Episode 182: Get to Know Julie and Willow! Answering Your Personal Questions

November 9, 2023 Julie Bjelland

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(Transcript available below)

Have you always wondered something about Willow or me? Join us for a fun conversation where you have a chance to get to know us better! Here are some of the questions we answered…

What is your most unusual sensitivity?
When did you both realize you had High Sensory gifts, and what were/are they? Have more gifts opened up since you first recognized you had the trait?
How have your sensitivity and empathic abilities changed over the years; are you getting more so or less so?
As prominent leaders for the high-sensory global community, how do you see our roles as light-bringers in our new burgeoning world of positivity and growth? Particularly, what roles or manifestations do you have for the near and further future of HSPs?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on your experiences of starting new things as a HSP. Like navigating big changes in career, moving somewhere, or becoming a parent. What are some of the things that you do/have done to support yourself as an HSP through these times when there is so much more new information to process and manage internally?
Julie & Willow, do you have any tips for coping in a workplace or setting where sensitive people are not valued? (while you are making the move to get out)?
Do you ever find yourself in awe of something that you are able to do through your highly unique gifts? I feel that each of you - in your own unique & special way - is extremely rare in the world of HSPs and are natural leaders for the HSP or High Sensory Movement. It's gone beyond grass roots to more global now - largely in part the specific work the two of you do together and individually.
Julie - your SEC community has literally changed the world for so many of us HSPs. Do you often marvel at how far it's come and has it gone beyond your wildest dreams?

Leave comments on this episode and explore more episodes at HSPpodcast.com

Join the next live podcast at SensitiveCommunity.com

Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is an HSP psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, the author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Her HSP Podcast ranks among the top 5% of the most shared and followed podcasts worldwide. Julie’s webinars. resources, online courses, and blog have helped millions of HSPs reduce the challenges of living with sensitivity in an overstimulating world. Her greatest joy is helping sensitive people discover their significant value and seeing them share their much-needed gifts with the world. Julie loves connecting in her community and warmly invites you to join this positive, inclusive, sensitive family. Explore her resources and learn how her brain training program reduces anxiety within the first two weeks at JulieBjelland.com❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)

Willow McIntosh is the founder of Inluminance and creator of the High Sensory Coaching Program. Unique circumstances during Willow’s childhood led to the burying of his authentic self and complete misalignment to the work he was destined for. He began to carve his own path into understanding how people with sensory processing sensitivity can learn to use their genetic traits to their advantage. As an adult this led to a lifelong enquiry and practise into learning powerful energetic alignment techniques to re-engage with the authentic self. Willow believes that all people with the trait have the ability to tap into a unique skill that draws on a deeper sensory perception. Having successfully facilitated the development of seven figure businesses Willow’s practise has taken him all over the world. Speaking internationally, training in a broad range of fields and facilitating others for more than twenty years. http://highsensoryintelligence.com/

The HSP Podcast is rated in the top 5% most followed and shared globally! Thank you for sharing to help other HSPs! Check out more episodes at HSPpodcast.com

Transcript

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Welcome to the Hsp, podcast I'm Julie Bjelland, an Hsp psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity. And today, we're recording live inside the sensitive empowerment community, which is a private platform away from the chaos of social media.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And we're really a family of sensitive people that we share our lives together. It's a very positive space and sensory, friendly space which I'm proud of.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: That we have a space like that to to gather all over the world. Today's episode. I'm here with Willow Mcintosh. He's the founder of in luminance and creator of the high sensory method. Hello, Willow.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: hey, Julie? Great to be here. Thank you for having me so nice to have you. And this is going to be a fun episode where we're where we're really gathered some some questions. So you guys can get to know us a little better, which sounds fun. And those of you that are with us live, you can also, you know, add stuff to the chat. Also

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: along the way, willow, I just checked. And this is really exciting. The Hsp podcast is now in 177 countries.

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Willow McIntosh: Wow! That's amazing. I'm so so blown away that we're able to to reach so far that so many are enjoying it. That's wonderful, right? I mean, it's just, it's we're close to 500,000 lessons.

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And I would love. If everyone who enjoys the podcast. Can help us reach our goal of reaching a million Hsps

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: by sharing episodes. By sharing the podcast you can share the link to Hsp podcast.com, and we really appreciate that because Hsp's are finding the podcast really helpful and supportive.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And we're in our like 180 something episodes. Now, so there's lots to listen to and explore, which is great. And if you're interested in joining the sensitive empowerment community to be able to join these live episodes, you can go to sensitive community.com

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: so will. How have you been?

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Willow McIntosh: Very well, very, very well, yes, and I'm excited to to dive into this to some of these questions, th, this wonderful questions that have been asked of us

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Willow McIntosh: and

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Willow McIntosh: and I think, you know, it's it's exciting for us, and also really helpful, I think, to get a broader insight into

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Willow McIntosh: what we do, and you know how we manage things, and the various kind of nuances of our character, I think.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yeah, that's very true. It's like, it's it's a I really love the questions that came in. And they inspired some great discussions in the community, too? Jules asked this question. And, Jules, this is such a good question, because it inspired a lot of conversation in the community, and I think that?

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: A a lot of us felt really normalized and validated by sharing some of these things. So you asked, what are your special sensitivities? And how do you cope with them?

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I thought that was a it was pretty fun question. So it was just really fun to read what everybody was saying to in the community, so some of mine are

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that I always have to have water with me. That's like II have been like that for many years, like it's almost like a panic feeling if I don't have water with me.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I also have trouble with competing noise during conversations, like if somebody's trying to talk to me with the and the TV's on in the background, or the fan, like a a fan noise is on, or even if I'm trying to watch TV and the fan noises on th these kind of competing noises, I find hard

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: bad audio, you know. Like, if you're you're listening to some kind of audio that just sounds really staticy or something.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and also garden equipment. Oh, my goodness, I have to carry around noise, canceling headphones just because of garden equipment.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Blower hsp.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: it's so challenging. I also can be really sensitive to like fabrics like clothes like, I can't really buy clothes online. I have to like, walk through a store and feel all the materials.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: It's it's just it's it's even like the bedding that I have clothes that I wear, anything that just touches my skin. It has to be

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: ha has to be soft and usually natural materials like cotton or bamboo So that's always a challenge, because you can't just buy stuff just like that. You gotta feel it first and will. Do you relate to any of those? And do you have some yourself?

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Willow McIntosh: II really do, I really and I love how how you use the phrase competing audio there! I haven't heard that that phrase.

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Willow McIntosh: However, II very much relate to that. I if I'm watching a movie, and and and the the kind of the audio effects of the movie are

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Willow McIntosh: louder than the than the dialogue. Then II struggled to actually hear what's being said in the movie. And so I'll just have to have the move. You know that the the TV, really loud, I was watching something with someone like why is, why is it so loud? I have difficulty, you know, differentiating between those. And it used to happen when I'm realizing now, as well, you know, when I was younger, being in nightclubs or parties.

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Willow McIntosh: and and I just be processing all this sound. That was whether it was the music or you know what it was happening around me. And then someone's there in front of me, really trying to get to to get a point across. I just look at. I just have no idea what you're saying right now. I just like

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Willow McIntosh: I could never have conversations in that in those talks, so sorts of environments.

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Willow McIntosh: So yes, I really relate to that. And my my my headphones, my airpods that I have an absolute godsend that I can cut noise out when I need to.

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Willow McIntosh: I very much, very much relate to that one and the clothing to. Yes, I can't wear anything that is scratchy, or.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, irritating it. Anyway, it's got to be super soft and super super comfortable.

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Willow McIntosh: So yeah, I really, really really share those. And and also anything anything chemically, you know. These amazing crisps.

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Willow McIntosh: When I was growing up we had in the UK. Made by walkers. I think it was where they're they're monster munch.

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Willow McIntosh: and that they're kind of like in the shape of a monster, like an eye and and teeth.

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Willow McIntosh: And these things were so tasty, but they were just chock full of monosodium glutamate, and goodness knows what else.

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Willow McIntosh: and after eating a packet of that, I'd kind of lose my mind a little bit like everything will be buzzing. And I feel really weird.

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Willow McIntosh: And so.

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Willow McIntosh: yeah. yeah, it's a yeah. I think we you know, it's yes, as children. You know how much we'll be consuming and and all.

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Willow McIntosh: and and just assuming that everyone else was having having this effect, you know, or experiencing these things. But

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Willow McIntosh: yeah, I think it must have must have been.

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Willow McIntosh: Yeah. I think there's actually a question coming up about how our sensitivities have have grown since we were younger. I think, probably as children. II didn't have quite as much of an effect on me as it does now like these.

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Willow McIntosh: I'm definitely much more sensitive now that I'm you know the age that I'm at now.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yeah, you think you're more sensitive to. Yeah. A lot of people are a lot of it. Just piece are talking about that feeling more sensitive.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I wonder, too, like how I mean, I think that in some ways, probably toxic build up from just environmental sensitivities to as well as the fact that we're more aware of it, you know, like noticing,

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: are more aware of our how our bodies are responding. That instead of just like having a headache or something, we might know that this is caused from something. For example, we had like.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: it was kind of a windstorm here, and I forgot to close the windows, and everything got really dusty, and I was like sick for like 3 days. So challenging, I'm like, Oh, my gosh! When it's windy! I have to remember to close the windows next time. It's just all the all the little things that we, you know just are a little bit more for us as sensitive people.

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Willow McIntosh: Yeah, yeah, I think that's absolutely right? Yeah, definitely. And I know we're coming up with coming onto this as well, but might sort of give the gifts that I have and the advantages that I have

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Willow McIntosh: as a as a highly sensitive person, you know, those have really developed and grown over the years like I'm

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Willow McIntosh: you know.

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Willow McIntosh: th, the my abilities that I have in my work. That's all really developed as I've as I've as I've got older. But along with that have have come all the the other sensitivities, but I find II recover quite quickly, if I, you know, look after myself and take a bit of time out. I'm amazed how quickly my system seems to

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Willow McIntosh: clear things and

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Willow McIntosh: and find its way back again. And I think that's I think it's to do with being healthy right, like eating properly and exercising. And

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that's actually a really good point to make, too, because how we are taking care of ourselves on a daily basis definitely affects how quickly we can recover.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I think that's a big one. It's like, when, if I'm really depleted, really exhausted that I'm going to see more challenges in my sensitivities. Versus like. I've been kind of taking good care of myself, you know a lot of outdoor time in nature. Not having sensory overload. Then I feel like I can handle more

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and I see a lot of Hsp feel that way, too, and in terms of like coping that second part of that question coping. I think that's part of it for me is that I am really careful about my balance now.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and like, you know. And we talked about. I always have, like

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: either headphones, air like noise, canceling headphones, or earplugs, or something like that around so like there's somebody doing construction nearby. And oh, my gosh! The sounds of the construction! Just it almost like hurts. So I have to put the, you know, cancel that sound out and just I think when I was younger, Willow, I wonder if you're like this, too, and I bet a lot of ages can. Really.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I think when I was younger there was more of a sense of I mean there was less awareness, but there was also the feeling of like, Oh, I need to fit in. Nobody else is using, you know, earplugs. So I shouldn't use earplugs. I'm just using that as an example. But now that I understand that this is a real thing, sensory sensitivity is a real thing for us.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: That it's it's much easier to advocate for your needs and just do it and not feel uncomfortable about it, even if you're the only one doing it. I find that has been really helpful, too.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: It's just like

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: advocating for what you need, so that you're, you know, like I'll I'll sit. And in a corner of a restaurant rather than in the middle. If it's like noisy in there.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and I've even been known to ask them to turn down music

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when it's too loud.

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Willow McIntosh: Yes, II think music at a restaurant. It doesn't make any sense. It's it's a bit like them deciding what wine you should be drinking

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Willow McIntosh: wipe.

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Willow McIntosh: Why are you playing music, anyway? Yes, I'm I'm the same. I'm the same uninteresting, I think, as I've got older as well. III tend to be less disrupted by what I think other people are thinking of me.

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Willow McIntosh: I don't really seem like, you know. I'm not too worried about that now.

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Willow McIntosh: and I think I think before, when we're younger, and especially when we're not clear on our gifts and purposes, a high sense of person, then I think we tend to be blown around by people's judgments and opinions much more. I think, once we're clear on, you know the benefits that it that the trait really gives us personally.

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Willow McIntosh: and I think all of the the challenges and the so, you know, and the

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Willow McIntosh: the the kind of the the extra care we have to take kind of falls into. It's not insignificance, but there's less significance around it. Okay, yes, I have these needs. But

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Willow McIntosh: it's because I'm here to do important things. So

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Willow McIntosh: you know, if I just have to care to my needs, sitting in the corner of a restaurant, why not?

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yeah. II think I think that sort of becomes less important as we get older. Yes, that's the benefit of getting older, I think, and also standing like even like looking at a window like if I'm sitting in a in an area where the person be I'm in front of is like got a bright window or a bright light behind them. That's another thing that I would request to like, move

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and change.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Oh, I love seeing the comments coming in. Somebody's asking at the talking about the brain training.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: helping with overwhelm.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yes, and Fiona says, yes. For me, brain training was a life changer because it quiet your limbic system absolutely where they're referring to my brain training program.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Of course. That's that is definitely something that's really helpful. And those are tools that I'm using all the time.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I love to see that there's stores now that are creating like sensory, friendly hours. and that's something that we can all advocate more cause, you know, 20 to 30% of the population has this trait.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and there's a lot of us. So they do things like lower the lights, turn off the radio, the music and even do like static images on TV. So it's not flashing, flashing, like even in our community. We we don't use memes and stuff that are flashing. We're conscious of

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that kind of sensory overload. And I would say, you know, advocate, like we all need to advocate for that. Call your stores that you love and ask them to to do that to create these sensory, friendly hours.

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Willow McIntosh: That's a really good idea. I love that

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Willow McIntosh: absolutely, because there's there's so many of us out there, you know, and we're loyal customers in many stores. It makes sense to have a.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: you know, like a happy hour. Happy sense. 3 h into the markets for for us. Asking is brain training or tools for the Hsp toolbox. Better

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: or which one to do first. You know it. The brain training program is really good for long term training like for anxiety. For emotional reactivity. It helps you grow new neural sprouts that you can have the experience of not going directly to fight flight activation. And the Hsp. Toolbox course is like daily tools that you can use

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: every day to help keep your nervous system calm. So they're both recommended actually. And you can even do them at the same time, if you like.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Thanks for asking those questions. So Fiona asked. When did you both realize you had high sensory gifts. And what were they, or are they have more gifts opened up since you first recognized you had the trait

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: you want to go for that one?

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Willow McIntosh: Yeah, sure. Yeah. So I think the

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Willow McIntosh: The greatest breakthrough for me was when I had the opportunity of coaching someone who

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Willow McIntosh: wanted to understand their purpose at at a deeper level.

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Willow McIntosh: and I can remember having this big whiteboard up on my

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Willow McIntosh: in a room in my house at the time, and I was really nervous about this session, and I hadn't done it before, and and and I really wanted to do a good job, and I didn't really know. I didn't really have a plan for it. But I just I just knew that there was something in where I really wanted to

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Willow McIntosh: to work with people in this way.

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Willow McIntosh: And as this person started talking, all of this visual sensation began to appear within me almost like I was feeling what these elements were looking like, and I was starting to

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Willow McIntosh: to map out this person visually in terms of what they were sharing. What I could. Sense was perhaps story, and not really supporting their truth. And then and then I started to get this this journey of

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Willow McIntosh: where they'd come in their life, and and where they were heading, and I started writing it all out vigorously on the on the whiteboard. And this but this person didn't have their video switched on. I was doing it remotely. So I was. I was able to kind of just write it out. And I wrote this path of where they'd come, where they were going, and what really mattered to them and led to this this awareness for them.

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Willow McIntosh: And as this was happening, I was. I just I just couldn't believe what was happening was happening in the way that I was reading this person

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Willow McIntosh: and and getting all of these insights and creating this picture

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Willow McIntosh: and it. And for this this lady that I was coaching at the time it was. It was one of the greatest experiences she'd had in terms of getting clarity about who she was.

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Willow McIntosh: and that experience for me was a huge breakthrough, and I realized that it was because of my sensitivities and because of you know the way that I experience the world around me, and and how I am able to to read more deeply into the world around us, which, of course we all are

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Willow McIntosh: and that

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Willow McIntosh: helped me to realize that my mind it couldn't have predicted that. And you know all of the worry that I had before, about whether I was going to be able to coach this person.

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Willow McIntosh: all fell away into insignificance. It was actually allowing this this ability that I had to engage and and just work through me and do its thing.

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Willow McIntosh: and that that changed my life, that then I thought, Wow, okay, II just loved that so deeply.

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Willow McIntosh: and and it and it created such benefit for the person. And that's really what launched me into what I'm doing today.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I love that. What a! It's so fun to have that like kind of discovery, too. Like

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: to to realize that you have that gift, that it's not something that everybody has

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I? I ever since I was a child. I like I really connected to animals a lot, and II felt like I could communicate with them, and I had this like

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: kind of status of almost like being an animal whisper.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And it was like, I just had this knowing about what they needed. It's almost like this nonverbal communication. It came through a lot to when I was like working in my in my early twenties. I worked training guide dogs for the blind.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and I could tell like II knew what the dog was gonna do before it did it.

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Willow McIntosh: And so it was very. It was

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: obviously incredibly helpful as a trainer then to to know it was like I knew before what was gonna happen before they did it. And so they became really well trained. And

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I still have that strong connection and also with with humans. There's always been this sense of knowing. And I think when I was younger I didn't necessarily know that it was something that not everybody felt.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I've always been someone that people would open up to me even before I became a psychotherapist.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I remember as a psychotherapist like in the training process that I would see like the other interns around me, really prepping for their for their sessions, and they would prep, and they'd have it all figured out exactly what they're gonna say and do before the session even started, and I never did that, because

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when I was in the session it was always so clear to me. And what you said, Willow, about the story versus truth. It was like I would have this knowing, even before the client would have the knowing, and it was almost like I could. I could sense exactly where we needed to go.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I was like I could go down there inside of them with them to the space that they needed to explore, discover, release? And it became.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: It's so profound during my sessions

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that, you know, I would have clients say, like I've been in therapy for years, and having this one session with you has been life changing because it was just this knowing, and I almost received like what I think of this like downloads like, I sometimes wonder, how do I even have this information? I don't even know where it comes from exactly. But it's just this really beautiful knowing. And like you were saying, Willow.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when you are in touch with your gifts like that, and you get to use them to help other people. It is the most beautiful experience like

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: how you know. My sensitivity is exactly what gives me these gifts, and I still to this day, you know, find it so incredible that

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: how I used to think the sensitivity was a negative thing about me. And now I'm realizing that it is the very gifts that I have come from that sensitivity.

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Willow McIntosh: Wow! That was amazing to hear that.

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Willow McIntosh: Yes, goodness me!

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Willow McIntosh: I think you know the the way that you you've described that is, it's it's such a great way to describe

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Willow McIntosh: how

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Willow McIntosh: the ability to process more deeply

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Willow McIntosh: works

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Willow McIntosh: to the benefit in such an environment, such as psychotherapy, you know, to to be able to hold space in the in the way that you describe, to be able to know the right questions to ask and and to be able to follow the break crumbs of truth in the person and help them to.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, help them to feel, and and for that to be revealed in a way that they can utilize. I mean, it's

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Willow McIntosh: you. You can't teach that it. It's something that is just an an innate ability to be able to read to be able to read information in that way. And I and I think it's to consider the trait in that ways

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Willow McIntosh: is so important for for everyone listening to to recognize that all of you have an ability in a particular area of life that works in that way an area that fascinates you. And

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Willow McIntosh: I just think it's so important for us to explore this, because, as you just said, Julie. You know someone can be in therapy for years and years

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Willow McIntosh: and not get that, you know, not get that experience of self. And I think it's it's so important that we own this and and and bring these gifts forward as much as we can. Yes, and the world needs it. The world needs Hsps to be stepping into their gifts like this, and I think that

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: they become more heightened.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: II see if you've if you agree with this willow like. I've noticed that my gifts, my creativity. My! The abilities that I have are definitely heightened when I am taking care of myself, you know, so I think that it makes it easier to say no to set those boundaries, to give yourself that downtime restoration.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when you know that you are going to be sharing your gifts with someone, and it's going to have a profound effect on their life. So if I take hours before I have a session where I am like, I'm really I really do spend

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: a lot of time in

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: in quiet modes, too, where like, I would never do a session with a client after I'm exhausted, for example, because I want to be able to give my full gifts

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: so, and I think a lot of healers are like that. And it's just. It's a part of, I guess. What I'm getting at is kind of like.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: let that be something that guides us and supports us to advocate for our needs. That might be different than those around us. And start to change some of those mindsets like somebody. Jules was asking if I had family mock my sensitivities or super powers.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: II was definitely told I was too sensitive growing up, and I think that's what led me to the you know the feeling like I needed to hide my sensitivities

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and hide who I was, and put a mask on and become who I who I thought other people wanted me to be. And it wasn't until I got older and learned about the trait that I was really able to step into those super powers proudly. You know, I think, Willie, you probably relate to a lot of that.

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Willow McIntosh: Yeah, definitely. Yes, yeah. I think, trusting, learning to trust our abilities is, is crucial. Before I had that experience of coaching in that way, whilst I used to do other

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Willow McIntosh: types of facilitation in the businesses that I that I worked in.

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Willow McIntosh: But beforehand II always had this kind of sense like at whenever I was having conversations with people when I was younger, younger at parties. If if the conversation ever got close to purpose, I instantly yes, let's talk about this. I always really wanted to know

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Willow McIntosh: what you know, what, what mattered most to people, and I really wanted to encourage them.

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Willow McIntosh: And and the thing is is back. Then I never really honored, that that was a thing that that there was some importance to, that. I just assume that everyone, if they really thought about it, cared about purpose, and probably everyone notices the things that I do, and I wasn't really

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Willow McIntosh: giving myself the opportunity to to honor what I was feeling and experiencing. And then, of course, when I had that session, it's like, Wow, okay, hang on. There's something really important happening here.

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Willow McIntosh: And and the more that I've practiced, and obviously all the work that I've done now it it helps me to really trust that that ability in me is real.

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Willow McIntosh: And I and I think that's where things start to change is beforehand. We have suspicions that we're good at something, and perhaps suspicions that our sensitivity means something. But I think it's until we take the plunge and actually

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Willow McIntosh: allow ourselves to experience and see it in action. Then things start to really.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, start to start to cement for us and become real, and then we start to trust it.

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Hmm! I love that. I love what you said about honoring it. I think that is such a beautiful word to honor it.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I think, like as a as a child, I was known to be sickly. That's what my mom used to describe me as sickly because I got sick all the time.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And now I understand that I was having sensory overload that was

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: activating flight flight.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and that was releasing stress hormones which was reducing my immune, my immunity, which was making me catch literally everything that was going around. So the. It's something that when we are honoring our sensitive system, we're getting to know what

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: what really works for it, so that we can. Because if I'm

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: if I'm not well, then I'm not able to share my gifts.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and I think, oh, that kind of leads us into the question I want to read about that Stu asked as prominent leaders for the high sensory, global community. How do you see our roles as light bringers in our new burgeoning world of positivity and growth, particularly what roles or manifestations do you have for the near and further future? For Hsp.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I love that question still. And that's part of I have always had this belief that it was my. You know it was like. And these roles sometimes I think that we step into are because.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: you know, when I first started really researching this trait. It was very little. There was nobody was talking about it. No, none of the therapists that I work with had heard of it. It just wasn't out there much. And it became my role to really educate and spread awareness.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And now I'm really moving into a role where I feel like

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: by helping sensitive people understand the trait, how to lower the challenges of living in a world not set up for sensitivity, how to honor

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: our needs as sensitive people. How to advocate, how to take care of ourselves in ways that we're balanced brings our light

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: to this. You know, it makes our light brighter, and I really believe that I ha! When Hsp's are able to step into their light, amazing things happen, and I want more Hsps to step into leadership roles.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: roles. We're lo, you know, places where laws are made and to helpers, healers, teachers, guides of the world. And I truly believe that it's sensitive. People are the ones who are going to make the biggest difference, and exactly what we need to shine brightly in the world.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: What do you think, Willow?

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Willow McIntosh: Beautiful? Yeah, absolutely. I'm I mean, in complete agreement with that definitely. And and that's that's absolutely how I see my roles as well, and my responsibilities to to raise awareness around that.

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Willow McIntosh: I think the

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Willow McIntosh: you know, in A, in A, in an aligned world which I think we're moving towards. In other words, where we're, we're coming closer to the

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Willow McIntosh: the symbiotic relationship between high sensory people and non-high sensory people. You know how the how the royal advisor works, why a king or a queen would have A high, sensory person next to them, because the high, sensory person is observing and and tuning into a much greater

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Willow McIntosh: degree of information about the environment, and is able to relay that information which is exactly how things work in the animal world. They really understand the importance of the trait.

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Willow McIntosh: You know, to look for fresh areas, to for food or dangers in the in the environment. They're they're very good at utilizing the trade.

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Willow McIntosh: And I think that's what we're moving towards. And that's how II see my role moving forwards is to is to try to is to try to increase awareness around

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Willow McIntosh: the role of the trait, the importance of the trait, the fact that we are we're seeing more deeply into the world. And and that is the value of our perspective. And that perspective needs to be shared

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Willow McIntosh: exactly as you're saying, Julia, you know, creating laws, in leadership, in all areas of life, in in governments and schooling, and in the workplace for for our. for us to trust that our voice is important, and and the way that we're seeing things more deeply has huge benefit for

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Willow McIntosh: all of us, for for for humankind, as a whole.

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Willow McIntosh: You know, and I. And I think just one other thing I just I just really wanna share about this is.

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Willow McIntosh: we've kind of talked touched on this before. But but as as Hsps, we have a really interesting relationship with truth.

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Willow McIntosh: like, you know, part of the reason that you know small talks really difficult for us. And

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Willow McIntosh: you know, like we we know what we want to get to the, to the meaning of something. We want to get to the depth of something, and we're very good at feeding into what's real. That's why we make such good coaches and psychotherapists is cause we can feel the truth in someone else, and and that and that extends into all of these other areas of life. We we can feel what's real. We can feel, you know, whether the the place that we're working at is on online with

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Willow McIntosh: the purpose that they they say, There.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, pursuing, we can feel when a school is in. You know, there's something happening that's out of place.

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Willow McIntosh: We're very good at feeling into, you know, the deeper fabric of a situation. And and I think we really need to trust and recognize the importance of this?

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Oh, yes, absolutely. And I mean, yeah, I think that Hsp are make actually the most important advisors. And I think about even like teachers like how important it is to have Hsps as teachers. And yet the way the system is set up, they're getting really burnt out.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And we need to really change systems to accommodate and it's interesting. There is some accommodations happening in the workplace around, you know people.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: W. On the spectrum of autism. But we need to push for this. I mean, this is all you know. It just pieces under the umbrella of neurodiversity, too. So we need to push for changes in the workplace on the medical field. In, I mean, just so many areas of life where our needs are not getting met. So

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: companies who are smart are starting to get some of this information. And you know even things like asking an Hsp. Employee how best they want to share their ideas, you know. There's just so many different things that we can do, not expecting us to be in open office plans. Giving us, you know, thinking about sensory sensitivities

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and not expecting multiple meetings, normalizing, turning off videos during zoom Zoom Meetings. Just. There's a lot of things that can be done, that can improve. And the and then the Hsp gifts emerge. So it's a really smart thing to do whatever you need to do. To bring out the gifts of a sensitive person would be a smart thing.

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Willow McIntosh: absolutely. Yeah, it really is. And also, you know, and also just 1. One additional piece here, I think, is important is the relationship we have with nature as as high-center people, I think, is, is really important for us to understand the role that that plays. So, for instance, if organizations or even humankind gets too far out of alignment with the natural environment.

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Willow McIntosh: Then I think we are here to be the voice of making the planet aware of that. You know, if if we continue to.

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Willow McIntosh: you know to to cause, you know, adverse effects to the environment, or we go out of control with AI, or whatever it may be, or perhaps in a in a workplace, you know, there's too many strip lights, and it's just too artificial in there.

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Willow McIntosh: It's going to affect everybody. Yeah, the Hsps are going to feel it much more. But I think we have a responsibility as well to to recognise that our our deep relationship that we have with nature is a way for us to help keep the planet on track

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Willow McIntosh: to remind us that we are a living, breathing part of this ecosystem. We're not just robots that have come here.

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Willow McIntosh: and and I think that can really help us to maintain that alignment with with, you know, from an ecological point of view, as we move forwards.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: They're very, and save the planet.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Exactly. Yes, Hsp's will, II have no doubt, will be

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: the most important determining factor for for that and many other things that need to improve

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and I think that it's so beautiful. Well, we get to see that in our work, like when you get to watch someone step into that.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: into that in, into honoring their gifts and everything that

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: helps honor those gifts. I mean, it's the most beautiful, amazing thing to see what they're out there doing, isn't it?

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Willow McIntosh: It really is. Yeah, it's in it, just

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Willow McIntosh: incredibly rewarding

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and beautiful. Just incredible. Okay, so Erin. Ask I'd love to hear your thoughts on your experience of starting new things as an Hsp. Like navigating big changes in career, or moving somewhere, or becoming a parent. What are some of the things that you do or have done to support yourself as an Hsp. Through these times, when there's so much new information to process and manage internally.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Great question. I've been through several of those things. I just moved, actually, and I am a parent now, and now empty nest. But definitely navigating big changes. I think that.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: yeah, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of expectations for sensitive people, and even for myself, like when I first moved here, Willow was so interesting like, I've only been here. What 2, 3 months.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and after about like a month and a half I started having these feelings of like, oh, I'm not doing enough. I haven't met enough new people. I haven't done this. I haven't done that. And then I was telling somebody, just in a conversation about some of the things that I've done, and as I said it all in one like sentence. I was like, Oh, my gosh! I am having like really unrealistic expectations of myself. And I think that's common for us to sensitive people.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: We do

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: expect a lot from ourselves. But I have learned that navigating big changes

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: it to to understand that

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: it's gonna take a lot from you so that you have to like I had to really reduce the expectations I had of myself and my productivity, and

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: also extra extra extra self care in the Hsp way, and and knowing like, even when I had this

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I just recently had dental oral surgery that was really really painful and difficult.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I was able. I was really proud of myself this time, because I felt like I was able to have this level of awareness that the pain that I was experiencing, the difficulty that I was experiencing in those moments that I was going to get through it. But it was going to be temporary, that I would have these waves of.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: You know that the waves of life like right after I got better, my son came to visit me, and I just had, like the the most joy ever in those few days. And it was just this level of awareness to recognize that there are waves of life, that there are times that are going to be hard, and there's going to be times of joy, and to give yourself some grace through some of that in terms of

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: really supporting yourself with compassion. That's a huge, huge self. Compassion, development was absolutely life changing for me, being able to support myself through those moments, and to know, and just to do a little bit at a time to know, that it cannot be perfect. That's something we all have to work on. This Hsp's are either perfectionists or recovering perfectionists.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and recognizing that it's not going to be perfect.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and give yourself compassion during those times that go wrong, or that feel like too much, and give yourself as much time in nature and alone, time as possible through big transitions. I would say some of the summary of that. What do you think will?

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Willow McIntosh: Hmm, yeah. I love all that absolutely. Yes, yes, II think I think also, when it comes to change.

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Willow McIntosh: to remind ourselves that there is always going to be change, we're always going to be. The the challenges are are going to come, and they're going to keep coming and

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Willow McIntosh: not to say that. You know we're having to face something every other week. But but life is consistently changing. And you know, I think to remind ourselves that that these things are gonna come anyway, and which I think kind of takes the pressure for a bit. You know that it's not. It doesn't surprise us or shock us quite as much, but that we're just aware that you know, that's how life operates.

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Willow McIntosh: But then, also, I think it's important to amass evidence in terms of looking back and think, well, actually, I've already been through

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Willow McIntosh: a a great deal of change already in my life. I've already, you know. We've come through adolescence. We've left home, you know. We've had partnerships. We've we've we've changed jobs before

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Willow McIntosh: we've already. If we look back, we can see that we've already known how to get through things. And we've we've we're all still alive those that are listening. You know that we we've managed to achieve this before.

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Willow McIntosh: And and I think it's it's reminding ourselves that, as the phrase says, courage mustereth in the moment

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Willow McIntosh: that when the time comes we will. We will know what to do. We will know how to respond.

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Willow McIntosh: and and I and I think in my experience when I you know

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Willow McIntosh: coming towards towards a change.

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Willow McIntosh: is that my mind will over process everything. So I'm looking at all the angles. What could go wrong? What am I not thinking about? What can I prepare for? And actually I love the fact that I do that that I have the ability that I've really.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, train my daughter to do that when she's, you know, if if she's up against a difficulty with friends or something, you know th there's something threatening happening, or you know, or one of her friends is not well, or whatever it is like, I've really helped her to understand that she can process and see so many potential outcomes. And what the best course of action is, you know, get help, whatever it may be.

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Willow McIntosh: And and

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Willow McIntosh: and I think it's a really wonderful ability that we have to process in that way. But that can also turn on us where we over process things, and we over prepare.

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Willow McIntosh: and and I think simplifying things right down. So as Aaron, as you're asking here, like if we are making a big change. Is it a career to the business? Move, whatever it may be, is yes, to process things and prepare as much as we can. But then decide. Okay, now, I'm gonna take action. And now I'm gonna I'm gonna take baby steps towards this, or I'm going to

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Willow McIntosh: do whatever is required for me to actually make this decision now

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Willow McIntosh: and then. Just get really real, get really present

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Willow McIntosh: and and take each little bit at a time, trusting that we will know what to do when the moment comes, as we have done in the past. We've already proven to ourselves that we're capable of doing that, and I think that helps us to reduce the fear and the overprocessing and our imagination. That can

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Willow McIntosh: cause a lot of suffering, and and to trust that we have the capacity to do what's required.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Love that willow that is so comforting and calming to remind ourselves of that.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And absolutely, I think that a sensitive people. We sometimes don't realize how incredibly resilient we are who we get messages, other kinds of messages.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: You know that sensitivity is often connected to like fragility or weakness. And you know it's been part of my mission to change the

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: the way that we even define sensitivity in terms of just how incredibly beautiful and powerful it is. But I absolutely love that then, for you know, reminding yourself of the evidence of what you've been through already, and what you've overcome, what you've gotten through.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that there's a resilience in that. That sensitive people, I mean, the world is not set up for our levels of sensitivity. So we've all had to create a lot of resilience and work at that to exist in a world that's not set up for sensitivity. I really like that willow that's really beautiful.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I wanna give a chance to the who's with us, live we? You may have put questions in, but we may have missed it. So put some questions in the chat if you have them, and I like what Carol said. Every fortune. 500 company in the world needs Julie and Willow to come and educate them. Can you imagine

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: a lot of people and saying how that would be? World changing ripple effect.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: That's a big one. Even doing this podcast has been a ripple effect for so many sensitive people. And I think that that's something to understand that everything that you're doing in the world has a ripple effect.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that's one of the reasons why sensitive people are so important.

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Willow McIntosh: Yeah, and to trust our voice, you know, to trust that we'll never know quite the effect that our voice could have and the the ripple effect. I think you know, finding ways to speak up and and trusting that what we're seeing is valuable, I think very important.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yes, absolutely so. So true! Carol asks. Do you ever find yourself in awe of something that you are able to do through your highly unique gifts.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: he says. II feel that each of you, in your own unique and special way is extremely rare in the world of Hsps and natural leaders for the Hsp. Or high sensory movement.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: It's gone beyond grassroots to more global now, largely in part to the specific work that 2 of you do together. And individually.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I think, yeah, II think I get that sense of awe. When I, when I

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when I'm either working with a client or I hear from podcast, listeners or or members of the community or something about something I've said or done, and how much it's had an impact on them. And it is.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I think I still have a sense of awe about the gifts. Especially since it wasn't something that I used to feel like I had gifts. So I think it makes me appreciate it even more. Carol, you had said. Your your sensitive empowerment community has literally changed the world for so many of us. Hs piece, do you often marvel at how far it's coming.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Has it gone beyond your wildest dreams? You know the community is such a beautiful place. It was like when I was working with sensitive people. I realized that it was like I had this awareness that we needed to be together.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that there was something really profound and beautiful happening when when sensitive people got to spend time with other sensitive people, there was a knowing that we had. There's almost like a language that we have that's unique to our sensitivity. To have kind hearted sensitive people together. It really normalizes and validates the experience of sensitivity. And that's really profoundly life changing.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: One of the things II really love is like. Sometimes members will leave the community. And then when they're gone, they realize how much the community actually meant to them, and and and their wellness, and how they felt about themselves, and they would come back.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I think that's a beautiful. That's a beautiful Testament of the power of being together. What do you think, Willie? You have anything to add to that?

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Willow McIntosh: II just II think I think that, you know, being in community for us is is essential. II think we we really need that. We really need the you know, the the confirmation and an affirmation. The what we're feeling and thinking and experiencing is real. Other people experience it. And we're getting to understand.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, the importance of being unique in the world. I think it's really hard to be

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: to get that perspective when we're not in some kind of high sensory community. I think it's it's hugely important. Yeah, we really are. I mean, we're new or divergent. So we experience the world in a very different way than 70 to 80 of the population. So it's if you are not spending time with sensitive people, you're generally enough feeling like you feel different, misunderstood. You've just experienced the world differently, and it and it's harder to appreciate

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: how you experience the world when you feel so different. So that there's it's such a beautiful thing when you're like sharing something. Another sensitive person is like, I feel that way, too. It's exactly how I experience it. And you just feel like, Wow, you know this sense of belonging and understanding.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: It's a it's a powerful thing jamie has a question. Hi, Julian Willow, grateful to be here. How have you experienced a need for extensive recovery and rest while

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: doing trauma, healing and processing? How do you cope during these times?

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Absolutely, you know. And that's why it's called work. When you do therapy work, or you're doing work on some of your healing, it is definitely takes up energetics.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And I often think of it like.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: you know, if you started out with a hundred points of energy for the day, where are those energy points going? And to get really clear about where you want them to go a lot of times. We're just kind of throwing out our precious energy to whoever asked for it.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and that might not be the best use of our energy that we do need to preserve it for times of you know our own healing work.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: So I think, having really strong, healthy boundaries are important about

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: you know what it's gonna take like if I am doing like, I think about sometimes in the past, when I did some of my healing work, it can be exhausting even just having

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: you know the process of going down internally and and bringing up and out some of those some of those experiences from your past. It can take a lot out of you, emotionally, physically, spiritually, all of it.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And to recognize that that's part of the process that you will likely need more recovery time.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when you're going through something like that. More rest, more preparation, more energy preserving. I think that's a big part of it. You have anything to add to that willow.

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Willow McIntosh: I think you've covered it. I mean, I

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Willow McIntosh: th. This. This work has been a a a huge part of my life. I mean, I had to go into, you know. Very serious processing to to kind of

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Willow McIntosh: heal the the full self that I'd created, or to learn to reidentify with, with who I actually am versus the person that I created to keep me safe when I was younger.

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Willow McIntosh: and and in doing that process it was a continuous process of of trauma healing

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Willow McIntosh: and bringing parts of myself back into awareness that I had repressed and denied for so many years.

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Willow McIntosh: and a and I think it affects everyone in different ways, and I'm not to say, you know, to put anyone off and doing this work. And I think it's the it's the greatest work that we can do if we need to do it. But I would experience, you know. It would

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Willow McIntosh: it would. It would take everything out of me after having a you know, an in depth session in this way, and I would need a couple of days to recover, you know, some days I wouldn't be able to do anything other than just feed myself and and and be in bed.

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Willow McIntosh: It's it's got less, as as you know, times gone on. Obviously, I've I've done a great deal of that work now, but in my experience, when we're doing the the the really deep healing, it takes a huge amount of energy from us.

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Willow McIntosh: A. And I think it's really important to allow ourselves to recuperate in that way. And it's a bit like if we break a bone or something, we can't just go swimming. The next day we we have to take time to rest and recuperate, to allow our body to heal. And I think there's there's so much that happens physiologically, emotionally, spiritually, when we are

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Willow McIntosh: when we come through a process of healing, and and I think, giving ourselves.

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Willow McIntosh: allowing our energy to go where it needs to go to process everything, allow the new, the new neurons to fire, and the new sprouts to form. And it. It's it's a it's a big change. And and I think, giving ourselves time to recuperate. It's really important.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yes, I love how you compare it to the physical, because, like, when we are wounded physically, we have an expectation, and we have an acceptance

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that it's gonna take time. And when it's something, maybe some wounding emotionally. We were kind of may maybe pressure ourselves to get past it faster. And II think that that pressure slows down the recovery, and I also think that, like I know for myself, the more I stepped into myself often, you know, just really, authentically

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: the more energy I have, because it actually takes a lot of energy to to wear a mask in life, to cover up who we are, to filter what we're saying or doing

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: takes a lot of energy to to do the filtering and getting to just show up in the world as yourself, where you you express who you are internally on the outside. And you just are authentic. It's it's amazing how much energy you get back.

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Willow McIntosh: Yeah. yes, and how much le less energy it takes to be yourself rather than being someone else.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Exactly. Be yourself. Exactly. Oh, my gosh, I wanna go through so many more questions. Maybe we'll do one more. I know we're kind of doing longer up, so I think so we'll do one more Monica. Julian Willow. Do you have any tips for coping in a workplace setting or sends it to. People are not valued while you're making the move to get out. I like you. I like that, you? Said Monica, making the move to get out.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: willa, do you? Wanna start with that? Or you want me to?

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Willow McIntosh: I don't have a great deal of experience. I've I've been very entrepreneurial. I had stages where I've been in

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: in workplaces like that. But maybe, Julie, you could dive in, and I might be to add something. Yeah. You know, hsp, are generally rated higher by supervisors than non hsps, meaning, you know we are known to be really good at what we do. And a company that that are most of the time where you're working. They already? Understand

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: that what you're offering is valuable. So, being able to understand your own value and advocate for those needs, you know, might be things like. I work best when you know I work best. When I have a private space that's quiet to work.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I work best when I can work from home some or all of the hours. So what you're doing is you are leading with your gifts. And you're having the confidence in your own gifts to be able to advocate for those needs.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And a lot of Hsps have talked to me about this and have started to do that. Whether they're changing, you know, the lighting of their office, or the location of where they have their desk, or getting to do more time at home, or changing commute hours, or maybe reducing the amount of time they have in meetings.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Changing, you know, turning off the video during meetings, asking to be able to share their ideas in a different way. These are all part of our advocacy, and the more we advocate for our needs.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: the more it's gonna be easier for other sensitive people to do that. And to really it starts with recognizing your own value and being able to express it, that I will bring out my get my best gifts when

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: these are the needs that are met. I think that's a great place to start. And of course, if you are in a company that is not valuing you, and will absolutely not budge to meet your needs, then that is definitely not the right company for you. So I think

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: I think that pretty much covers it.

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Oh, wow! So many great things to share. I feel like we could just go on and on about all of this and lots of stuff in the chat. I'm gonna put all this chat in the

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: when I post this in the community. I want to read through all your chat then, too, and answer questions there

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Willow oh, my gosh! Such beautiful stuff! You have! Anything else you want to share, and also how people can find you if they want to connect more to you and your work.

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Willow McIntosh: There's one last thing I should like to add, which just just just came through for me is one of the one of the greatest

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Willow McIntosh: breakthroughs I had I've had in my journey of managing the trade, is becoming aware of how much stress I was constantly holding in my body.

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Willow McIntosh: I think because we are told we're too sensitive when we're younger. And you know, we're trying to fit in. We're trying to be like everyone else we're trying not to, you know, make ourselves be seen too much. We wanna kind of just hide a little bit sometimes. So we're not confronted, whatever it may be.

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Willow McIntosh: My invitation is to notice

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Willow McIntosh: how your body's feeling on on a day to day basis. I think that we are. We tend to hold a great deal of stress when it's not

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Willow McIntosh: really necessary, like, for instance.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, just even really simple things like being in the supermarket and just thinking, you know, should I buy the lavender washing powder, or should it be the summer flowers, you know, and I'm really getting wound up about very simple things that don't. We don't need to be stressed about and learning to kind of dial down the importance of things that actually don't really have the level of importance that we are putting upon it.

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Willow McIntosh: And and and that has trained me now to notice like when I'm everything's tense, and when I'm

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Willow McIntosh: holding all the stress in my body, and I just ask myself.

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Willow McIntosh: what is actually happening right now is, is this really required? And 90% of the time? No, I don't need to be as stressed as I am.

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Willow McIntosh: and I think by allowing ourselves to calm down and just trusting that now we don't we? Maybe when we were younger we need to be. We needed to be in that kind of hyper, vigilant state.

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Willow McIntosh: But I think it affects our health a great deal if we are holding ourselves in this in this level of stress, when

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Willow McIntosh: 90% of the time, it's just not necessary.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Yeah, you're you're really naming something important is that you are having a mindful awareness of what your body is holding, and I think that mindfulness is one of the most powerful practices we can do. II was just talking about this with somebody the other day about how much I've increased my mindfulness training

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and that that's really helped just being able to observe your body more slow down, not have so many external focuses, but more like the vigilance of external focus that we might have had when we were younger, being able to be in a safe space in your home, creating your sanctuary in your home and spending time with that.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and in nature sense of mindfulness, where you're just bringing it to the present moment, even if you just do it for a few minutes, several times a day. It is incredible what your body tells you right like my body will tell me if I'm carrying stress, or I've

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: said if I've said yes, when I wanted to say no, and I didn't set a boundary, and I wasn't even aware of it cognitively. Yet my body will tell me something's not right. Pay attention, and if you pay attention during the whispers. It's much easier to recover.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Then, if you're waiting until your body is screaming at you.

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Willow McIntosh: right? Yeah, absolutely. Spot on. Yeah, we can really take steps to.

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Willow McIntosh: you know, mitigate that earlier before things get out of control, or we make ourselves unwell, just just to check in. You know. Where am I in my body right now?

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Willow McIntosh: I think it's it's a it's a it's a very important gift we can give ourselves. Yes, and do the 427 breathing in for 4. Hold for 2. Exhale for 7. About 5 cycles.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Keep on doing that when you are when you're noticing the stress. And you're gonna re. It's like A, it's a brain training skill where you're reminding your brain. I'm not in danger right now. I don't need you to send out the stress hormones and signals and alarm bells. And it's a great practice to use, you know, like, when I did my dental work. That was something I did. For example, fun. I wanna do more episodes like this. I really loved it.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: so yeah, willow anything else. And and to share a bit about how people can find you and what they'll find.

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Willow McIntosh: Yes, certainly, yes, so so most welcome to check out more about what I do@inluminance.com, that is the letters at the front are IN. As in indigo November, being in luminance.com or high sensory intelligence.com. Both will go to the same website.

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Willow McIntosh: And then we're very much specialized in supporting high sensory people to come into awareness of their gifts and their purpose, and how they can become of service in the world, whether you're aspiring to become a coach

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Willow McIntosh: or a facilitator, a leader in some way, or even just to get clarity around

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Willow McIntosh: who you are and what you're here to do. We have a process called the high sensory method which uses a series of foundations that have emerged over

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Willow McIntosh: thousands of hours, that we have worked and facilitated high, sensory people over the years. And there's a very clear path to be able to understand who you are, how your gift works, and how you can bring it into service, and you're most welcome to to just book a call. I am here to

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Willow McIntosh: talk to you about that. There's no obligation. There's no cost to book a call with me. You can just go to the website. Click book a call.

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Willow McIntosh: Choose a time on the calendar. You don't have to be on form. You don't have to have anything prepared. It's not a test in any way. It's just a very caring conversation to to help you understand who you are and and how I can bring some clarity about what matters most to you? So that is open to anyone who would like to do that

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Willow McIntosh: and and most of all.

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Willow McIntosh: Keep looking after yourselves out there. Keep safe, and remember to enjoy yourself as well. I think we take ourselves very seriously. A lot. A lot of the time is high-sets through people, which is a wonderful thing. We are here for important things, but it is important, I think, to remember, to play and to relax and to enjoy. I love that you added that that's so awesome. You know, Willow, my son and I went body boarding for the first time.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and it was so much fun like I had so much fun. I was like a kid just giggling and laughing enjoy. Yes, I love that. You added that. And we've had a lot of. We've had a lot of community members. Take your program or talk to you. I just have such huge wonderful things to say about it

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: so definitely. Check that out, and we'll put all the links in the show notes as well, and then you can check out all everything that we've talked about from the Brain training course that we talked about all the different courses that I have. We've got the Hsp, blog, Hsp, community you can find all of that sensitive connection.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: And we love hearing from you. Please share podcast. Episodes come onto Hsp, podcast.com to share. How episodes landed with you! We love hearing from you. It inspires us to do more episodes

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: and we would love to reach our goal of reaching a million. Hsp, so please share episodes, share the podcast and we're going to reach more and more Hsp around the world to help them understand themselves, help them, love who they are, and step into those gifts that we need.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: So I wanna say a big thank you to our community members for joining us live, really, appreciate, and love having this time with you, and will, oh, so lovely! To spend time with you and get to get to chat, get to know you a little bit more and really appreciate you being here.

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Willow McIntosh: Well, thank you so much for having me. It's it's always a a pleasure, and and thank you. Everyone for joining us live here today. It's wonderful to have you here with us on these sessions.

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Hmm, yeah. Sending out so much love to all the highly sensitive people listening. We really love who you are, and hope you're taking good care of your beautiful, sensitive selves

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: until next time. Bye, everybody.

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Willow McIntosh: Bye-bye.

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