#HighlySensitivePeople #Introverts: Is Shyness Something to Overcome? I used to think being shy was something I needed to overcome. Now I'm not so sure. I've always had shy characteristics. For a long time, I saw them as weaknesses—something that made me different from other people. Today, I see them differently. I don't believe shyness is something we should automatically be ashamed of or try to eliminate. Maybe we need to understand it before we try to change it. I'm also a highly sensitive person, and learning more about high sensitivity helped me understand myself in ways I never had before. Dr. Elaine Aron, who has done extensive research on highly sensitive people, has made an important distinction that really resonated with me: Shyness isn't necessarily…

#HighlySensitivePerson #Introverts: Do You Really Trust Yourself? For years, I thought my biggest problem was that I cared too much about what other people thought. I was wrong. The real problem was that I didn't trust myself. Every decision became exhausting. Should I speak up? Should I stay quiet? Should I accept this job? Should I leave this relationship? Should I follow my instincts—or ignore them again? I kept looking outside myself for reassurance because I believed someone else knew me better than I knew myself. But they didn't. No one lives inside your mind. No one feels what you feel. No one carries your experiences. Only you do. As a highly sensitive, introverted, and socially anxious person, I spent years believing my sensitivity made…