Episode #6: Introversion, Burnout, and Rediscovering the Sacred HSP Self
How an HSP’s journey through burnout, overwhelm, and spirituality led her back to authenticity and a more meaningful life.
Hello! And welcome back to The Happy HSP Podcast. I’m your host Kimberly Marshall, and today, I’m joined by HSP life coach Janelle Lindemuth, who shares with me her journey from being constantly burned out in a corporate work environment to easing into a grounded and spiritual path that aligned more closely with her needs as an HSP. After she began questioning the root cause of her heightened sensitivity and finally accepted the trait as a gift, she discovered the beauty and relief that comes with allowing yourself to simply “be” and what it means to accept yourself as you truly are.
Here’s our conversation. I hope you enjoy it!
Kim: Janelle, welcome. Thank you so much for joining me today. It’s so good to see you.
Janelle: Yeah, thank you for having me.
Kim: So, as we were talking, this is really just about sharing your journey and your experience as a highly sensitive person. So, what did that look like for you? How did you find out you were an HSP? I’d love to hear about your story.
Janelle: Absolutely. So, I feel like I have some similarities with other HSPs in regards to when I was younger, being told that I was “too sensitive,” that I was overreacting or too emotional and things like that. And that was kind of when I started to realize I was different, and I think I felt it too. I felt that I was different, and I didn’t know how to articulate that or put words to that. And it took me quite a while actually. I ended up, like I said, feeling different when I was from a very young age, but I just kind of powered through as best I could through elementary school and high school. And it actually wasn’t until I was in my early twenties, or even probably mid-twenties when I started in the corporate setting. I was working in the fashion industry and I started a corporate role.
And I really started to notice then that I was a lot different than everyone else, and I just couldn’t kind of keep up the same pace. And the bright lights were driving me crazy, and I was leaving work just feeling so exhausted. And I noticed everybody else around me seemed to have more energy. And I’m like, what’s wrong? Why is this so hard for me? And it was around that time that Susan Cain’s book called Quiet was starting to make traction out in the world. And I stumbled across that book. I think the divine allowed me to, it fell into my lap, and I read that book and it started to make a lot of sense, which fast forward, I don’t really consider myself an introvert, but I think there was some overlap, I think with high sensitivity and needing that time to go home and lock yourself up and reset.
So, I thought I was an introvert. Once I finished that book, I was like, this makes a lot of sense. I’m an introvert. That’s just what it is. I just need to take more downtime for myself and be aware of that and know that when I’m outside socializing, it’s too much and I should balance my time a little bit better. And so that was enough for me for a while. I was like, this is an answer. This makes sense. But as time went on, the sensory stuff wasn’t making sense to me.
I’m like, why are the noises bothering me? Why are the smells? Why am I so triggered by smells? Why are, like I said, the fluorescent lights at work just so bright. And I’m like, what’s that all about? I’m not understanding. So, I don’t really remember the exact moment. I found out I’m going to assume I went Googling and was trying to figure out my symptoms. And I think that’s when I discovered it was just Googling and finding out, and then being like, okay, this makes more sense. This is kind of the missing piece.
And so, I think that was kind of the moment, but it took me a lot longer than that to actually really accept it, because once I found out about it, I was like, oh, I can change this. I, this doesn’t have to be my story. So yeah, I definitely was in denial for quite a while after that.
Kim: I was going to ask you about that because it’s so incredible to me that everybody has their own kind of reaction when they find this out. Some people don’t want to not accept it, but maybe identify with that or maybe put themselves in a box. So how did you come to the realization that this is what you had as part of your personality, and what did that process look like for you?
Janelle: Yeah, I mean, I think when I read it online, it made sense, and it made sense in that moment. But there was just a disconnect too, because I didn’t want to accept it. Like I said, I was in denial. I didn’t want to accept it, and I just kept trying to push through. And that just further created burnout and health problems for me. And it wasn’t until the last several years that I really began to embrace it and understand it more and then actually put it into practice. So yeah, I think it’s just been, for me, it’s been going through burnout and realizing that the things that I was doing clearly haven’t been serving me at all. And there’s no way to change this. There’s nothing wrong with me. And I think finding a community as well, and other people that are HSPs have made me realize that I’m not alone in this, and there’s other people going through this. But at the time, I thought I was very much alone, especially in a corporate space and things like that. I didn’t think that there were other people going through the same thing. It wasn’t something talked about.
Kim: And I was just going to say, and that’s not something in a corporate setting that you really can talk about. They take so much of the personal out of it. And I personally feel that’s why so many HSPs struggle in the workplace is because we value deep and meaningful connections. And our workplaces today just don’t allow for that.
Janelle: Absolutely. And just being put on the spot is just really, yeah, there’s a lot of not great things that are a struggle for HSPs in that space. But I am really excited because I have met more people in the HSP community who are also still in the corporate setting, and they’ve been very vocal about their needs. And I think that’s so powerful because that’s not something that I had, I did not have that voice yet. I did not have that strength to vocalize that. But they’ve been really met with a lot of love and compromise and things like that and respect, and that’s so beautiful. And I’m so proud that people are able to talk about this a little bit more now and have a little bit of flexibility and maybe turning the lights down or whatever that may look like.
Kim: I need some time to think about that. I can’t tell you the answer right now. Give me till tomorrow. I can give you a more well thought out solution. Things like that. I’m with you. It’s I think because we’re so empathic, or maybe this is your experience, it was mine, is like you don’t want to make other people feel uncomfortable, but in that process, you are the one who stays uncomfortable and it can just a hundred percent simple as saying, this is how I work best. This is what I need to do. And it takes practice to feel comfortable, especially in a work setting.
But what did that do for you when you were kind of resistant to it? Was it because you didn’t like your sensitivity and then when you finally accepted it, and I guess you now celebrate it, right, because it’s part of the work that you do. How did that change for you? Was it easier to live your life? What did that look like?
Janelle: Yeah, I mean, overall, I think I feel better. I feel healthier. I feel less resistance in my body. I’m starting to cultivate things like safety and reducing my anxiety and things like that as well. But yeah, I think it was really hard to tell because for a while I was using coping mechanisms, too. So, it was really hard to really feel through all of that at that time. Like I said, I was in denial, but then I was coping just to get through it by keeping busy, avoidance. Alcohol was a big thing for me, too, to just kind of numb it all away and I wasn’t feeling good. And I got to the point where I was burned out. I started to have some health issues, and that to me was like, this is not worth it anymore. Why do I keep fighting this? It’s clearly not helping me mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, all of those things.
So, I just kind of hit a breaking point, I think, where I’m like, I have to make some big changes, and maybe sensitivity is one of those things that I should focus on accepting it and embracing it as best I can, because I really didn’t even know what that began to look like. But it was a slow process. And I think one of the things was just eliminating alcohol and getting sober so that I could start to feel into my body more and what it was telling me and what it was trying to express to me.
Kim: So now where you’re at, how do you manage your sensitivity and what helps you stay grounded and just feel good in terms of your sensory overload and things like that?
Janelle: Yeah, I think working from home has been a blessing because I can control my environment so much. And really just spirituality has been a huge one for me. And so a lot of spiritual practices and prayer, and meditation, somatic movements, sitting in silence even for a couple minutes every day, realizing that movements such as physical exercise or walking, even dancing, anything like that is really rejuvenating to me as well. Yeah, I think spirituality was kind of the big one for me. It just made me feel like I had a higher purpose. And I guess I’m having a hard time putting that into words necessarily. But yeah, I’m not sure I’m explaining that very well, but…
Kim: I almost got a sense of just slowing down and allowing yourself to go with the flow. I don’t know what you practice with spirituality, but I am also on my own journey, and I find it interesting. A lot of HSPs really do connect with spirituality. It’s like we have more of a sense almost of there’s something more to life, and maybe it’s easier for us to tap into that.
But I know for me, it’s like I get so much more, it seems so counterintuitive. I get so much more done. I’m so much more productive. I get so much farther when I slow down. I don’t know how that works or if you experience that too, but that seems to be the layer of spirituality that I’m kind of playing with now. It’s like that sense of everything’s taken care of. Just hold that vision of what you want, hold that vision of how you want to feel, and it all just seems to fall into place.
Janelle: Yeah, it’s a really, really beautiful one. And one I think I still struggle with though, because I think we do live in a really fast, fast-paced world, and I’ve been blessed enough that I did leave my corporate job behind last year and fully dove into my coaching business. And it’s this interesting dynamic now because I still do try to do a lot and kind of move fast, and I’m like, I’m not answering to anybody but myself. Where’s this pressure coming from? It’s just, yeah, it’s these old habits. And so it is beautiful that I can recognize that and tell myself to slow down and take things step by step, because you’re absolutely right. Things just move and things are a lot easier when you do slow down and take time to digest things, and you’re not rushing through life flustered and chaos. So, it is really beautiful and just a practice that I think we always have to check in with ourselves, especially just like I said in this fast-paced moving world.
Kim: Is that something you can share? I feel like that’s the hardest part, that transition from corporate world to doing your own thing. How did you find that journey and what are you doing now with that?
Janelle: Yeah, it was one of the, once again, I just felt spiritually guided in that direction. I actually was loving my job at that point in time. I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever, but it was something that was working for me at that current time. And I was at least fairly content. And then coaching, I was working on some spiritual stuff with myself, and coaching kind of fell into my lap, and I found this program to sign up for. And so, I got in this program, and I thought I was actually going to do a slow transition of being able to juggle both. I was still very much in this high achieving mode where I’m like, I’m going to work 40 hours a week and go to school, do all of this.
And I was blessed enough that I talked to my husband and he was able to be like, we can make it work if you want to quit your job and focus solely on this so you can put all of your energy and do it soulfully and in the best way possible and not feel like you’re kind of stretched thin, let’s do that. And so, I’m so thankful that that was even an option for us, and I was able to really put myself into the program, and honestly, I don’t think I would’ve been able to do both.
Looking back, there was no way I would’ve been able to do both. I would’ve still just been burned out. I would’ve continued that same exact story of just burning through everything, trying to do it all. And so, yeah, I feel really blessed that I was able to do that and just kind of really start to embrace that slowing down, that was it. Eliminating one thing and just focusing on the coaching certification. I was able to really focus and slow down and not be juggling a million things.
And so, I think that just kind of continued into this process. And then completing the program and then starting my business, I’ve just been trying to do little by little and take it day by day and not overwhelming myself by trying to do too much at once.
Kim: Yeah, that’s definitely the way to go. So funny. I feel like people think that they need to, we were just saying grind, side-hustle, all this stuff, and it’s like one small step a day can get you there. It’s almost like sometimes I feel like it’s like when you see the big picture, it’s overwhelming, and that stops you in your tracks. But if you just make a little tiny progress, eventually you look back and you see, I don’t know if you work that way, but I definitely do. If I see the big picture and everything I want to do, sometimes I get nothing done. I stare at my screen and it’s like this analysis paralysis maybe.
Janelle: Absolutely. Very much so. Yeah.
Kim: So how do you use that to help your clients? What does that look like? Your work?
Janelle: Yeah. Do you mean the slowing down aspect?
Kim: You help with spirituality? Right? Do you work with HSPs, specifically?
Janelle: I do, yes. High women specifically. And then high achieving highly sensitive women. Got it.
Kim: Help people slow down and be more intentional.
Janelle: Yeah, absolutely. Really just connecting back to self is kind of the big picture. There’s just a lot of internal work that we do, and I feel that it’s a well-roundedness of mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health altogether, and just what that looks like for every person. But showing up authentically and connecting back to your higher self is kind of the process that we work through and eliminating all the overwhelm and all the noise that’s going on around us because we are picking up stuff constantly and we’re trying to juggle it all.
And if we can eliminate some of that noise and really connect back to ourselves and what it is that we need, and then start to also cultivate some of those things in our life as well, like play and creativity, things that we’re really missing out on, really, I think just as adults in general. So really connecting back to those things that really help us thrive and feel that joy and excitement we did, I think, as children is kind of the big picture of what it’s that I’m trying to convey.
Kim: Love that so much. And I really feel that too, when there’s so much chaos around us. You can’t hear your own voice almost, and we’re constantly pulled in a million directions. You want to talk about getting back to creativity or I do career coaching. So how do you find your purpose and meaning in life? It’s like you have to turn off all those voices, all those things that people are telling you you’d be good at because it’s not connected to who you are and your purpose.
Janelle: Yeah, absolutely. And I think we do, we have all the answers. It’s within us. It’s just quieting all that other noise to be able to hear that voice kind of whispering, but we can make it be louder. We can make it be the voice that drives us. We just have to practice.
Kim: Oh my gosh, yes. And it shows up in our bodies with the burnout and the sick and all of that. It’s like it’s hard to listen. So, what do you struggle with most with your high sensitivity, would you say?
Janelle: Yeah, I think an interesting, that one that I wanted to bring up is something that I noticed recently that maybe some other HSPs can empathize with. I noticed that, I mean, I’ve always had some high functioning anxiety, but I noticed that it was trickling into how I converse in the world. And I’m kind of a fast talker, and I talk a lot to the point where it tires me out, actually, and it’s not really serving me.
And I tire out some of the people around me because I’m just a lot of energy and talking here. I’m all my thoughts. And it was interesting because I’m like, I wonder where this is coming from. And so there’s some inner work that I had to do, and I realized that it does have to do with my sensitivity because as a child, I was constantly told in school, especially on my report cards and stuff, that I was shy.
I needed to talk more, I needed to be more outgoing, that I was too reserved. And so, I was getting that feedback constantly in school and to the point where subconsciously I started to just talk more. And then it became, so it was this anxiety driven thing of just, I need to talk more. I need to provide what they want. And so that’s kind of been what I’ve been doing. And especially like I talked about the corporate setting, you always want to talk more.
Everybody wants to hear you talk. And I realized that it’s not serving me anymore. And so to look at that and address that and see how I can move forward and maybe have more introspective moments and not feel like this need to constantly talk just because I feel validated from the outside world. So just reframing that in regards to also, because it seems like a people-pleasing technique too. I’m making everybody else feel good around me by talking more, but it’s tiring myself out. So that’s been a huge one for me, and that’s still very new, and I’m still trying to understand what that looks like, but just having those conversations with myself sometimes. Okay, Janelle, are you wanting to talk right now because you feel like you need to fill up space or you’re feeling anxious about it, or do you really want to, do you have something to share?
Kim: It’s almost like that sitting in silence in comfort is tough for us. We have to fill that space.
Janelle: Yes.
Kim: And when you say, I don’t remember if you used the word validation, but the outside forces, I feel that too sometimes, where it’s like you want the other person sometimes. I don’t know if you do this, but I feel like they’re uncomfortable in the silence, so I’m filling the silence so that they’re comfortable.
Janelle: Thing. No, a hundred percent. Yeah, a hundred percent. Because I don’t mind silence, but I think especially as I know a lot of HSPs can also be empaths too. So as an empath, feeling that energy and being like, well, oh gosh, I have to change the dynamic of this room because I don’t like this energy, so let me talk. Yep.
Kim: Yeah, that’s our senses for sure. That’s awesome. That’s so funny. So, what do you love about being a highly sensitive person? What do you celebrate?
Janelle: Yeah. I mean, there’s so much to celebrate anymore. I feel like I just keep finding little diamonds every day. But I think the one for me, and just coming from an arts background as well, is just my deep love for art and music and the feelings that I get around that. I thought everybody always experienced that, but I’m finding that’s not to be true.
But when I listen to music, it’s like this crazy experience that happens. There’s a deep connection. I can almost feel the artist and the emotions that they were having while writing the music. It’s just such a deep, deep, intense emotion. But it’s so beautiful, and I can’t ever imagine not having that. And it’s the same when I go to an art museum. I could spend hours in there just staring at one piece of art, and it’s such a beautiful experience that I really love, and I would never want that to go away.
Kim: Do you play an instrument or do you listen or do you…
Janelle: I don’t. I did buy a guitar during Covid with every intention of learning, but I did not stick up and stick to it. No, I just listen a lot. My husband does play guitar too. But no, I’ve never really, I guess I would say singing is a big one for me. I do love to sing, so I would use that. I guess as an instrument, your voice is an instrument.
Kim: Absolutely. In so many ways, not just musically, right?
Janelle: Yeah.
Kim: When I was younger, I haven’t much, in my older days things, life happens, but I used to play the violin, and I remember being little and pressing my ear up against the radio to Vivaldi, and my family was just like, what are you doing? They thought I was just the weirdest little thing, and I just thought I was so much fun and just so beautiful classical music for a kid. I feel like not a lot of people, like you said, sit and enjoy it the way we do. There’s emotion that comes through it for us. It’s like I could cry. Certain things could bring me to absolute tears. Just beautiful things.
Janelle: Yeah. Oh, I definitely cry. I didn’t even think about it. It happens. Yeah. I can easily be moved to tears with a lot of things, the movies too. But yeah, with a good soundtrack. I mean, yeah, bring me the tissues. It’s over.
Kim: Not even sadness. Excitement. Do you hear that? It’s so good. Tears. Yeah.
Janelle: Yes.
Kim: Is there anything else that you thought to share, or was that pretty much what you had for what you love?
Janelle: Yeah, I think overall, I guess just some advice to give. I think for me, finding a support system is huge and something I didn’t have. And I felt like maybe if I would’ve had a little bit of a support system, it would’ve been easier, or at least just other HSPs to be around to understand what I was going through. Not to say that I regret my journey because I’m exactly where I need to be, but I think there maybe would’ve been less push and pull in my life and maybe some less negative coping mechanisms in my life had I had a support system or know where to go.
So, I think right now it’s such a great time because there are a lot of HSPs, and especially in the virtual space too, and there’s empath support groups. There’s a lot of great groups out there that you can go to in person and virtually as well.
So just find that and know that you’re not alone, and know that you can have these conversations with other people who are experiencing the same thing as you. And then to piggyback off of that too, is just to be yourself. I know it’s so hard, and I know the kind of gives you different messages, but we need you to be your authentic self.
And I always say be weird. Just be weird. Wear what you want to wear, do what you want to do, be who you are because the world needs more of that. And don’t feel ashamed by your sensitivity. It truly is a blessing, and it truly is a superpower. So I think just it will take time. I know that it is a challenge, but just every day try to show up a little bit more authentically.
Kim: I love that so much. It’s like we do, we hide ourselves because we fear that rejection. It’s so much that you could do with even just being yourself, even just showing up who you are. People feel that. They sense that love, that we have that empathy. We need so much more of that, especially now.
Janelle: Yeah, very much so.
Kim: With you on that. So, for people that want to follow along on your journey and see what you’re up to, where can they find you?
Janelle: Yeah, so I’m on Instagram @highlysensitivelifecoach, and then you can also find me at my website, which is just my name. So, janellelindemuth.com.
Kim: Perfect. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. It was a pleasure.
Thank you so much for listening in on my conversation with Janelle. I hope it reminded you that finding self-acceptance and a more nurturing career path is a journey, not a destination. Janelle’s story is a beautiful example of what’s possible when we stop fighting our sensitive nature and start honoring our needs and exploring through the eyes of creativity and spirituality instead.
If this episode resonated with you, I’d love it if you’d take a moment to leave a review or share it with another HSP who might need a little extra encouragement today.
And if you’d like support on your own career journey, go to happyhspcoaching.com and learn more about the work I do. You can download a free career clarity guidebook or even sign up for a free session with me to get started building your gentler and more nurturing career path today.
Until next time. Take care!
About Janelle Lindemuth:
Janelle Lindemuth is a certified spiritual life and soul purpose coach. She works with high-achieving, highly sensitive women who are overwhelmed and burned out.
As a highly sensitive person herself, she discovered spirituality and experienced its transformative impact. This inspired her to become a coach and help others do the same. Her purpose is to help others organize their lives and thrive.
When she’s not coaching, she’s spending time with her husband and golden retriever. She enjoys reading, singing, and roller skating.
Follow along with Janelle’s journey:
Website: www.janellelindemuth.com
Instagram: @highlysensitivelifecoach
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About Kimberly:
After 20 years in the publishing industry working for companies like Time Inc., Monster.com, and W. W. Norton, Kimberly Marshall left her corporate work to create a gentler and more nurturing career that better suited her as an HSP. After repeatedly struggling with burnout and low confidence in the workplace, she now helps HSPs create careers that bring them lots of purpose, meaning, and joy. With the Happy HSP Podcast, Kimberly hopes to shed more light on the reality of living with high sensitivity and inspire more HSPs to embrace their empathetic, generous, and loving natures.
Hosted/produced by Kimberly Marshall
Edited by Fonzie Try Media
Artwork by Tara Corola