Slow Down and Savor Your Sensitivity

Last year was a lot, especially if you have a sensitive soul. As we enter 2026, listen to this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast as host Elizabeth Cush shares tips for slowing down and savoring the good in this new year. 

"I want to make 2026 the year of savoring, of really enjoying what is. And as sensitive beings, those of you who are highly sensitive, savoring often comes naturally. But you might need to be more intentionally mindful about your everyday experiences to truly savor the present moment."

—Biz Cush

For so many of us, the year we’ve just left behind was filled with intense energy, conflict, bullying and complicity. If you’re tired of feeling exhausted by your news feed and the stress of living in the world today, you’re not alone. The good news is that you don’t have to feel that way. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a life coach for highly sensitive women, talks about the importance of balancing sensory input with quiet time and mindfulness, and the benefits of finding appreciation and gratitude in daily life. Listen in as she shares some tips that you can use to slow down and enjoy what each day of this new year brings.

You can find the full show notes and resources mentioned for this and every episode here.

Transcript

Elizabeth Cush  00:00

Hi and welcome back to The Awaken Your wise woman podcast. I am your host, biz Cush, and you can find me on Instagram, on my website, in our sacred circle of sensitivity for highly sensitive women on Instagram. I'm at, awaken your wise woman on LinkedIn, I'm at Elizabeth Cush LCPC, I think, and on, on my website, you can find me at Elizabeth cush.com and often through transcription, which is usually these days, AI, my last name is spelled with a K, but that is not how it really is spelled. It's spelled with a C. So it's Elizabeth Cush, C, U, S, H, and I would love for you to follow me, find me, check check out all the things that I offer, because here we are entering the new year, and it would be fun to connect. If you haven't connected with me already. It is hard to believe that the new year has begun, that we are in 2026 for me, that feels pretty big. I feel like I was just getting used to 2025 writing it, and now I need to get used to writing 2026 but that's all good, and 2025 was a lot. It was a lot. So much intense energy and conflict and bullying, especially from the White House, and complicit bullshit, right? People just going along so that they're not targeted, and that just feels icky. So I'm tired of feeling exhausted by our news feed and the stress of living in the world today. So this year, I really want to slow down and enjoy what each day brings. That's not to say I'm not going to be present or aware of things that are not so good, that are happening in the world, but But it's too easy to just get consumed by that. And I want to make 2026 the year of savoring, of really enjoying what is. And as sensitive beings, those of you who are highly sensitive, savoring often comes naturally. We really can lean into the things that fill us up, that make us feel all kinds of sensory ways, because our sensory experience is so robust, but we can also get overwhelmed by our sensory experience. So it's really important to balance what we're bringing in with time off, with quiet time, with pauses, with taking a moment to just be present in ourselves and the overwhelm can be especially hard with all of the stuff that is out there To consume, news, social media, etc, etc. So honoring your capacity and your sensitivities is really important, and so I want to share a few ways that you can lean into savoring and gratefulness by bringing more intention to your experiences. So if you're feeling stuck, take a moment to just look around your surroundings, either out loud or silently to yourself, name the colors that you see if you're outside, naming whatever colors there are out there in the real world. If you're in your home, take a look around the room where you are. If you're in your car, just notice the cars that are driving by and the colors that they are, or whatever, or the signs, whatever it is that you're seeing in this moment. Is there a color that is particularly appealing to you, or ones that you find difficult to look at, or or ugly? Just notice that. If you're feeling overwhelmed, allow your gaze to wander often. When we're overwhelmed, we can get tunnel vision, where all we can see is the things that are making us feel stressed out. So if we can widen our gaze to take in our full surroundings and allow your gaze to land somewhere naturally and just notice where it is that they land. Your eyes where, notice where your eyes naturally land and just hold your gaze there for a moment.

Elizabeth Cush  05:51

You can try shifting your your focus from one eye to the other, so your eyes will naturally focus with one eye or the other one. So just notice which eye is really hyper focused on whatever it is you're gazing at, and see how that feels. And then switch to the other eye. Let the other eye be the thing that's leading the primary focus. Are there any shifts inside you when you shift your gaze or shift the focus of your gaze?

Elizabeth Cush  06:38

Another idea is to take in what take a walk in nature. If you can being outside, in the fresh air, in a natural environment, naturally calms our system, our nervous system. And when you're outside, can you take notice of the different textures of tree bark or leaves or grass or even the pavement if you're walking in a more urban area, be mindful of the surface where you're walking,

Elizabeth Cush  07:27

if you are out in the natural world, the forest or the beach or wherever you are able to walk, can You offer Mother Nature some appreciation for the amazing environment you're in. I was recently at one of my meditation gatherings here in Lewis, Delaware, and one of the participants shared that they now actually it was two, but one person shared first, that when they're outside in nature, they will purposefully walk up to a tree and hug the tree, and that this is an experience they have shared with family members, a way to connect with them. I think that's a lovely, lovely expression of our gratitude and and thankfulness and a savoring experience for us in the real world,

Elizabeth Cush  08:40

another way to savor your experience is to bring more mindfulness into conversation. So when you're talking to a friend, your partner, a colleague or even a stranger, put down your devices. Bring your attention to that person. Look at their face, look them in the eye, and really pay attention to what they're saying. Notice the tone of their voice, notice the subtle movements of their face, or the micro expressions that pass across their face as they share a story with you and listen for the emotions that might arise for you or them in that moment while you're having this conversation. Do

Elizabeth Cush  09:48

and I'm curious if this is a different way you normally would have a conversation. I know for me, I can often feel as if I'm really listening. Closely, and yet, maybe I have my laptop open, or I'm scrolling on my phone and I'm really only half listening. So I'm curious what that experience would be like for you to really fully pay attention.

Elizabeth Cush  10:19

And my last suggestion on bringing more intention into your experience every day is when you have a free moment, or maybe even take a free moment and bring awareness to your body, to your physical body. It can be when you're sitting down, walking, standing still, playing with your dog, being in a conversation with a friend, just take a moment to send some appreciation to your body and all that it does without you needing to do anything. And just notice the sensations that are there right now. What are you feeling? Any tension in your back or your neck? Can you drop your shoulders? Can you just be with your body the way it is right now. And maybe you can send the universe a little gratitude for creating such an amazing thing as a human being. These are just a few ideas to help you bring a sense of awe and wonder and intentionality to every moment in your day or throughout your day. And if you would like to be a part of our circle of sacred sensitivity. We are meeting on January 22 Thursday, January 22 at 12pm Eastern Time, we meet virtually with other highly sensitive women. And it is really a beautiful space to connect and be present with other highly sensitive women. So I hope you'll join us. I hope you will come and hang out with us when you join the full membership, which is a monthly membership, and there is lots there in our membership portal for you to dive into and enjoy and chat rooms to keep in touch with other highly sensitive women. If you join through the end of January, you will get a month free of the membership. So I hope you'll check it out. Head to my website, Elizabeth cush.com, and you can find more information about the circle there. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. I hope you find some practices that help you tap into appreciation and awe and savoring of what our experience is like as human beings here on Earth and appreciate and with gratitude all that we have, even when things feel stressful. I look forward to connecting with you next time here on the podcast. See you then.