Beginning Again, Gently
When everything asks for more of you, how do you handle it sensitively enough?
Coming Home
Hello my lovely readers, how have you been?
Summer moved slowly here. Part of it was our family’s travel plans, part of it was the quiet on Substack. I pushed my big plans to autumn. I am home now, full of family love and glad to be here, and I want to get things moving. The truth, I am not fully well or rested. As an HSP, I need time to regenerate after the travel and all the changing environments. Despite my intentions, I could not keep the principles from my own recent post at the end of summer. Maybe I need to write a version for seaside holidays too. What do you think?
Holding Many Longings
Life is lifing. My husband will be on a series of work trips, and many of you can imagine what that means for a highly sensitive, respectful homeschooling mom. Where do I find solitude and time to recharge? I want to honor my cycle, meditate, finish a psychosomatic course, cook nutritionally balanced meals, take my daughter to new activities, tend our home, plan the garden, and finally focus on Substack! It all makes deep sense to me, and I have big plans. I want to do these things by listening to my feelings and to what my body and soul need, without pressure and without perfectionism.
I want to practice what I have learned here from many wise women: women can rest much more, and be active when the body naturally signals it. I know how healing it is when I leave out most of the things I think I should do, and even some things perfectionism says I desperately want. I am still in a phase where I need rest in order to learn how to function in a healthy way.
So I will share my everyday feelings as a highly sensitive mother who is trying to balance two longings. On one side, doing as few overwhelming activities as possible, the necessary ones and the ones I long for. On the other side, living my dream of being a full-hearted homeschooling mum and a writer. You can look forward to daily Notes from my own way of handling everyday life, and also HSP reflections drawn from my articles and what I know.
Message Over Messenger
It also feels right to remind you why I write under a pseudonym and why I do not share specifics from my family life, even while I offer my deepest thoughts so openly. Safety is the main reason, especially for my daughter. This is my counterpoint to the trend of posting children online despite all the risks. I want to set an example, to keep attention on the message, not the messenger. I trust this audience does not need proof and knows I am real.
Because of that, even when I describe day-to-day life, I will rarely share same-day details. It is too easy to track who is where and when, and I will not make that easier. Respect and safety for our children belong at the center of our shared values. I am looking forward to what the next weeks bring.
What would “doing less without guilt” look like in your actual week, not the ideal one?
This is so beautifully honest and grounding. I really admire how you’re holding space for both ambition and rest, especially in a season that demands so much from you emotionally and physically.
Your reflections on “doing less without guilt” hit home; it’s something I’m still learning to practice myself.
Thank you for sharing your journey with such clarity and care. Looking forward to your Notes and the gentle wisdom they always carry.