Hi, I’m Liz—and this is Within Herself. I’m so glad you found your way here. 🤍
For 37 years, I moved through life feeling different.
Not in an obvious way, on the outside, my life looked normal. People seemed to like me. I was included. By most societal standards, I was successful. Yet beneath the surface, there was always a quiet feeling that I didn’t quite belong. I couldn’t explain it, but it felt like a truth to me. I moved through the world with an intensity I didn’t understand, absorbing emotions, energy, and experiences seemingly different than those around me.
The problem was, I never learned how to express those emotions in a healthy way.
Instead, I learned to push them down.
Being “too sensitive” often felt like a criticism rather than a gift, and over time I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why did things affect me so much? Why couldn’t I just let things go the way everyone else seemed to?
At 18, not knowing how to process my emotions led me into an eating disorder. Years later, alcohol became my best friend. It helped me feel calmer, more confident, more comfortable around other people. It quieted the noise in my head and softened the intensity I felt inside.
Until it didn’t.
What started as relief slowly became dependence, and eventually I found myself managing my life—and my emotions—with alcohol. It became so out of control that I almost lost everything. Years went by like this.
And at 35, when I hit my rock bottom, I finally decided to get sober.
After a few attempts, I finally did.
But then something happened that left me asking even more questions… The eating disorder returned, and I found myself struggling with bulimia once again.
Why did one addiction always seem to replace another?
Why couldn’t I just be with myself?
Why was I so uncomfortable in my own skin that I constantly needed something outside of me to cope?
Those questions led me on a journey inward.
Through self-inquiry, healing work, recovery, and learning to sit with myself instead of running from myself, I discovered a few life-changing truths:
I am not my thoughts.
Emotions are meant to be felt and processed, not suppressed.
And perhaps most importantly, I discovered what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person.
Everything began to make sense.
What I had spent decades viewing as a flaw was actually a trait. My sensitivity wasn’t something that needed to be fixed—it was something that needed to be understood.
That realization changed my life.
Within Herself was born from that journey.
This is a space for highly sensitive people who are learning to navigate life without numbing, escaping, or abandoning themselves. We’ll talk about healing, recovery, emotional wellness, self-discovery, nervous system regulation, personal growth, and what it truly means to come home to yourself.
I don’t have everything figured out, and I’m still learning as I go.
But what I do have is a story, a willingness to share it honestly, and a hope that something I write here helps you feel a little less alone in your own journey.
If you’ve ever felt different, overwhelmed by your emotions, stuck in cycles of addiction, or disconnected from yourself, welcome.
You’re in the right place.
With love,
Liz
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