgment

Puts together great teams, knows the gifts in others, and how to bring out their best

They empower and guide, and instill a desire to want to do better

Believes in the greater mission, can often see the whole picture and bring out passions in others

Good listener

Efficient

Instills confidence

Human-centered, heart-centered helps to nurture and build, rather than just profit

More open-minded and accepting

The glue that holds others together

Increased awareness and perspective

Choose directions for the greater good, rather than doing things the way they always have done
Challenges to become a leader as expressed by HSPs we spoke with…
Fear of imbalance in time and energy

Pressure

High expectations

Too much responsibility
Solutions
Lead in areas you are passionate about

Paradigm shift: do it your way!

Maintain boundaries

Protect your energy & Grounding work

Fierce self-care the HSP way

Mindset shifts

Create structure that works for an HSP

Work smarter and more efficiently (HSPs good at that)

Increase collaboration

Can’t do it all because you care the most, need a talented team for support

Stand shoulder to shoulder with others relaying our ideas

The best leaders aren’t perfect, they’re those who care about, support and mentor, and guide.

Join continued discussions and feel supported in the Sensitive Empowerment Community!
Explore more episodes at HSPpodcast.com
45 min

About The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast with Julie Bjelland , LMFT

From the publisher's feed

The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast is a space for deep understanding, validation, and nervous system support for sensitive and neurodivergent people, especially late-identified autistic women.