If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it too late for me to...?” the answer’s NO, and The Uplifters are about to show you why. This space is for purpose-driven women who want to do big, brave things in the second half of their lives. I’m your host, Aransas Savas, and I’ve spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching.
This month for Simmer Summer, we are riffing on the power of R&R.
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Have you ever been told you're too sensitive? Too emotional? That you just need to toughen up? If so, you might be a highly sensitive person. And if you’re in midlife right now, you might be noticing that your stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion are getting harder to manage.
In this episode, licensed occupational therapist, certified perimenopause and menopause coach, and functional pelvic health practitioner Dara Steinberg explains what it means to be a highly sensitive person (HSP) and how it shifts in midlife.
Research by psychiatrist and researcher Elaine Aron found that approximately 10% of every species, humans included, shares a nervous system that processes the environment more deeply than most.
Dara shares her own journey through clinical burnout, the physical toll of overriding her sensitive nature for years, and how she built her methodology, Slow Down to Become, to serve the women her field was failing. Whether you've always known you're highly sensitive or you're only now starting to wonder, this conversation will help you see your sensitivity not as a flaw to fix but as a superpower.
What You'll Learn:
What makes someone a highly sensitive person
How the highly sensitive nervous system interacts with perimenopause and why estrogen fluctuations can intensify sensitivity for women in midlife
The difference between everyday exhaustion and clinical burnout
How to support a highly sensitive person, whether that's yourself, your child, or someone you love
The five stages of Dara's Slow Down to Become framework for nervous system stabilization and building a life that’s a better fit for your operating system.
Her Courage Practice
Dara calls it the Safety Map, and it’s the first thing she recommends for any highly sensitive woman who is beginning to understand herself. It’s a free resource on her website, a personalized nervous system profile you fill out on your own, ideally with a cup of tea and a little quiet.
The map asks you to identify what makes you feel unsafe, what kinds of things are triggering to your system, and what brings you back to calm. The act of naming those things, writing them down, provides invaluable insight for understanding what your system needs.
Lift Her Up
Dara's website and free Safety Map: slowdowntobecome.com
Instagram and Facebook: @slowdowntobecome
