HOW TO BECOME YOUR MOST AUTHENTIC SELF AS AN HSP
For half of my life I thought I was weak, and a bit pathetic sometimes, because I was too emotional and I was taking things too seriously.
I was getting offended quite easily for things that other people seemed to think didn’t matter that much. I was getting tired quite easily. I didn't seem to have the same stamina as a lot of my friends. I was getting anxious before exams, to the point I was feeling physically sick. I had panic attacks at 19 when I was learning how to drive and I was also attending university, which was full of tests and new things for me to learn. It was a lot of stimulation all at once.
Later on, when I started working in offices, I thought I was getting tired more easily of working every day 9 to 5. This lifestyle didn’t seem to bother my colleagues who were getting excited about completing tasks and meeting deadlines. For me it was just too much sometimes and I had anxiety. I needed a lot of breaks and time away from my desk. And holidays!
That carried on until I realized I am a highly sensitive person. This is why I feel what I feel. And it’s okay, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I just work in a different way compared to the majority of the population who are not highly sensitive.
Once I learned what it actually means for me being highly sensitive, what are my needs, what overwhelms me, how to look after myself, how to set boundaries with people, and also to recharge when I feel my battery is getting low, then I actually felt I have a superpower, just like Superwoman!
I understood why I was not able to be my true self. I didn’t know who I was!
How can you be your most authentic self if you don’t know who you are as a person.
I unconsciously created a persona. I became what people expected from me, when I was in school, when I worked in offices, and as a daughter. I was playing a part, and that’s why I was not able to connect on a deeper level with people, because it wasn’t the real me people were speaking to. I was relating to them from this other self that I created unconsciously, because I was ashamed of who I was.
I was trying to hide my weakness, which now I know it’s actually my greatest strength. What I was carefully trying to hide was my sensitivity, but I just didn’t know it then.
When people said to me “you have to be your most authentic self”, I was like ‘what does it mean? I think I am myself. How can you fake your identity?’.
Well, you can fake it, if you’re not self-aware.
Think about what Superwoman did in all the movies. She created a fake identity, so that she didn’t get found out or called a freak. She did this to protect herself and to fit in with the rest of the population.
I did it unconsciously, but I did exactly that. Now I feel powerful because I have embraced myself and I’m not afraid to show people who I am. I don’t have a problem with saying what I truly think, obviously with respect, but I’m not afraid anymore. I am me and I’m happy with who I am. I love myself, and if people don’t love me, it’s okay, I will survive.
Now I am connected with people in the most meaningful and deepest way because I’m in touch with myself and my heart is open.
Who is your true self?
Do you know what is stopping you from becoming your most authentic self?
What beliefs do you hold about yourself that are preventing you from discovering who you really are?
Which lies do you tell yourself?
Coaching helped me to uncover all of that. I’ve done all this work on myself and I’ve come out the other side stronger. I’m a better version of myself. I call myself “Francesca 2.0” now, and I want to help you feel like that too. I want to empower you because I know you can reach this level of self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Become the strongest version of yourself!