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Wellness Workbooks #2
Find Your Strength: A Workbook for the Highly Sensitive Person
This elegantly designed workbook by psychotherapist April Snow, LMFT, offers you a series of exercises that will help you overcome the obstacles and harness the benefits of your empathetic gifts.
If you often feel anxious, burned out, and overstimulated, you’re not alone. Some people are born highly sensitive to the emotions of others and to their surroundings, but this can be a source of great strength if you learn simple methods to care for yourself and to enable yourself to thrive. With this workbook, you can find strength and healing as you:
Explore and honor your innate sensitivity
Create a lifestyle that supports your needs
Learn how to navigate relationships and create healthy boundaries
Discover methods to help you thrive at work
Turn your sensitive nature into a force for good in your life and in the world
Journaling and writing prompts will deepen your awareness of your unique needs and experiences, while stories and metaphors will help you understand how HSP characteristics show up in real life. Exercises include helpful scripts to kickstart conversations to easily explain your sensitivity in your personal and professional life. This supportive, enjoyable workbook is an insightful, educational guide that's straightforward and easily accessible for anyone coping with overwhelm and anxiety.
The Wellness Workbooks series from Wellfleet Press offers guidance on a wide range of self-help and mental health topics. Each book presents a thoughtful, evidence-based collection of straightforward exercises in an accessible, enjoyable format that will keep you engaged and inspired. With a distinctive design and full-color illustrations throughout, these workbooks deliver a practical path to personal growth in a beautiful package.
If you often feel anxious, burned out, and overstimulated, you’re not alone. Some people are born highly sensitive to the emotions of others and to their surroundings, but this can be a source of great strength if you learn simple methods to care for yourself and to enable yourself to thrive. With this workbook, you can find strength and healing as you:
Explore and honor your innate sensitivity
Create a lifestyle that supports your needs
Learn how to navigate relationships and create healthy boundaries
Discover methods to help you thrive at work
Turn your sensitive nature into a force for good in your life and in the world
Journaling and writing prompts will deepen your awareness of your unique needs and experiences, while stories and metaphors will help you understand how HSP characteristics show up in real life. Exercises include helpful scripts to kickstart conversations to easily explain your sensitivity in your personal and professional life. This supportive, enjoyable workbook is an insightful, educational guide that's straightforward and easily accessible for anyone coping with overwhelm and anxiety.
The Wellness Workbooks series from Wellfleet Press offers guidance on a wide range of self-help and mental health topics. Each book presents a thoughtful, evidence-based collection of straightforward exercises in an accessible, enjoyable format that will keep you engaged and inspired. With a distinctive design and full-color illustrations throughout, these workbooks deliver a practical path to personal growth in a beautiful package.
- GenresSelf Help
192 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2022
21 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
April Snow
2 books5 followersApril Snow, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist, author, and consultant in California. She specializes in working with highly sensitive introverts and therapists to help them calm the storm of overwhelm, anxiety, and self-doubt to allow their innate sensitive strengths to shine through. Deeply committed to changing the narrative of what it means to be highly sensitive, April has created and led HSP workshops all over the country as well as online through her Sensitive School. For more info, visit www.sensitivestrengths.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 12, 2022
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Find Your Strength is a beautiful self-help workbook for people who are highly empathic and highly sensitive.
This book has some great exercises to try, information on HSP and ways to cope and deal with and recognise the emotions that come with it. Each section is short and easy to follow and understand and I've learned so much about my emotions as a HSP from this book. It has helped me to categorise these emotions and recognize them and what causes them. I enjoyed that the book had short chapter summaries to recap on what you've just learned about too. This is a great book for highlighting the positives of being a HSP and definitely one I recommend to anyone who's HSP or wanting to learn more about it.
Find Your Strength is a beautiful self-help workbook for people who are highly empathic and highly sensitive.
This book has some great exercises to try, information on HSP and ways to cope and deal with and recognise the emotions that come with it. Each section is short and easy to follow and understand and I've learned so much about my emotions as a HSP from this book. It has helped me to categorise these emotions and recognize them and what causes them. I enjoyed that the book had short chapter summaries to recap on what you've just learned about too. This is a great book for highlighting the positives of being a HSP and definitely one I recommend to anyone who's HSP or wanting to learn more about it.
May 29, 2022
4 stars
This journal/workbook/workshop on being a HSP (highly sensitive person) is absolutely STUNNING. I absolutely love the layout & artwork. I would say that if you really dig into this workbook, it could function a lot like either taking a course or seeing a HSP-specialist/coach. If you are neurodiverse (ADHD, or on the spectrum) this could also be a valuable resource if your symptoms include emotional sensitivity.
It is really unfortunate that the colourways chosen weren't WAY more gender-neutral so that many more male-of-centre people would be drawn to this work. The writing itself is pretty inclusive, if the colours don't bother you.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK:
• beautifully put together. Lovely layout.
• This journal succinctly combines all of the aspects of living life as an HSP in this world, and many different exercises and ways to deal with it and make it easier, in one accessible workbook.
• each section is short, concise and to the point.
• All exercises given are simple and easy to follow, and I honestly think can affect real change in a reader’s life.
• The journalling questions are wonderful prompts to get you really thinking (though, for certain exercises/questions, there isn’t nearly enough room to really tackle things within this workbook unless they plan to leave extra room to write somewhere that isn’t evident in the ARC).
• Chapter summaries to review what is learned in each - very nice addition.
• At first, I thought that because this journal keeps everything very simple and accessible, it would most benefit people that are newer to these concepts. But after continuing through the full workbook, I can see that it is more like a choose-your-own-adventure book. As the umbrella of HSP contains such a wide variety of folks, we can each take the sections that most impact our own lives and make real change happen. And if one actually does the associated exercises, there is a lot of depth and self-knowledge to be found.
• I LOVE the overall formatting of this workbook: find the gifts in your sensitivity, make your lifestyle and home work for you, navigating different relationships, creating a complimentary work-life and nurturing our inner landscapes.
WHAT I REALLY DIDN’T LIKE:
• I love the beautiful layout, but wonder how off-putting the pink colourway and cover might be to male and non-binary HSPs. There is already so much stigma around emotionality and deep feeling, especially in men and those male-of-centre. Making this journal more gender neutral would have probably helped many more HSPs - especially since the writing itself is pretty inclusive.
CONCLUSION:
There is a lot of very valuable information in this workbook, for navigating the world as a HSP or sensitive person. I would also say that if you are neurodiverse and want help dealing with emotional sensitivity, boundary-setting and the like, you will likely also get a lot out of this book.
I would love to thank the author April Snow, Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Press, and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
This journal/workbook/workshop on being a HSP (highly sensitive person) is absolutely STUNNING. I absolutely love the layout & artwork. I would say that if you really dig into this workbook, it could function a lot like either taking a course or seeing a HSP-specialist/coach. If you are neurodiverse (ADHD, or on the spectrum) this could also be a valuable resource if your symptoms include emotional sensitivity.
It is really unfortunate that the colourways chosen weren't WAY more gender-neutral so that many more male-of-centre people would be drawn to this work. The writing itself is pretty inclusive, if the colours don't bother you.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK:
• beautifully put together. Lovely layout.
• This journal succinctly combines all of the aspects of living life as an HSP in this world, and many different exercises and ways to deal with it and make it easier, in one accessible workbook.
• each section is short, concise and to the point.
• All exercises given are simple and easy to follow, and I honestly think can affect real change in a reader’s life.
• The journalling questions are wonderful prompts to get you really thinking (though, for certain exercises/questions, there isn’t nearly enough room to really tackle things within this workbook unless they plan to leave extra room to write somewhere that isn’t evident in the ARC).
• Chapter summaries to review what is learned in each - very nice addition.
• At first, I thought that because this journal keeps everything very simple and accessible, it would most benefit people that are newer to these concepts. But after continuing through the full workbook, I can see that it is more like a choose-your-own-adventure book. As the umbrella of HSP contains such a wide variety of folks, we can each take the sections that most impact our own lives and make real change happen. And if one actually does the associated exercises, there is a lot of depth and self-knowledge to be found.
• I LOVE the overall formatting of this workbook: find the gifts in your sensitivity, make your lifestyle and home work for you, navigating different relationships, creating a complimentary work-life and nurturing our inner landscapes.
WHAT I REALLY DIDN’T LIKE:
• I love the beautiful layout, but wonder how off-putting the pink colourway and cover might be to male and non-binary HSPs. There is already so much stigma around emotionality and deep feeling, especially in men and those male-of-centre. Making this journal more gender neutral would have probably helped many more HSPs - especially since the writing itself is pretty inclusive.
CONCLUSION:
There is a lot of very valuable information in this workbook, for navigating the world as a HSP or sensitive person. I would also say that if you are neurodiverse and want help dealing with emotional sensitivity, boundary-setting and the like, you will likely also get a lot out of this book.
I would love to thank the author April Snow, Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Press, and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 10, 2022
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I loved this book! It’s a combination of both a book and exercises that really help you understand the trait. I already knew about it which is why I was so excited but if you didn’t; this is a great resource!
One of my favorite parts of the book are the chapter summaries and check ins. As you build your ‘HSP toolbox’, you can rate your progress with how you view your sensitivity.
I will absolutely be working through this myself and sharing with clients. Lately I have been experiencing a great amount of overwhelm with negative emotions attached, so it came at a perfect time to build my own toolbox.
I loved this book! It’s a combination of both a book and exercises that really help you understand the trait. I already knew about it which is why I was so excited but if you didn’t; this is a great resource!
One of my favorite parts of the book are the chapter summaries and check ins. As you build your ‘HSP toolbox’, you can rate your progress with how you view your sensitivity.
I will absolutely be working through this myself and sharing with clients. Lately I have been experiencing a great amount of overwhelm with negative emotions attached, so it came at a perfect time to build my own toolbox.
May 25, 2022
Been using my advance review ecopy for more than a week now to update the exercises given in this workbook and it's been life-changing!
At first, I have been a little apprehensive about the spaces given which I initially thought were too less but it works just as fine. You will find the exercises and the interactive spaces fit for most days to update whenever you're ready to give yourself some time to reflect and plan.
The points focus on our general everyday habits we adults perform. I find this workbook really helpful and it's making me focus on things I need to, discard useless habits and thoughts.
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Press, for the advance review copy.
At first, I have been a little apprehensive about the spaces given which I initially thought were too less but it works just as fine. You will find the exercises and the interactive spaces fit for most days to update whenever you're ready to give yourself some time to reflect and plan.
The points focus on our general everyday habits we adults perform. I find this workbook really helpful and it's making me focus on things I need to, discard useless habits and thoughts.
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group - Wellfleet Press, for the advance review copy.
March 4, 2023
I bought this book in, of all places, the Kilkenny Shop; which, because it is a gift shop, specialises in books that look like gifts. This book had a powder pink cover with gold gilt lettering and I was still in a (very longstanding) phase of my life where I shopped as as self-soothing mechanism. When events of this year caused me to take fuller control of my self-soothing mechanisms, I picked this up from the dusty TBR. That was one of my better decisions of 2023 so far.
While I’m not fully bought into the concept of HSP, or these fine-grained categorisations in general, there’s no denying that I fill every trait they mentioned - both good and bad. (‘Common traits: creative, conscientious, considerate, loyal, observant, reflective, close connection with animals, deeply impacted by art, perceptive, insightful.’) The exercises were instrumental in helping me to clarify my boundaries, identify my anxiety around over-scheduling specifically, and realise that I am, after all, an inveterate people-pleaser (or at least, a people non-disappointer). It was an absolute game-changer, and if you’re one of these people who looks at those ‘introvert’ and ‘adult ADHD/autism’ categories and see parts of yourself but not all of yourself, maybe you’re one of the 20% HSP! And that makes the world that extra bit harder to navigate, yay – which is why this book is a godsend.
Helpful:
Clear the fog exercise.
Decision roadblocks: fear of mistakes, self-doubt about making the right choice, anxiety, feeling rushed or pressured, past pain of making a wrong decision, grief over future loss, worry about impact on others, too overwhelmed to think clearly.
Overwhelm:
Notice what you’re feeling/carrying and say mine/not mine.
Run hands underwater.
Visualise giving other people’s emotions back to them.
‘This is essentially what it’s like to be highly sensitive. On the surface you look like you’re fitting in and successfully doing everything every other person is doing – going to work, having relationships, and all the things that are expected of you – but inside you are distracted by the poor fit.’
People pleaser:
‘Your needs aren’t getting met, but at least you don’t have to hold someone else’s disappointment. [...] Feeling guilty is a sign of care for the other person, not a sign you are doing anything wrong by honouring your needs.’
‘Accountability shows up as taking responsibility to express and honour your own needs through the act of setting boundaries.’
While I’m not fully bought into the concept of HSP, or these fine-grained categorisations in general, there’s no denying that I fill every trait they mentioned - both good and bad. (‘Common traits: creative, conscientious, considerate, loyal, observant, reflective, close connection with animals, deeply impacted by art, perceptive, insightful.’) The exercises were instrumental in helping me to clarify my boundaries, identify my anxiety around over-scheduling specifically, and realise that I am, after all, an inveterate people-pleaser (or at least, a people non-disappointer). It was an absolute game-changer, and if you’re one of these people who looks at those ‘introvert’ and ‘adult ADHD/autism’ categories and see parts of yourself but not all of yourself, maybe you’re one of the 20% HSP! And that makes the world that extra bit harder to navigate, yay – which is why this book is a godsend.
Helpful:
Clear the fog exercise.
Decision roadblocks: fear of mistakes, self-doubt about making the right choice, anxiety, feeling rushed or pressured, past pain of making a wrong decision, grief over future loss, worry about impact on others, too overwhelmed to think clearly.
Overwhelm:
Notice what you’re feeling/carrying and say mine/not mine.
Run hands underwater.
Visualise giving other people’s emotions back to them.
‘This is essentially what it’s like to be highly sensitive. On the surface you look like you’re fitting in and successfully doing everything every other person is doing – going to work, having relationships, and all the things that are expected of you – but inside you are distracted by the poor fit.’
People pleaser:
‘Your needs aren’t getting met, but at least you don’t have to hold someone else’s disappointment. [...] Feeling guilty is a sign of care for the other person, not a sign you are doing anything wrong by honouring your needs.’
‘Accountability shows up as taking responsibility to express and honour your own needs through the act of setting boundaries.’
June 29, 2022
If you are a highly sensitive person Find Your Strength is in a workbook format that recognizes you for who you are. It provides prompts and a healthy toolbox filled with ways to nurture yourself and your journey. The workbook prompts tracks and helps record what and how you experience certain things with ways to protect yourself and set respectful boundaries. April Snow provides a great amount of knowledge and references to further help you Find Your Strength.
June 7, 2023
I think this would be a helpful book for any neurodivergent person to read, not just if you recognise yourself as an HSP, but especially if you feel chronically overwhelmed or overstimulated, or if you're dealing with a sense of shame or hopelessness about how to manage daily life in the long-term. I think the author does a good job of explaining the issues HSPs and more generally neurodivergent people face, while providing suggestions and practical advice for how to survive, get back on an even keel, and thrive.
I am grateful to have received an ARC of this book from Wellfleet Press via Edelweiss+ and I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
I am grateful to have received an ARC of this book from Wellfleet Press via Edelweiss+ and I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
April 26, 2025
Took me months to finish this workbook. And that's a good thing.
I'm not a true self-help guru, but I've come to realize (not spilling any personal tea here) that I do in fact need to help myself get better. It is a journey and these particular sets of workbooks make introspection not so scary. Love that they're all focused on different aspects of this one major one: this case, it's being an HSP (AKA: highly sensitive person) and every prompt/new chapter brings about a healthy way to recontextualize/take care of yourself without leaving out the usual pressures of daily life and calling that self-care.
I found the week/month long exercises (made seeing your progress/or what you straight-up need to improve on easier) particularly helpful because as much as I wanted to be on a routine for self-reflection, I really wasn't good at keeping myself accountable. But doing these chapters over the course of a week (don't judge) made me have to stop and go "hey, take a minute not just to complete it, but feel it" (that may be the hippie dippiest thing I've said this year. And I do NOT apologize 😜).
While I think the biggest takeaways are private for me, I'll give you (whoever you are) this one tidbit: the way I wrote about being an HSP has changed. The language I used when I began the book/talking about it were rather harsh: "what an idiot for XYZ" or "I'm the problem". While the side effects of an anxious mind can be a problem, no, I am not (and you are not) the problem for feeling how/what I'm feeling. Rather, it's how I internalize/react to the pressures/issues that arise. I'm still working towards managing those mental healthy growing pains.
I'm not a true self-help guru, but I've come to realize (not spilling any personal tea here) that I do in fact need to help myself get better. It is a journey and these particular sets of workbooks make introspection not so scary. Love that they're all focused on different aspects of this one major one: this case, it's being an HSP (AKA: highly sensitive person) and every prompt/new chapter brings about a healthy way to recontextualize/take care of yourself without leaving out the usual pressures of daily life and calling that self-care.
I found the week/month long exercises (made seeing your progress/or what you straight-up need to improve on easier) particularly helpful because as much as I wanted to be on a routine for self-reflection, I really wasn't good at keeping myself accountable. But doing these chapters over the course of a week (don't judge) made me have to stop and go "hey, take a minute not just to complete it, but feel it" (that may be the hippie dippiest thing I've said this year. And I do NOT apologize 😜).
While I think the biggest takeaways are private for me, I'll give you (whoever you are) this one tidbit: the way I wrote about being an HSP has changed. The language I used when I began the book/talking about it were rather harsh: "what an idiot for XYZ" or "I'm the problem". While the side effects of an anxious mind can be a problem, no, I am not (and you are not) the problem for feeling how/what I'm feeling. Rather, it's how I internalize/react to the pressures/issues that arise. I'm still working towards managing those mental healthy growing pains.
June 26, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Netgalley and Wellfleet Press for an e-ARC of Find Your Strength in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
-
I’ve heard of the term highly-sensitive person (HSP) before, and I’ve also been told that I’m sensitive. But I didn’t fully understand what that meant before reading through this journal, and how much it describes me to a T. HSPs can be introverted or extroverted and can easily be overstimulated by their surroundings. This can result in overwhelm and the need to remove themselves from a situation to recover from that activity.
I believe that if you don’t have access to therapy that journaling is the next best thing, and this book has been an example of that to me. The structure of this journal and its prompts felt much like a therapy session to me, and really got to the bottom of why and how my environment influences me. I’d really love to pick up a physical copy of this and fill it out more thoroughly as it highlights so many of my issues that I realize all stem from the same thing.
Find Your Strength also reframes HSPs from their negative connotation, which I found really valuable in this self-discovery journal. Feeling so easily overstimulated in a world filled with things constantly demanding your attention can make you feel broken sometimes. But after this book, I was able to look at it in a different light. In fact, it feels similar to when I was first undergoing mental health treatment with my doctor. When I felt distraught and could not understand why I had to be treated, I learned that my brain was wired a little differently, and I just needed to care for myself a little differently. As a HSP, I also now know how to better care for myself, and see the positive in something that’s been lingering as an issue for me for so long.
May 29, 2022
I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure about this book initially, I wasn’t sure how relevant it would be to me once I had read the author’s story and the introduction because I really didn’t know if I was a Highly Sensitive Person, although I did recognise some things in myself, but as a person who is somewhere on the spectrum and who also suffers with chronic depression and anxiety, how could I know the difference across them all when there appears to be significant overlap in some of the ways they each present behaviourally.
However I stuck with it and in the end did find a number of things that definitely gave me food for thought.
I liked the way the author told her story first, for me that gave the book some credibility because their thoughts and understanding of this trait are not just academically learned, but also come from lived experience.
I think the way the book is broken down and the different exercises and activities that really make you think at times, even so far as to help you reframe things in your mind.
In the end I was quite surprised, pleasantly so, by this book and I happily recommend to others.
However I stuck with it and in the end did find a number of things that definitely gave me food for thought.
I liked the way the author told her story first, for me that gave the book some credibility because their thoughts and understanding of this trait are not just academically learned, but also come from lived experience.
I think the way the book is broken down and the different exercises and activities that really make you think at times, even so far as to help you reframe things in your mind.
In the end I was quite surprised, pleasantly so, by this book and I happily recommend to others.
June 22, 2022
I’ve always been aware that I was highly sensitive; when I was young my mother referred to it as though it was a negative trait.
I felt seen with this workbook and I adored that. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered my own tools, but I will definitely try some of the many fantastic suggestions here.
I also believe that this workbook is a fantastic option for middle-grade and older and definitely recommend it to parents and educators with highly sensitive children in their care.
eARC kindly provided by Wellfleet Press / Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
I felt seen with this workbook and I adored that. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered my own tools, but I will definitely try some of the many fantastic suggestions here.
I also believe that this workbook is a fantastic option for middle-grade and older and definitely recommend it to parents and educators with highly sensitive children in their care.
eARC kindly provided by Wellfleet Press / Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
July 5, 2022
First of all, this is a beautiful book. The layout is awesome, and it’s a very soothing color palette. It has information about highly sensitive people, coping mechanisms, and awesome journaling opportunities. I found this to be informative AND helpful. As a highly sensitive person, I found this to be an excellent resource.
April 20, 2025
I picked this book up on a whim from Five Below and did not realize it was geared towards highly sensitive people. I continued on and believe the tools and reflections asked would benefit those struggling with other mental offsets such as general overwhelm, anxiety, depression, etc. not as a cure all but tool.
May 15, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exhcnsge for an honest review all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Beautiful book!! Loved it, cannot wait to purchase a physical copy to fully utilize.
Beautiful book!! Loved it, cannot wait to purchase a physical copy to fully utilize.
June 5, 2022
This journal surprised me. It’s a great guide and definitely helped me sort out my thoughts and narrow down my priorities for what makes me feel my best
June 3, 2024
Wonderfully done. Such a validating source of work for when I’m feeling negative about my HSP trait. April has great tools to help with so many aspects of a person’s life.
May 3, 2022
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. RTC.
June 4, 2022
I loved this book!!!
As a HSP myself, I loved how relatable it felt. It made me feel less alone!
I also loved how it was super informative like a work of non-fiction, but then it also had all of the journal prompts too - was completely the best of both worlds!
I was lucky enough to receive an electronic copy to review, but I have already bought a hard copy so I can fill in my own book.
Definitely recommend!
As a HSP myself, I loved how relatable it felt. It made me feel less alone!
I also loved how it was super informative like a work of non-fiction, but then it also had all of the journal prompts too - was completely the best of both worlds!
I was lucky enough to receive an electronic copy to review, but I have already bought a hard copy so I can fill in my own book.
Definitely recommend!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews