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Originally shared as part of Inbox Reflections - my honest, heartfelt emails to support your binge eating recovery as a highly sensitive woman. 

This is how I’ve come to understand what it means to feel “worthy” as a Highly Sensitive Person and the roles of innate worth and self-worth within this… 

Innate worth refers to the intrinsic value and deservingness that you have simply because you exist.

It is universal, unconditional and constant 💖And nothing you could ever do could impact it.

And yes - this includes your weight. No amount of weight loss or weight gain could change your innate worthiness. 

Self-worth, on the other hand, is subjective.

It refers to how you perceive value in yourself. It’s shaped by your beliefs, experiences, achievements and relationships - and it can fluctuate throughout your life.

As a HSP who absorbs a lot and processes it deeply, you likely take the messages about “worth” to heart - feeling like you have to perform or be a certain way to feel good enough.

(This is only amplified by feeling different as a HSP and wanting so badly to be accepted and to fit in.)

And because you’re here, I’m guessing your self-worth feels closely tied to your weight.

When you lose weight and move toward your “ideal body,” your self-worth rises. When you gain weight, it drops.

But here’s the thing…

A strong sense of self-worth is important - but it becomes more resilient and less tied to your body, productivity or other people’s opinions when it’s rooted in the unshakeable truth of your innate worth.

Without that foundation, you may find yourself trying to earn your worth - by shrinking yourself, saying yes when you mean no, or pushing through when you really need rest.

However, when you know deep down that you are innately worthy, it’s easier to untether yourself from doing the things that ultimately aren’t you or don’t serve you. This knowing becomes an internal anchor that helps you withstand external pressures. 

If this idea of innate worth feels distant right now, you’re not alone. For many of us, it’s something we gradually remember over time - not something we suddenly feel one day.

(For me it’s been a journey of many years, one that I’m still walking in lots of ways.)

But the more you reconnect with it, the less your self-worth depends on your weight, your output, or your performance. It begins to root itself in something far deeper and truer.

And this is where being a Highly Sensitive Person is such a gift.

Because you feel deeply, you can sense the truth of this - you know what I’m talking about.

You can build a relationship with yourself that honours your softness, your values, and your way of being in the world.

Not by earning your worth.

But by remembering it is always here. 

Hungry for more? Here are some extra resources for you

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