On Taking Space and Fostering Sensitivity

Hi!

Thank you so much for following along with me as we explored the basics of attachment in relationships and why it's so very important to understand these concepts to create healthy relationships. This work is my passion and I love sharing it with you. Spring is such a wonderful time to take a look at our important relationships, clean out what no longer works, and implement new tools and strategies to support ourselves and each other. I'm thrilled to be working on some very exciting projects to do just that--so stay tuned for more information. And if you'd like to be the first to know about these projects, I'd love for you to hop on to my First to Know list.

I just returned from a lovely week of vacation with my family. I have to admit that I was nervous to leave—it’s difficult to prepare my practice and other aspects of my business for a week away. What if someone needs something? What will it feel like to return to a full email inbox and day-to-day tasks that haven’t been completed in over a week? The need for control can take over and interrupt what we really need: a break.

Sometimes, the thing we need most is space. Breathing room. Openness for possibility. Rest. Time away.

This doesn’t mean there isn’t anxiety—about what needs to be completed, how life will function without you, or how it feels to be out of the loop. And there is so much reward when we give ourselves the opportunity to take a break from day to day responsibilities.

This space is important for us as individuals as well as our relationships with others. We often don’t realize how very much we need time away or alone time until we have it and we see the difference it makes in how we respond to partners, children, co-workers, and even strangers. Alone time can be challenging to find if we frame it as something that needs to happen for several consecutive days or big chunks of time. I encourage you to prioritize some space away from your daily life tasks in small bits—15 to 30 minutes here and there, preferably in nature or a relaxing context. These tiny opportunities can give way to impactful changes in your mood.

I also want to share about a workshop I am facilitating with my colleague Laura Torres next Tuesday evening. The workshop is called The Highly Sensitive Child: A Workshop for Caregivers. We are thrilled to provide this information to our community because nurturing your child’s high sensitivity is critical for their development. If you sense your child may feel things more deeply than others, takes longer to process challenging emotions, demonstrates strong responses to sensory stimuli, or tends to be on the perfectionistic side, they are likely highly sensitive and will benefit from specific parenting strategies to flourish. Children who are highly sensitive have incredible gifts to bring to the world, and their caregivers can foster these traits while providing support and skills to reduce emotional and sensory overwhelm. This workshop will also support caregivers in developing skills to manage their own sensitivities and frustrations that arise in parenting children who feel deeply. We would love to see you there, and I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the workshop—just reply to this email and I will get back to you. The link to register is here.

Thank you so much, and I’m looking forward to connecting with you soon.

Take good care,

Elizabeth