HSPs Outside the Comfort Zone<\/h1>\n

One of the things that guided my life for more years than I\u2019d care to admit is all the fears I carried around. So many of them I can hardly begin to name them here. You\u2019ve got your basic environmental fears, like fear of bugs that fly, fear of bugs that crawl, fear of deep water, fear of falling, and fear of not being able to fall asleep. Then you\u2019ve got the fears that actually have a basis in reality, like the time you almost drown or the time you woke up and a giant spider was on your face. Then you\u2019ve got the emotional\/psychological fears and phobias, the kind that you\u2019ve developed over time based on how you grew up, what you were taught to think, believe, and be. And, finally, you\u2019ve got the last kind: fears that have no real basis for being there (except past lifetime stuff). Like one of mine: Fear of the woods.<\/p>\n

In overnight camp I did everything from feigning illness to begging to get out of camping in the woods. As a young married woman, I braved camping in the woods because my husband was such an enthusiast. I hated it. The next day I was bitten all over and I felt like I\u2019d slept on a bed of rocks. Which I had.<\/p>\n

For many years I\u2019ve lived by the ocean, or at least near the water. Now I live where there\u2019s plenty of water, but also lots and lots of forest. Like woods. Trees. Very tall trees. Very big forests.<\/p>\n

I have hiked in the woods plenty of times, but each time takes me far outside my comfort zone. Usually the whole way there I\u2019m regretting have agreed to go in the first place.<\/p>\n

A few days ago, I had another such experience.<\/h2>\n

My sister is called the Tree Whisperer. She has studied trees, planted trees, loved trees, and even married a tree to prove her commitment to its health and wellbeing. She knows a heck of a\u00a0 lot about tree communication, behavior, and why trees are so important to humanity. I love her love of trees.<\/p>\n

Thing is, she\u2019s always asking\u2014and hoping\u2014I\u2019ll be willing to go along with her for a \u201cshort, easy walk in the woods.\u201d Sometimes, because I\u2019ve learned so much about being in alignment with my own energy, I say yes. Because the freaking out that used to start before I\u2019d even left the house and that ramped up to a boiling point by the time I got to this \u201cshort, easy walk in the woods,\u201d has become less and less severe over time. I have even been known to enjoy myself.<\/p>\n

Still, I always want to know where I am and what the trail looks like and how simple it will be to find our way back. It\u2019s easy to be reassured by my sister (or whomever I\u2019m with) that \u201cit\u2019s only a loop. See here? It just goes around in a circle. No chance of getting lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, right. Seems like once you\u2019re in the woods, there are always, ALWAYS, chances to get lost. Forks in the path. Ways to go that weren\u2019t on the map and aren\u2019t clearly marked. Even if you have a phone with a compass app, it does no good. Why? Because you don\u2019t know where you are. Hence, I have felt lost many times over in the woods. With my sister and with experienced hikers alike.<\/p>\n

The woods<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s what happened the other day. I said I\u2019d go to Quinault Rain Forest, one of my sister\u2019s favorite places. The map at the trail head is easy to read. There don\u2019t seem to be any possible ways to go off-path. Looks just like a loop. I’m good to go.<\/p>\n

So, Julie and I start on the path. We\u2019re counting bridges to make sure we\u2019re going in the right direction. Still, at one point, like always, there\u2019s a divergence in the path\u2014and no sign. I look at Julie. She looks at me. It\u2019s this way, she says. Sure, I say, and how do you know that? She really doesn\u2019t want me to be afraid. Because I know, she says. But you should use your IGS, anyway, just in case. Your intuition is pretty much spot on.<\/p>\n

What? Use my IGS<\/a>?<\/h2>\n

But, see, here\u2019s the other thing. When I\u2019m in the woods, I\u2019m so far outside my comfort zone that I feel like my Intuitive Guidance System has blown a fuse. Hard to trust your IGS when it feels more like a demented compass on speed.<\/p>\n

But Julie whipped out her phone and started to video me. A really a smart move, I agree. I went from \u201cI\u2019m so uncomfortable at the thought of going the wrong direction\u201d to \u201cOh, you\u2019re videoing me? I guess I\u2019d better get into alignment.\u201d Talk about the metaphorical journey of life, right? Trust and yee shall get to where you want to go.<\/em><\/p>\n

And so I did.<\/p>\n

We took the right path, ended up where we belonged, had a nice lunch, and congratulated ourselves all the way home. The video, however, only about 15 seconds long, did not survive as well as I did. Still, it cracks me up every time!<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/hspsgateway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/HSPs-Outside-The-Comfort-Zone.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

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