💌 Lowering expectations + why it's okay to be multi-passionate

How are you feeling?

Take a minute to use the emotion wheel to check in with yourself.

---

"Sensitive, ambitious people are often so worried about what others think and so influenced by common definitions of success that they don't know how to direct their energy towards what they really want — a fulfilling life coupled with a sense of confidence and control."

- Melody Wilding, author of Trust Yourself

---

Being Sensitive on How We Set Expectations (for Ourselves & Others)

When I sat down to write an article about perfectionism, I ended up going down a rabbit hole. 

As I was doing research, I realized perfectionism is part of a much bigger issue. A few questions I was diving into:

• Despite being an HSP or not, why do so many of us feel the need to constantly exceed expectations by doing more, working more, and doing it all perfectly?

• And why is perfectionism still something we're thriving for when it's clear the way we're functioning as a society is not working?

According to ADAA, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults, which is 18.1% of the population. And major depression continues to be the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages between 15 and 43 years old. 

In this essay, I try to uncover why our society is obsessed with exceptionalism, why the joy of being average is a taboo, and why highly sensitive people (especially girls and women) are struggling.

---

🎧 New Valid Feelings episode: Interview with Kati Carrapa

On Being Highly Sensitive, multi-passionate, and paving your own way

Kati Carrapa is a pastor and works as a professional home organizer. Her business, heartfully done, has allowed her to design a life that works for her.

As a multi-passionate highly sensitive person, Kati uses her empathy and intuition to support her clients as they transform their a home space while creating a life that sparks joy.

In this episode, Kati and Shannon discuss what it's like being a highly sensitive person, what it means to be a "diver" versus a "scanner," and how to make decisions based on your values and not the expectations of others.