Ritu Kaushal's Blog, page 8

Introverts are like cats. Extroverts are like dogs. The problem with labels.

All highly sensitive people are not introverts. Around 30% are extroverts. The rest are, in fact, introverted and I am one of these introverted sensitives. I would even say that I am very introverted. And yet, I have never quite identified with those introvert memes that talk about introverts being like cats.

Yes, like cats, I need my space. Yes, I like being on my own. Yes, I make many decisions all on my own. But I also love one-on-one time with people. I need connection.

As an...

Introverts are like cats? Extroverts are like dogs? The problem with overidentifying with labels.

All highly sensitive people are not introverts. Around 30% are extroverts. The rest are, in fact, introverted and I am one of these introverted sensitives. I would even say that I am very introverted. And yet, I have never quite identified with those introvert memes that talk about introverts being like cats.

Yes, like cats, I need my space. Yes, I like being on my own. Yes, I make many decisions all on my own. But I also love one-on-one time with people. I need connection.

As an...

16 Free Books! 48 Hours Only!

I’ve come together with some amazing women authors to give you the chance to get 16 books for FREE. I’d been meaning to do something special for Women’s History Month in March, so this is a little belated celebration!

My book, The Empath’s Journey, is on this list along with some other great titles in a mix of genres that include fantasy, romance, Young Adult and memoir. For the next 48 hours, you can get one or all of these books for free.

GET YOUR FREE BOOKS HERE!

“When we wom...

5 Great Things about Being a Highly Sensitive Person!

If you are a highly sensitive person, you may often feel as if you are the odd one out. Sometimes, you might even feel as if you don’t quite belong. After all, not everyone experiences the world as intensely as you do.

But even with this sense of being an outsider, there are few sensitive people who would give up being sensitive. Sensitivity brings with it its own set of gifts, and it makes up the essence of who we are and how we relate to the world. So, let’s pause today and count a few...

When you are feeling exhausted: A Deeper Kind of Self-Care!

While I love candles and Epsom salts as much as the next person, recently, I have been feeling as if what’s normally called “self-care” — soaking in a bath, drinking tea — is not enough to replenish me these days. It does give me a little hit, a feeling of well-being for a while but it is not a cure for spiritual exhaustion.

I know that’s not the kind of thing people talk about nowadays. And when it comes to spirituality, I don’t believe anymore in the Gods of my childhood. I just b...

A Roundup of Book-Related Podcasts!

I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorite book-related podcasts. It’s so cool to delve into a book’s history, to understand what other people thought about it, and to become friends with an author’s work by listening to stories about them. If you’ve been feeling uninspired or are not sure what to read next, this might help!

Want book Recommendations from people like Brene Brown? My most recent & favorite discovery is 3 Books with Neil Pasricha, the author of The Book ...

It’s possible to be both a highly sensitive person and a high sensation seeker.

If you are a highly sensitive person (HSP) who enjoys “safe thrills” such as a not-super-scary rollercoaster or are someone who gets bored easily, you might also have the trait of high-sensation-seeking. And while this sounds like a contradiction, to be BOTH someone who observes before taking action and someone who is an explorer, around 30% of highly sensitive people are exactly like this. They are high-sensation-seeking sensitives.

I am one of these people. I have written before a...

Highly Sensitive People and the Struggle with Boundaries.

As highly sensitive people who are deeply attuned to other people’s feelings and moods, we can sometimes really struggle with boundaries. After all, if we are picking up on someone’s anger or worry or sadness, it’s almost as if we have an added charge to deal with. We not only feel our own feelings, we also feel the weight and energy of the other person’s feelings. And so, many of us can get into the bad habit of smoothing over people’s feelings.

It’s almost as if we are trying to take c...

Highly Sensitive People, Perfectionism & a George Orwell Quote.

As highly sensitive people, we pay attention to subtle details. We also tend to be conscientious and try to avoid making mistakes. But this tendency towards seeing subtleties and nuances can easily veer into perfectionism.

If we grew up in a family or culture that emphasized “doing things right” or appearing perfect in the eyes of others, our natural tendency to observe turns inwards. It becomes laser-focused on our own shortcomings, on our own missteps.

For highly sensitive peo...

Are people not wearing masks because they’re scared of feeling vulnerable?

As a highly sensitive person, I’m guessing you’ve had moments of frustration about the fact that STILL, almost a whole year after the pandemic began, there are still people who don’t want to wear a mask. You might have thought: “If only people would do their part, be more cautious, this would end a lot sooner.”

There’s, of course, a lot of anti-mask propaganda out there, which is part of the problem. But I think there’s also something else. Lately, this thought has been popping up fo...