New Beginnings

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A New Year is here! There’s so much I want to do this year, so much to experience, to finally catch up on and manifest. I’m tickled pink just thinking about it! And, at the same time, a little overwhelmed. Because there is so much on my neatly fountain pen calligraphed to-do list and I am a little nervous that it won’t all get done the way I envisioned it. And as the days and then weeks in the New Year start to go by, I feel a bit stressed. There’s a singe of pressure. Disappointment threatens to creep in, telling me I’m just not crossing off items fast enough. Shoot. This was meant to inspire me, not weigh me down.
 

So I go back to that feeling of a Fresh Start at the beginning of the New Year and have a good look at it. What it is that feels so seductive about that time? What makes it such a ripe time for promises and great plans? Why is that day a do-over? Yes, a digit has changed at the top of our calendars but we all know that come January 1st we tie our shoes and brush our teeth the same as we did on December 31st, a day earlier, so clearly the Earth has not changed its orbit nor have we grown any super powers. Yet there’s such hope; A clean slate; a chance to start fresh.

I boldly decide that this can be duplicated at any time of the year. That’s right! I’m re-claiming my power Rebel Style; I can have a Do-Over any month, day or hour that I want. And I am eliminating the Voices of Stress by giving myself permission to grab that fountain pen any time I want to, whenever I feel called to edit my to-do list in such a way that it’s a really good fit for my Ever Changing Life.
Happy New Year? How about Happy New Day!! My Fresh New Start begins at this very moment, and it’s all mine to design the way that suits me Now.

ARE YOU AN HSP?

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Understanding your wonderfully sensitive personality can be hugely helpful both in your personal as well as your professional life. If you are interested in designing your life in a way that honors your specific needs, Gabriella - herself an HSP - has the solid understanding and knowledge to help you transform your sensitivity into true assets and thrive in the midst of overwhelm.

SIGN UP HERE FOR A FREE INTRODUCTORY SESSION

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 Are you a Highly Sensitive Person?

Find out by answering these questions below.

 

Instructions: Answer each question according to the way you personally feel. Answer Yes if it is at least somewhat true for you; Answer No if it is not very true or not at all true for you.

Scoring:

If you answered more than fourteen of the questions as true of yourself, you are probably highly sensitive. (Your trait is normal and innate and you share it with about 20% of the human race.) If fewer questions are true of you, but extremely true, that might also justify calling you highly sensitive.

 

I’m easily frustrated when people around me expect me to perform multiple tasks at once.

It’s important to me that I don’t forget things or make mistakes

I stay clear of violent TV shows and movies

I feel stressed out when there’s too much going on around me all at once

My mood is strongly affected in a negative way when I am hungry

I don’t like too many changes in my life all at once

I am pleasantly stimulated by beautiful scents, sounds, tastes and visual stimuli such as art

When too much is going on at once I prefer to pull back into a quiet corner when possible

It’s important to me to arrange my day in a way that helps me avoid situations that feel overwhelming or upsetting

Loud noises and other stimuli that feel chaotic make me very uneasy

My performance is negatively influenced when I’m in situations that are competitive or I am being monitored

As a child, the adults around me considered me sensitive and shy

My senses get easily overwhelmed around strong sensory input

Subtleties in my environment are very clear to me

I am easily affected by other people’s moods

Pain affects me strongly

I function better if I can take a few moments to myself during the day when I can retreat from the world and recharge for a little while.

Caffeine has a strong effect on me.

I feel overwhelmed when I’m close to loud noises, strong odors or bright lights

My inner life is full and vivid

Loud noises make me cringe

Beautiful art and music affect me deeply

I often feel overwhelmed and like to go somewhere alone to re-charge for a moment

I’m conscientious

It’s easy to startle me

I feel stressed when I have to get a lot done with a rapidly approaching deadline

I am good at making other people comfortable in a physical space by adjusting the lighting, music or seating just right

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Contact Bring Clarity for a complimentary exploration call, to schedule a workshop or lecture - or simply contact us with any questions you may have.


This is based on the work by Elaine Aron who pioneered these studies and helped us all put a name on our sense of being easily overwhelmed and strongly affected by things in our environment.  If you are interested in learning more about her work go to http://hsperson.com/


STRESSING LESS ABOUT STRESS

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We learn from an early age that Stress is a catch-all word for most things unwanted in life. Whether we are faced with Too many choices or No choice at all, with Too much work or Not enough, with People who need us all the time or No one around - we refer to it as Stress. We also think of stress as something that gets in the way of us performing well under pressure, distracting us with sweaty palms and a pounding heart, as we are fighting to stay focused.

But what if you were given information that made you start thinking of Stress as your Ally? Started thinking of these physical symptoms as your body stepping it up so you can perform better? What if you could lose the fear and anxiety we have been taught to automatically connect to these sensations? An incredibly powerful shift.

In this new workshop, Stress Less About Stress, we introduce new ways of thinking about stress that can fundamentally re-define how stressful situations are perceived and experienced.  By cultivating a more resilient Stress Mindset, we can prevent the burn-out that eventually sets in with overwhelm.

 

to schedule a workshop, email gabriella@bringclarity.com

 

Unleashing Your Creativity

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Ah, creativity. That fun activity we treat like a luxury because - Who really has time for it? It’s certainly not something most of us prioritize, and yet, the benefits cannot be denied. How about an increase of

 

Self-knowledge.   As we create, we plumb the depths of our being, accessing what we think and believe. You may be surprised at the resources, thoughts and impulses that you discover there.

Freedom.    Creativity invites an opportunity to return to that feeling of being a child, since there is no right or wrong way to be an artist. When we create, we engage without judging ourselves. We have permission to take risks, try new things, and strip away inhibitions in a healthy way.

 Expanded sense of time.   Countless artists have discussed the experience of timelessness that one encounters in the creative zone. Making art is meditative. When you give time to creative pursuits, you feel like you gain more time.

Stress reduction.   Creativity is FUN, and doing anything that brings joy reduces our stress levels and improves our health and quality of life. What could be more important than that?

Enhanced relationships.    Many people fear that if they begin allowing themselves time to express their creativity, their relationships will suffer. However, when we are actively creating, we have more to give because we have answered our urge to create.

Energy.   Allowing your creativity leaves you feeling energetic, feeling there’s a lighter quality to life. Call it a good mood. Call it a natural high. When we’ve done our creative work, we gain energy for our other responsibilities.

Spend less Money.   Expressing ourselves can control the urge to buy impulsively. If we trade the activity of consuming for creating, we not only save money, but get a deeper sense of fulfillment.

So whether the expression of your choice is storytelling, photography, singing, painting or dancing – give it time!! It is far less frivolous than we think.

HSP blog

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"You're just too sensitive. Don't take things so personally."

Do you hear these words a lot? You are probably an HSP; a Higly Sensitive Person. As an HSP, we process things on a deep level, that’s just who we are. And it can be a great asset, as long as we honor this important trait.

 Do you find yourself worrying about how other people feel? Do you prefer quieter, less chaotic environments? Do you feel like you reflect on things more than everyone else? Do you have more empathy and feel more concern for a friend's problems? Do you tend to take longer to choose because you are weighing every possible outcome? These are common characteristics of an HSP.

Personality traits that value less stimulation and higher sensitivity used to be frowned upon, but slowly there is an awareness building that -- in fact, being highly sensitive carries a multitude of positive characteristics.  20% of the population fall into the HSP category – and are often better friends, workers, parents etc because of it. Being a highly sensitive individual may be more useful than the common wisdom would have us believe, according to researcher and psychologist Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. In fact, as Aron explains, there are numerous misconceptions about people who are HSPs For example, about 30 percent of highly sensitive people are extroverts, they just need to re-charge their batteries by being alone every so often. Because they are so intuitive, Aron says that sensitive individuals who “just feel more deeply” can actually use their trait to perform better.

Gabriella, herself an HSP, believes that being highly sensitive carries a multitude of positive characteristics. She has learnt through the years to benefit from these as well as recognize the moments that require the extra gentle touch, and she includes these skills in her work.