Maximize Me

I’m what you’d call a “maximizer.” When I need a new black sweater, I’ll go to upwards of 10 stores to find THE PERFECT black sweater – even if I love the one I find at store number one. I want to methodically examine all my options so I can make a fully informed decision and pick the best out of all the choices.

Non-traditional Valentines

To be a good little relationship blogger, I should be writing a rant (or an advertisement) about Valentine’s Day, seeing as it is fast approaching. Partly because I enjoy being unorthodox when it comes to relationship-related material and partly because I think it’ll be more helpful than yet another “Top 10 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas,” I’ve compiled a few resources that will have longer-lasting impacts (if you take them seriously) than that heart-shaped box ‘o chocolates.

The Power of Vulnerability

I’ve recently self-diagnosed myself as having a highly sensitive personality (which is a real diagnosis, not something I made up to explain my occasionally neurotic thoughts and feelings). What that basically means is that I feel and experience things more intensely than others. In practicality, it means many different things, including that any sort of light or noise keeps me up at night. On a more serious level, it means a flippant side comment from a friend might send me into a day-long reflective tailspin.

(While you might be inclined to write my highly sensitive nature off as a fabricated diagnosis intended to make girls feel better about themselves or for people who were coddled as children, let me assure you that you’re wrong.)

Because of my highly sensitive nature, when I internalize side comments, sarcastic remarks and criticism, sometimes I begin to believe that those comments define who I am. In an effort to quell some of that discomfort and to feel less vulnerable, I try to numb those feelings. I deny that I’m experiencing vulnerability, fear and pain.