Latest / Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul / Ep 14 | Breaking the Cycle of Repetitive Thoughts | Highly Sensitive Series

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Ep 14 | Breaking the Cycle of Repetitive Thoughts | Highly Sensitive Series · Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul

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  Welcome to Rise and Realign, conversations for
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  the sensitive soul. I'm Melissa, and the space
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  is for those of us who feel deeply, love fiercely,
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  and sense the world in ways that are hard to
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  explain, but impossible to ignore. Here, we honor
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  your sensitivity as a strength. not something
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  to fix. Well, last two podcasts, I had introduced
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  my highly sensitive series. It was a nine -part
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  blog that covers the mind, the body, and spirit.
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  The first part, you know, was orienting you to
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  what it actually means to be a highly sensitive
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  individual. And again, this is using the research
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  and lens that Dr. Elaine Aron had brought to
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  the world. in the early 90s. So there's ongoing
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  research that supports this sensory processing
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  sensitivity trait as normal yet invisible. And
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  it's truly an innate survival strategy with evolutionary
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  reasons because it is in over 100 species. In
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  part two, We talked a little bit about, you know,
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  unraveling old beliefs, like how beliefs even
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  get, you know, on that deeper subconscious level
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  where it's under our awareness often, right?
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  And especially living in a very hectic, chaotic
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  world. you know, it can be hard to recognize
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  when these are activated and at play. But again,
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  so important to understand because my view of
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  being a highly sensitive individual is a form
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  of sensory intelligence because our ability to
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  take in more information than the roughly you
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  know 70 to 80 percent of the population who don't
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  have this um sensitivity trait um there's a reason
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  why we process things so deeply right why we
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  reflect on our experiences why we have um you
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  know this deep emotional response to what's happening
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  you know within our personal lives within, you
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  know, the collective, you know, as a whole. So
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  today, I'm introducing, you know, part three
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  of that mind series. You know, it's called breaking
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  the cycle of repetitive thoughts. But what I
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  really want to speak to first is, you know, remembering
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  that your mind is your ally. It's not your enemy.
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  not necessarily the view of all people. There,
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  of course, is no view that we all probably could
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  agree on. I hope that's not true. But I know
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  that so many of us have different views. And
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  I love the work of David Hawkins and, you know,
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  understanding the map of consciousness because
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  it helps us understand. how different emotions
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  we're experiencing actually, you know, plays
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  out across our view of ourself, you know, our
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  view of life. So it's really something that's
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  important when it comes to understanding how
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  our mind works. But it truly is not the enemy.
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  But I think that I know from my experience, As
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  a highly sensitive woman and mom, and having
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  been in long -term relationships, there's so
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  much activity in the mind. There's just so much
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  to consider. There's not only what... you want
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  and what you're experiencing, but you thinking
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  about others' feelings and their experiences
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  and what they may want. And of course, this is
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  unique for all of us, right? And especially those
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  of us who are highly sensitive, because even
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  with the women that I support, some may refer
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  to... their behaviors as people pleasing, and
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  others have a different perspective on it. So
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  again, it still is all unique, and there's no
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  right or wrong way to view it. And I say that
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  because when we understand that, you know, what
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  we notice about ourselves, or what we are noticing
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  about others is really a reflection of the level
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  of consciousness that we're at. And that can
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  be different day to day, right? So certainly
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  just want to reorient us to your mind is your
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  ally. It's not your enemy. And understanding
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  that repetitive thoughts is part of, you know,
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  being human, but especially you know as individuals
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  who process things really deeply and again i
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  say it comes from this heart that just has a
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  depth of caring right highly sensitive individuals
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  tend to be conscientious they tend to be considerate
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  of others they tend to actually think about others
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  needs and how to meet them Even if that person
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  isn't aware and isn't asking. I'm not saying
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  that that's wise because I've certainly lived
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  my life doing that and I don't anymore. But again,
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  that just speaks to how we're all having very
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  unique experiences and yours are totally, totally
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  valid and important to honor, right? Like this
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  is where Comparison is one of the biggest...
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  I've heard somebody say comparison is the biggest
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  sin. But I am searching for what aligns more
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  with my perspective, which is comparison is presenting
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  us with... contrast it's percent presenting us
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  with you know yes what someone else is experiencing
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  that's different than ours um but not to invalidate
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  our own experiences right and and not to judge
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  ourselves from those differences but for me i
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  see it as a way to keep reflecting back to us
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  you know What really matters? You know, what
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  do we really value as an individual? So as I
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  was mentioning, repetitive thought patterns is
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  often a... it's a challenge for highly sensitive
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  individuals. But it's really important to understand
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  that it doesn't have to control your life. This
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  is where for me, it's coming into right relationship
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  with our mind, right? Understanding how the mind
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  operates, and how to be in relationship with
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  it to honor the communication. And, you know,
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  when we are walking this I call it the realigned
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  journey, right? When we're walking this path
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  of waking up to a lot of the information that
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  was just under the surface. And again, whether
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  that's talking about consciousness, what's been
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  in the subconscious programming, or whether it's
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  talking about what's been held in that crystal.
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  you know, liquid matrix, the water, the fascia
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  in our body, right? So it's, it's creating space
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  where we actually can breathe and be with the
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  information, you know, because when we start
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  to slow down, right, when we take more moments
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  to pause, Or as I like to say, you know, take
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  a break and breathe love, you know, just really.
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  And now's a great moment. You know, let's do
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  that. Let's inhale through our nose. And then
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  nice exhale long and slow out your mouth and
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  just let it all go. You know, just release, relax.
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  We really need these pauses and not just once
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  a week, you know, we're talking every day. It's
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  so essential, right? Like pauses are not a luxury,
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  right? Like if we are not pausing, connecting
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  with our breath and our body and really bringing
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  ourselves into the present moment, right? your
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  experience of peace and calmness just becomes
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  some distant you know destination and that's
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  that's not healthy for any of us and this is
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  why I'm really passionate about raising awareness
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  for what it means to be a highly sensitive woman
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  right I mean our experiences are so different
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  than male population. And again, I'm absolutely
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  here to raise awareness about being a highly
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  sensitive individual, which is equal between
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  males and females. I want to make that really
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  clear. And I so love and appreciate the highly
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  sensitive men who I have had the opportunity
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  to love and be in relationship with, and also
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  those who have set really beautiful work into
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  the world, whether we're talking about, you know,
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  well -known artists, musicians, scientists, right?
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  And, you know, of course, the work of Carl Jung,
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  Swiss psychologist. But as a woman, you know,
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  our our sense of relationship with ourself, you
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  know, with our mother, with our children, you
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  know, and with other women, it's, it's very,
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  very nuanced. I mean, there's so many layers
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  to it. And, you know, sometimes this cycle of
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  repetitive thoughts, you know, we might call
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  it ruminating on something, right? Like, this
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  really speaks to what really matters to you.
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  Like, why else would, you know, you keep thinking
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  about something other than there's value in it?
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  It's a recurring message. Now, this isn't something
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  that I've always known. It's certainly something
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  that has been revealed through more space, you
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  know, more stillness in my own journey. And you've
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  probably heard me say on other episodes, right?
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  Like, I have a fascination with the mind and
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  I have since I was a teenager and working, you
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  know. psychiatric wards witnessing you know really
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  traumatic experiences for individuals in there
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  both young and you know elder it was very informative
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  for what this you know adult life would be like
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  and losing you know, my brother to a motor vehicle
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  accident, I certainly experienced a lot of repetitive
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  thoughts, you know, very curious about life and
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  why this happens, why that happens, right? And
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  I learned, you know, that I wasn't always in
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  company who could understand my curiosity, you
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  know, and And this is what can happen to especially
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  highly sensitive individuals, right? Is you discover
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  that you have something that does recur and somebody
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  else who maybe you're sharing your thoughts or
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  experiences with, they just can't meet you where
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  you are. They either don't have an interest,
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  right? Or they just don't have a reference point
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  to even like follow you. understand you um that
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  still happens for me to this day um and so oftentimes
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  right as highly sensitive women if you are feeling
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  like somebody doesn't understand you whether
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  it's a friend you know a family member um or
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  or even a health professional that you are seeking
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  assistance you know with it can get turned inward,
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  right? Where then you start questioning yourself
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  and thinking that there's something wrong with
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  you. So this is really about, again, breaking
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  the cycle of the repetitive thoughts that are
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  self -judgment, right? Are self -doubt, right?
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  Like this is really about you being able to tune
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  into you. and trust your own, you know, inner
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  guidance. And your body, which, you know, I will
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  be going into in the next three episodes, but
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  your body has this sensory intelligence that
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  is so essential to understand and connect with,
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  right? And, you know, We can't talk about the
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  mind without talking about the body anyway, because
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  there is no separation. You know, there is an
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  absolute interconnectedness between the mind
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  and the body. And that's not always talked about
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  or understood. This is, again, me being real,
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  being raw, you know, sharing with you what I've
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  lived, you know, and what I'm passionate about.
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  Because I'm telling you, being a highly sensitive
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  individual is something that, you know, we didn't
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  know, obviously, before the research shared it.
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  And there's probably tons of individuals. I'm
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  sure there is, you know, where they've discovered
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  a way to live their life outside of the mainstream
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  and really honor themselves. So I certainly am
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  somebody who knows that, you know, it's not only
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  looked upon as a burden or a challenge, right?
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  Being a highly sensitive individual. And sometimes
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  I see that in... the individuals that I support
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  that, you know, they see it as a curse. And I
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  understand that I really do, because there were
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  certainly points in my journey where the pain
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  was really intense. Um, and I didn't know how
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  to make it through. So I just want to honor you
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  and your journey. Um, because it's definitely
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  a wild ride, you know, There's so much beauty,
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  right? And love that I have experienced with
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  the highly sensitive individuals that I've been
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  honored to get to know. But there's certainly,
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  you know, there's certainly pain and heartache
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  that's That's where I sense my voice matters.
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  Because, you know, some people come into this
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  life and they already stay true to themselves.
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  They don't allow themselves to be influenced
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  by others. And I don't even know if allow is
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  the right word. Because I certainly... I have
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  someone really close to me who, you know, I discovered
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  just, yeah, he's true to himself and an amazing
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  human. But for, for more. I sense, you know,
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  when we don't have that loving environment that
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  supports us and honors our sensitivity. And whether
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  that includes having psychic abilities, whether
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  that includes, you know, the different Claire's,
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  right? Claire Cognizant, Claire, well, Claire.
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  I don't even know the rest of them right now.
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  My brain just kind of paused there. So I'm just
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  saying, being a highly sensitive person, you
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  can have different gifts. And if you're raised
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  in a family that honors that and supports that,
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  right, then it's way easier to navigate that
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  than to be a highly sensitive person with, you
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  know, any kind of gift like that. and you're
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  not supported. So, and the research does speak
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  to that, right? Like if we are raised and we
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  have a good enough childhood where we do feel
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  loved, we feel supported, you know, we have an
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  easier time of navigating that. you know that's
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  not the experience of all of us you know as highly
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  sensitive individuals some are born into families
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  and situations where there is a lot of pain and
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  heartache um and therefore there is more guidance
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  right needed and so i feel like that's really
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  my message right is that you're worthy and deserving
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  of all the love and support you need and don't
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  compare yourself to anybody else's journey because
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  no one else has walked the same path as you no
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  one else was you know experiencing the same things
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  that you were In all the different ages and stages
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  of development. So, you know, it really is about
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  honoring your unique journey and path. And so
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  I'm here speaking to the highly sensitive individuals,
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  you know, who are needing to be reminded, right?
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  Your mind is your ally, not your enemy. Your
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  body is sensory intelligent. Right? And your
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  heart is incredibly, incredibly intelligent and
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  deeply loving. And your own alignment, you know,
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  within yourself is what really is key to allowing
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  the repetitive thoughts that may come to the
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  surface for you to acknowledge them, you know,
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  give them a little space. You know, it's trying
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  to push through and keep up with old patterns,
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  old schedules, you know, other people's needs
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  that gets in the way. And so it's so important
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  to just keep coming back to you. Keep coming
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  back to your breath and your body. This seems
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  like a great moment to, you know, pause. Take
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  another nice deep inhale through your nose. And
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  exhale long and slow out your mouth. Just releasing,
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  relaxing, and letting go. And, you know, as a
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  reminder, we are here together to rise, reclaim,
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  remember. Where the heart leads, the body remembers,
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  and the soul awakens. And it's really important.
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  You know, for you to do what feels true for you.
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  Because there's nothing you need to fix. Just
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  keep noticing what's here for you. And if you
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  feel that you would like to join me for a Zoom
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  call, you know, tomorrow, February 5th at 5 p
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  .m. Pacific. And again, two weeks later, February
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  19th at 5pm. And again, two weeks later, March
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  5th. I'm inviting you to a moment to pause, a
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  space to inquire. This is an opportunity to just
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  come together, breathe, be curious about what
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  it means to be highly sensitive, about what kind
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  of, you know, support. you might find helpful.
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  And I'll share a little bit about the Realign
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  Journey, a three -phase spiral of healing and
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  remembrance that I am offering again at the Spring
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  Equinox. But there's nothing that you need to
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  do. If this resonates with you, then I invite
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  you to join me. You'll find Links in the show
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  notes, but you can always visit realignwithmelissa
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  .com slash links, and you'll see all of my offerings
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  there. But again, always tune in, you know, take
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  a break and breathe love. You're not alone. So
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  take good care of you. Much love and light.