56: Living at Your Own Pace
With Jessica Beagan, Virtual Assistant + Social Media Manager
Have you ignored your needs for too long? In this episode, I talk with Jess Beagan about going at your own pace and:
• The benefits of making a career change and weaving more flexibility into your schedule
• Asking for help especially when you’re supporting others in some capacity
• The transition to working from home for an HSP
• Prepping for time off without getting overwhelmed
Jess is a former Recreation Therapist turned Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager. She seamlessly blends her love for detail, organization, marketing, and design with her professional background in mental health to bring a unique, trauma-informed perspective to her work. Specializing in supporting private practice therapists and coaches, Jess is dedicated to helping elevate their online presence and reclaim valuable time, enabling them to focus on what they do best and grow their practices sustainably. In her downtime, Jess enjoys reading, Pilates, traveling, and cozy moments at home with her partner and their cat, Ginge.
Keep in touch with Jess:
• Website: http://www.virtuallywithjess.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/virtuallywithjess
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/virtuallywithjess
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/virtual-assistant-for-therapists-and-coaches
Resources Mentioned:
• Move with Nicole: https://www.youtube.com/c/MoveWithNicole
Thanks for listening!
You can also follow "SensitiveStrengths" for behind-the-scenes content plus more educational and inspirational HSP resources:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensitivestrengths
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This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment with a mental health or medical professional. Some links are affiliate links. You are under no obligation to purchase any book, product or service. I am not responsible for the quality or satisfaction of any purchase.
Episode Transcript
Jessica Beagan: 0:00
Recently I was looking back at an old journal and it was weird because I came across this entry that said am I just highly sensitive?
April Snow: 0:08
Oh, are you serious?
Jessica Beagan: 0:09
Yeah, and I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I was questioning it, not knowing. It was just like really cool to go back and see that. I obviously thought about it, but it wasn't like a positive thing back then when I was considering it, but it crossed my mind.
April Snow: 0:30
Welcome to Sensitive Stories, the podcast for the people who live with hearts and eyes wide open. I'm your host, psychotherapist and author, april Snow. I invite you to join me as I deep dive into rich conversations with fellow highly sensitive people that will inspire you to live a more fulfilling life as an HSP without all the overwhelm. In this episode, I talk with Jess Began about making a career change when you've ignored your needs for too long, the importance of asking for help, especially when you're supporting others in some capacity, and the benefits of weaving in more flexibility into your day.
April Snow: 1:09
Jess is a former recreation therapist turned virtual assistant and social media manager. She seamlessly blends her love for detail, organization, marketing and design with her professional background in mental health to bring a unique trauma-informed perspective to her work. Specializing in supporting private practice therapists and coaches, jess is dedicated to helping elevate their online presence and reclaim valuable time, enabling them to focus on what they do best and grow their practices sustainably. In her downtime, jess enjoys reading, pilates, traveling and cozy moments at home with her partner and their cat Ginge. For more HSP resources and to see behind the scenes video from the podcast, join me on Instagram, tiktok or YouTube at Sensitive Strengths or sign up for my email list. Links are in the show notes and at sensitivestoriescom. And just a reminder that this episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment with a mental health or medical professional. Let's dive in, jess. Welcome to the podcast.
Jessica Beagan: 2:36
Thank you so much for having me, April. I've been really looking forward to this for a long time.
April Snow: 2:40
Me too. Yeah, and for folks who don't know, we've worked together since 2023. So you have been my right hand supporting me with everything behind the scenes social media admin, just everything, really.
Jessica Beagan: 2:54
Yeah, it's been a joy and it's so cool to be. I was just saying April to be on the other side of it now, because I'm usually editing podcasts and now I'm in the seat here.
April Snow: 3:02
I know. I feel like it's going to be a nice opportunity for us to have a different kind of conversation together.
Jessica Beagan: 3:07
Yeah.
April Snow: 3:08
Lovely. Let's start off by hearing your HSP discovery story. How or when did you realize that you're an HSP?
Jessica Beagan: 3:16
Yeah. So I guess in third year university was when I found out that I was an HSP and I discovered Dr Lane-Aaron's trait highly sensitive person. So that was about 10 years ago. At the time I was in a really competitive nutrition program. It was very like cutthroat. Everyone was competing for an internship.
Jessica Beagan: 3:34
And I got to third year and I was just like I don't think I want this enough. It was like I can't justify putting in the work to pursue this. And I kind of started panicking because everyone else around me was very they knew what they were doing, they're going for this internship and I just had this moment of oh my gosh, what am I doing with my life? And I started just, yeah, googling. I was like, what career can I do? And I knew that I was an INFJ.
Jessica Beagan: 3:59
So I started Googling careers for INFJs and somehow, somehow through that I came across a highly sensitive person and that was just, like most of your guests say, the biggest aha, like relief moment of just oh my gosh, like I'm not broken. Yes, yeah, because I feel like for so long I was like, oh, there's just, there must be something wrong with me, or I think I just felt a lot of shame about who I was, because you just you hear all these messages your whole life of you're too quiet, you're this, speak up more, whatever. And yeah, I was just so relieving and I ran out and told my roommate I was like, oh my gosh, that's a thing called like highly sensitive person and yeah, so it was just super relieving to find that out makes sense.
April Snow: 4:43
It would come at a time where you're pushing yourself beyond your limits and I love that you had that question of is this really worth it I think I'm paraphrasing but just to be able to pull yourself out of that cycle and I don't know if I want to do this.
April Snow: 4:57
Yeah, for sure I think that's where a lot of HSPs they go on a search. I hear this so much. Something's not working. I feel different. There's just something about me I need to figure out and we go down that rabbit hole and I'm not surprised. The INFJ link to the HSP trait. A lot of HSPs are INFJs, so that makes sense to me that you would have found it somehow in your search. A lot of overlap there.
Jessica Beagan: 5:30
Yeah, the relief was just amazing, because I don't know if you relate to this or other HSPs, but everything in life just felt like a struggle up to that point where, especially elementary school in particular, it was just like the group sports, the lights, sounds, expectations, the speeches, everything was like I was just a very anxious kid and everything was really hard. So, yeah, knowing that there was a term for that was very, very relieving. And it didn't immediately start making changes, I would say even until the last year, to be honest, when I started over a year now working with you, but that kind of got, I would say, like the ball rolling on my outlook on everything.
April Snow: 5:58
Yeah, it's really a process and, yeah, a lot of us were anxious kids and we didn't know what was really going on. Look back and you're like, oh, it all makes sense now. Yes, yeah, I'm curious. So you knew you were an anxious kid, but did you ever think, oh, I'm more sensitive or something's different about me? Was that pretty obvious? I?
Jessica Beagan: 6:18
don't know. I think for the most part it was just like something's wrong with me but, I, will say, even recently I was looking back at an old journal and because I would just journal when I was going through something, or that was just kind of way to cope, and I it was weird because I came across this entry. That said, am I just highly sensitive?
Jessica Beagan: 6:37
oh are you serious, yeah, and I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I was questioning it, not knowing, yeah, so it was just like really cool to go back and see that and I was like I obviously thought about it, but it wasn't a positive thing back then when I was considering it, but it crossed my mind obviously, yeah.
April Snow: 6:55
Wow, you captured that language not fully knowing what it was, but something that you just knew. I'm more sensitive. Yeah, yeah, I just felt like chills.
Jessica Beagan: 7:08
No, that's how I felt too. I was like, wow, it wasn't even just sensitive, right. It was like, am I highly sensitive? And I was like, wow, that's really cool, I should frame that or something Seriously.
April Snow: 7:19
Absolutely Cause I don't think. Growing up I don't think I had the classic you're too sensitive. It was implied in other ways, but I don't know that I realized it directly. Oh, I'm sensitive. There's other clues of having sensory overwhelm and being more emotional or finding a lot of meaning in things that other people didn't care about.
Jessica Beagan: 7:42
Yeah.
April Snow: 7:42
Oh for sure that was a big one for me too, but just now it's oh yeah, now it all fits together. But I love that you had that link looking back. So just I'm curious, now that you have the whole picture you can look from childhood to now, would you say that? You said you thought something was wrong with you, so I'm guessing you didn't really embrace those parts of you. Were you trying to fit yourself into a non-HSP mold, trying to be different? Definitely?
Jessica Beagan: 8:05
yeah, very much, just felt like I just always had to push harder than other people. Yeah, always pushing myself, always comparing, and I felt like I was just behind in a lot of ways, like I had to sleep more and I just struggled more with group things and yeah, so always felt like I had to push myself and but it got to the point where it became self-destructive in a way. Sometimes it was felt like I had to push myself and but it got to the point where it became self-destructive in a way. Sometimes it was good, like I will say, I'm proud of myself for pushing myself in some areas and sometimes it feels like spiritual and it turned out great. But there was also the other side of I was very aggressively pushing myself in certain areas, particularly when it comes to work and school and all of that stuff.
Jessica Beagan: 8:43
Yeah, so even after I found out about being highly sensitive and I was trying to find a new career, I ended up going into recreation therapy, which was an amazing career path, very fulfilling, but weirdly enough, it like does require a lot of group work and like speaking in front of people and a lot of adapting quickly and like a little bit of unpredictability sometimes. And in my head I was like I'm not good at group stuff or it's hard for me, like I should just do a career in that because I need to get better at it.
Jessica Beagan: 9:16
That's what my thought process was, but it just. It obviously caught up to me eventually and I will say, like I probably got a little bit better, but I was sacrificing my like. I had other strengths that weren't being used and I was just pushing myself in that direction. Yeah, so lots and lots of pushing.
April Snow: 9:34
Yeah, I feel like this is such a common experience for us because, like, we do want to try to keep up with everybody else, but that gap is so large and we do need so much more rest and self-care and downtime. It's like how I was asking myself this question like how much should I push? Because I definitely don't want to keep myself too limited. I have goals and dreams and interests. I think what you're talking about is you hit that point where you're like this is too far. I'm going to go into recreation therapy to stretch myself, but is this actually sustainable?
Jessica Beagan: 10:08
Yeah, yeah, and it just I was ignoring the signs of when it was too much, Whereas if I had just listened to that I could have pivoted, gone a different direction. But it was like the ignoring and then it got worse. Yeah.
April Snow: 10:21
That's the piece, right. It's's like we don't even take into account our needs yeah, it's just I'm just so used to it like your whole life.
Jessica Beagan: 10:28
You're just, yeah, not meeting your needs.
April Snow: 10:30
And then yeah, yeah, it's easy to do, especially when there's so much pressure from the outside to just bypass what you need as a sensitive person yeah for folks who don't know, could you just give a blip, a little blurb about what recreation therapy is?
Jessica Beagan: 10:45
I had this down to a T and now it's been so long. Yeah sure, essentially, it's a process where you're using recreation, leisure and other interventions to improve people's well-being. It's a very holistic field. You can work with a variety of populations like seniors, people with addictions, developmental disabilities lots of people. So using essentially recreation to improve their quality of life.
April Snow: 11:11
I love that. I don't know if we have that in the US. Maybe we do.
Jessica Beagan: 11:15
It's, yeah, it's not a huge. What's the word Like?
April Snow: 11:18
it's not heard of in a lot of places.
Jessica Beagan: 11:19
Yeah, it's like underground still in a lot of areas. Yeah, if it is in the US, it's probably not as prevalent in health care.
April Snow: 11:26
Yet yeah, seems like it should be, though. So when you think about being more sensitive, it didn't serve you in recreation therapy because you were kind of pushing yourself too far. Too much group work, too much being on. It sounds like yeah, but I'm curious overall, how would you say being sensitive has impacted you, maybe in your work now or in your personal life? Good, question.
Jessica Beagan: 11:48
Yeah, I feel like it now that I've embraced it more and have just accepted my need to live, like a little bit differently. I do see more of the strengths where it's like the attention to detail and like the creativity, the conscientiousness, the being really organized, also just the empathy too and caring. A lot shows up more obviously when you're taking care of yourself. So those were always there when I was pushing myself, but they got lost sometimes, especially when I wasn't doing as well. But yeah, now that I'm taking care of my needs a little bit more, those just shine through and I just enjoy doing things that utilize those skills too. Like I'm not running groups where I'm like, oh, I don't feel like super great doing this or that was a lot. It just comes very natural when I get to use those skills.
April Snow: 12:36
Yeah, I think this is why a lot of HSPs are drawn to helping professions, because we do get to bring our empathy and our perception and all those things that really help to see people and support people. Also, it's overwhelming, yeah.
Jessica Beagan: 12:51
In healthcare too, I just feel like it's just so busy and there's so much going on. So if I was running like half the groups I was, it might've been a little bit better. But there's so much going on all the time and groups coming in and out and yeah, it's just hard up the empathy when you're, it's becomes overwhelming it's hard because at least I remember for me working with couples or doing group therapy you're managing the dynamics between the people also yes yes, for me it can get stressful yes, that was always quite interesting where things yeah, in mental health addiction it was fun sometimes, but it was yeah, that's like a whole other level of overwhelm that can happen with that.
April Snow: 13:29
Yeah, it is, it really is. So you hit a point where you're like, okay, I don't want to stay in this nutrition program. I'm working as a recreation therapist. This also isn't a good fit. So then you decide to pivot again as you continue to learn about yourself.
Jessica Beagan: 13:44
So I'm wondering if you I was working as a recreation therapist in mental health and addiction and it was going great for a while, but then it just took a turn where, like I said, the pushing caught up, and I think it was in 2021 when I developed some pretty severe insomnia and I had never had insomnia before. So that really just took a toll on me in so many different ways. I also was starting to have some anxiety attacks and it was like things were just going really downhill. So, yeah, eventually just got to the point where I was like nobody's winning here. Like I just kept pushing myself so hard. I'm like why I'm not winning? No one's benefiting from me being in this state trying to pretend I'm okay. I think that's would help me make that decision, that transition, because it was hard and scary, because it was a risk, like I didn't.
Jessica Beagan: 14:44
I had one small VA client at the time when I decided but yeah, it had just been going on for so long. I was like it's very necessary decision. I feel like it had to happen. I thought about it for a while. I was a typical HSP. It wasn't like a quick decision and I did have, luckily, like, my coworkers and stuff were really supportive of that and that was really nice, yeah, and so I decided I got to take the risk and luckily, I ended up. I quit at the end of December 2022, I think, and then, within a month, I had a new client right and I was like working full-time as a VA, which was like wow, I don't even have words for the gratitude of oh yeah, it was just amazing.
April Snow: 15:32
It's like you, someone caught you.
Jessica Beagan: 15:35
Yeah, that's what it. Yeah Cause I was like, okay, I'm struggling, I have to make a change, I have my foot in the door somewhere, it's something. But to give me momentum. But I was like this could not work and so I felt like I was like rewarded for taking a risk, which was just like, oh, this is yeah, it was a really great feeling.
April Snow: 15:57
Yeah, hey, this is the right choice, because it is scary to just leap and you don't quite know what's next yeah, and I think too it also felt.
Jessica Beagan: 16:07
I think there's just an element of feeling like I was failing which was hard, like I had already.
Jessica Beagan: 16:11
I was in nutrition and then I went to recreation therapy and I've been working in that for four years and I was like, oh, I'm going to pivot again and I just you just can't help but feel like, oh, I'm failing, cause I worked so hard to get to where I was. So that was really hard. But yeah, I don't feel like that anymore, like it felt very it's also very full circle too, because I was like I want to continue working with therapists and so that kind of brought it all home and made it feel like this was all worth it. I had to go through all that to get to where I am now. Yeah, so just very grateful, I made the leap.
April Snow: 16:47
I think I think this is a common response is oh, if I have to make multiple changes, I must have failed at something. But really I've started to think about it as that kind of stacking of experience. Right, I did this and that took me to here and that takes me to the next place, and I couldn't have got to the present day without going through everything that happened in the past. It's true, yeah, if we could reframe that, because I think about when I went in my undergrad, I studied plant biology and I thought, oh, that's a waste. I thought that was a waste for a long time because I didn't use the degree, but then I realized having a degree got me into grad school, which then got me to become a therapist, which is what I really wanted to do, and it wasn't a waste.
Jessica Beagan: 17:28
Yeah, Never a waste ever.
April Snow: 17:35
It's never a waste and it gave me a lot of insights about how I was treating myself then and how I wasn't really listening to my needs, and there's just a lot of insight looking back and I think that's such a good reminder that just because you invested some energy into something some time, you can still make a change Totally.
Jessica Beagan: 17:47
Yeah, and it's funny because I don't think I would even be in this, doing this work I'm doing, if I didn't go into rec therapy, because I was like scrolling on reels one day and I came across a rec therapist who had been in a similar position, where she was during COVID or just after, I think, and she had burnt out in health care. She was very introverted, she referred to herself as like a home body and she was now in the online space and I was like, oh my god, I just immediately reached out to her Cause I was like I relate, like I want to do that too, like I'm also feeling burnt out, and she was the one that kind of got me into this whole field. So, yeah, it was all all worth it, all part of the process.
April Snow: 18:29
I love that. I was wondering how that connection point happened and how beautiful that it was from someone who walked through this for you.
Jessica Beagan: 18:38
Yeah, yeah, so incredibly grateful for her. She connected me with another therapist and I had at the time, like a small another business on the side selling wood signs and so I leveraged that experience and obviously my healthcare experience and, yeah, I just snowballed from there. So it was just really lucky to come across her. It was, yeah, amazing.
April Snow: 19:00
Yeah, I think it's so cool how you can look at what little threads could I pull on. Yeah, what skills are you using in your role as a VA that maybe you weren't using before as a recreational therapist?
Jessica Beagan: 19:13
Yeah, I think a lot of attention to detail for sure, things like organization, creativity.
Jessica Beagan: 19:21
I feel like in my other role I was I might have been using those a little bit, but it was more heavily focused on like running groups and being able to adapt really quickly, and I obviously proved to myself that I could do those things, but I wasn't thriving doing that at all.
Jessica Beagan: 19:37
So I feel like working as a VA now I actually get to like really tap into those skills and just hone in on those strengths and it fills my cup so much more rather than depleting me, which is what was happening before. So that's just been huge and, yeah, I feel so much better. Being able to especially just being more like task oriented and having that predictability has been huge for me and knowing like what tasks I have to do for the month and just makes you feel good too, I think, self-esteem wise, because before I was like doing okay, getting by, doing some stuff, and I'm probably harder myself than other people. But yeah, being in to do all these other tasks as a VA now it just makes you feel better because you're doing a better job, because those are like your strengths.
April Snow: 20:23
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense because you get to be a full human and you're really I think we're similar and you have these kind of multiple parts of you that you're creative and artistic, but you're also really organized and detailed and in my experience as a therapist, you only really get to show up as maybe well, in the clinical role you show up as your empathetic self, your caring self, your relational self, but there's all these other parts like the detail, orientation and like the drive, and that I need other outlets for that, and so I could understand that role might've been pretty limiting where, yeah, you don't get to use all of the parts of you.
Jessica Beagan: 21:02
Yeah, a hundred percent, yeah, and it was just, the balance was off and I could tell by the end. I was craving just like that, predictability and I was like someone give me a task that's just simple, and I know what to do and I can get it done and I'll do it well, and I just wanted that, yeah, a little bit more of that organization and calmness and predictability.
April Snow: 21:20
Yeah, that, yeah, predictability. And also I loved that you. I felt that when you said, just give me a task to do, I want to check it off the list.
Jessica Beagan: 21:28
Yes, yeah, because things were just being like thrown at me and I was like having to like do this dance and yeah. So just give me a task. I just want to do something that I know is expected of me and I can do it Like that's all I wanted.
April Snow: 21:40
Yeah, to actually complete the circle. You don't get to see that when you're working with client work. Eventually it happens, but it's pretty murky or it's not tangible. You might see progress, but you can't really like always put your hands around it in the moment and the day to day. So that is definitely can be a missing piece to keep you moving, to keep you motivated.
Jessica Beagan: 22:02
Yeah 100%.
April Snow: 22:03
Yeah, and I know, in this transition that you've had with your career, you've moved from being in groups being super on all the time to working exclusively from home. So I'm just wondering what has that's a big transition. I'm wondering what that's been like for you.
Jessica Beagan: 22:16
Yeah, it's been such a wild transition I would say honestly, like life-saving in so many ways. Just, I always my dream was like to work from home for so long and I just think as an HSP, it's so essential Like I can't really imagine not working from home now. Like I just need that control over my environment. I love being able to plan out my own schedule and if I'm having an off day or like I didn't sleep well, right, like I still tend to sometimes struggle with insomnia, so like I can push things a day if I need to, I can dim the lights right, like my old workplace there's like classic classroom lights right, which on my lunch break I would shut them off because it was just too much for me. So, yeah, that's been absolutely amazing is just being able to have that flexibility and freedom and quiet. Like you're not on all the time and masking and have people around. Yeah, you just get a bit more quiet and peace and get to move at your own pace, which has been huge too, because sometimes you're like you know what. I need to go slower today, or I need to like lay down in my bed for 10 minutes or something, and I just yeah, I just realized at this point in my life like I really need that. It's really hard not to have that or to have someone dictating my every move and like when I take my breaks and stuff. It's really hard.
Jessica Beagan: 23:37
So, yeah, I mean it didn't come with. It's like there's pros and cons, obviously, but I had to learn how to run a business and do taxes and like, at first you are working a lot because you're like getting everything set up, you're getting your social media set up and your website, and it's a bit of a balance that I struggled with that in the beginning, but the payoff was like I have no words. It was just like incredible, yeah, just to be able to, yeah, have that flexibility, and then, over time, things like settle down a bit. You start getting in the groove of stuff. You get your routines in place where you go for walks and you get out of the house and whatnot. So, yeah, it's been absolutely game-changing as a HSP in every way, the flexibility, the autonomy is so key for us.
April Snow: 24:21
You mentioned getting to go lay down for 10 minutes. That is something that you really can't replace and just being able to take care of yourself when you need it and not trying to put yourself in this box and constantly going some of what we talk about going beyond your limits. There's definitely a relearning in that right, because when I first started being a therapist and having my own business and I had worked retail for years throughout college, I was an outdoor food store manager and then I was a buyer and so I was always on someone else's timeline, always working holidays and weekends and nights. Someone else's timeline, always working holidays and weekends and nights. So it took me a long time to realize.
Jessica Beagan: 24:57
Oh, wait, I have choice. Yeah yeah, it's weird at first Like it's almost uncomfortable, and then you lean into it more and you're like, oh, this is what I've been needing.
April Snow: 25:04
Yeah, exactly, it's foreign in a lot of ways. Oh, you can actually rest when you need to, yeah.
Jessica Beagan: 25:12
Very foreign at first.
April Snow: 25:13
And you can actually say I'm going to do this in an hour. I'm going to do this tomorrow, because that's when I'll have the energy for it. I know that can be a privilege for a lot of us and also it's life-changing, yeah, yeah. So making sure you're working in sensory-friendly environment at home, resting when you need to, having flexibility. What are some other ways that you take care of yourself? Refill your tank.
Jessica Beagan: 25:39
Walks are really big for me. I try to go for like a non-negotiable walk every day, sometimes longer ones, like after work, just to decompress, let my mind wander a little bit, process everything. I love Pilates too, yeah. So Move With Nicole on YouTube is amazing. She's very gentle and just, yeah, has some like really amazing workouts. I always love doing those. I also like to read. I play video games sometimes, which is like something I did as a kid, so that's really comforting and nostalgic. And then, yeah, also sometimes, like on the weekend, I will. I love having a day where I can get up and get myself like a treat, like a iced coffee or like a. I love desserts and stuff, just something that brings me joy. And then maybe watching a movie with my partner and getting takeout, and those kind of days are like my favorite. They're just really fills my cup and, yeah, getting cozy and cuddling with my cat too.
April Snow: 26:42
Shout out to Mr Ginge.
Jessica Beagan: 26:45
Mr Ginge is the best. Yeah, so those are like the main ways I would say I recharge, also travel, that's fills me up in a different way, because it can be a lot sometimes, but it does fill me up in a very different way. Yeah, those are the kind of how I give back to myself and I love it.
April Snow: 27:03
As you were describing the weekend, I was like that's the perfect day. You get a treat, you cozy up with a movie yeah and you spend time with your person and your pet and, oh the best, so cozy and comforting the best yeah, I love it.
April Snow: 27:19
So when you are I was thinking about travel and, as a service provider, being in a support role it can be hard to step away. So I'm wondering if you could speak more to, because I think this is something HSP struggle with. A lot is taking time away. When you are supporting someone, whether it's at work or in your personal life, how do you prep for time away?
Jessica Beagan: 27:36
whether it's at work or in your personal life. How do you prep for time away? Yeah, so we have a really you and I have a great system where I prep ahead a lot to be able to take time off, and I usually give myself like two to three months, I would say, to get ahead on some tasks. And I give myself that time to like prevent overwhelm, because I've definitely been in positions where I didn't give myself enough time and it just gets to be too much. So I always give April a heads up and be like hey, I'm going to take a couple weeks off and April's amazing and she helps also get ahead on some stuff.
Jessica Beagan: 28:09
So we get ahead on like social media and a little bit of admin, and we just do a little bit every month, just plugging away at things. And then, yeah, before we know it, I'm going away next month for two weeks and we're still plugging away, but it just doesn't feel as overwhelming because we're planning ahead of time, which is so essential. Yeah, and then also sometimes, if there's capacity or if April has like a slower month, there's some like mutual decision-making of okay, do you want to go down a little bit in hours, which is so helpful sometimes because I do lots of work for April and there's just natural breaks. Sometimes we've realized like throughout the year, where we can just put things down for a little bit and both of us can take a break, like we don't have to be posting on social media every week of the year, kind of thing. So, yeah, definitely planning ahead has been huge and communicating with your if it's your boss, or, yeah, in my case, me and April yeah, super essential.
April Snow: 29:06
Yeah, the planning ahead and breaking it down into manageable bites has been so helpful. We've been, yeah, now that we've gotten in the rhythm the past few years. We're like, oh, we'll take the three months leading up to a trip or a break for either one of us. And we just slowly chip away at it and it doesn't feel like extra work, honestly.
Jessica Beagan: 29:26
Yeah, so much more manageable.
April Snow: 29:27
It's so much more manageable because on paper that could be daunting. You're trying to fit in a whole month of work over two or three months before. No, it just feels easy. And of work over two or three months before. No, it just feels easy, and then we both get a break, which I'm also looking forward to.
April Snow: 29:40
Yeah, oh, a month without doing these certain tasks, oh, what else might I do? Might take some extra time for myself, or right now I'm working on a book, so I'm going to pour that into writing, which is also meaningful to me, but it just gives you other. There's other areas you can show up in when you take that time, exactly, yep, and we've learned because we're both creating a lot. Yes, whether it's creating social media posts, blogs, videos, podcast episodes, books, there's a lot of things we're putting out there supporting clients You're supporting me and your other clients, supporting my therapy clients, my consulting clients.
Jessica Beagan: 30:13
We've learned that we can't skip those breaks, and now we're figuring out how do we build them in yes yeah, that's important yeah, and just knowing, too, like creative energy is not the same as, like, maybe, admin energy, or just like being really careful with when you use that energy and how much of it you use, and because we're both doing that in different ways. So just being smart with that too and knowing, like, how much do you actually have to give and when do you have to pull back, or yeah, exactly, just make sure it's sustainable and always giving yourself something to look forward to, like knowing there's time off, whether it be in the summer or for the holidays, we know, okay, we've got that space coming up For me that helps a lot.
Jessica Beagan: 30:54
Yes, yeah, it up For me. That helps a lot. Yes, yeah, it just adds more joy to your life. There's like something coming up?
April Snow: 31:01
Yeah, exactly For sure. And speaking of you supporting others so much, I'm wondering does that support get to come back to you in any way?
Jessica Beagan: 31:08
Yeah, I would say I mostly rely on my partner a lot for, like, when it comes to asking for help and stuff. He's so amazing. There'll be days where I'm like overstimulated or I'm just like, oh, I just can't go out today, I don't want to leave the house. So he'll like go get groceries for me, which is really appreciated. Or he like cooks dinner a lot and usually we'll maybe trade off or I'll do the dishes or something. But yeah, he'll just be really helpful at stepping in and just like taking some different tasks off my plate when maybe I'm feeling overwhelmed or just anxious or just need a little bit more downtime. Yeah, so very grateful for him. He's definitely my go-to for asking for help you really need that, don't you?
Jessica Beagan: 31:51
yeah, that person you can lean on and say, yeah, I can't go out today yeah, yeah, he's not an HSP, so it works out really well because he has his limits too, but he just, yeah, he understands, and I'm like I just really can't go to the grocery store right now. If you could, that'd be so amazing. So, yeah, really grateful for that.
April Snow: 32:08
Yeah, it's been very helpful and always heartwarming for me to know oh, Jess is getting some support too.
Jessica Beagan: 32:13
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
April Snow: 32:19
Jess too. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Just as we start to wrap up, I'm wondering, thinking about the listeners out there who are maybe pushing themselves too hard or thinking about how they could get help. Is there a message you could leave?
Jessica Beagan: 32:25
them with. I would say that slowing down, switching careers or doing less doesn't mean that you're failing as HSPs. I think we need to carve our own path sometimes, and a lot of people won't understand, and that's okay, but we need to do something different usually. And yeah, you deserve and truly need to live a life that supports your sensitive needs. Like I said, if you're not like, no one's winning. So, yeah, listen to your intuition and don't be afraid to take a risk and go against the grain love it.
Jessica Beagan: 33:03
Thank you, jess yeah, thank you so much, amaryl, I really appreciate it.
April Snow: 33:08
No, it's been lovely getting to just have our conversations deepen a little bit more. I get to know a little bit more about you other than what I've already known.
April Snow: 33:18
Yeah, I'm excited for folks to listen to this and if they want to follow up with you, I'll be sure to share your website, your social media and the show notes if they'd like to keep in touch. Great, thank you, april. This has been awesome. This is amazing. Thanks so much for joining me and Jess for today's conversation. The message I hope you'll take away is that change is not a failure, but an opportunity to reset and live a life more in alignment with the pace that suits your sensitivity. You can find Jess on Instagram at virtuallywithjess, or at her website website, virtuallywithjesscom. All links are in the show notes. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the Sensitive Stories podcast so you don't miss our upcoming conversations. Reviews and ratings are also helpful and appreciated For behind-the-scenes content and more HSB resources. You can sign up for my email list or follow Sensitive Strengths on Instagram, tiktok and YouTube. Check out the show notes or sensitivestoriescom for all the resources from today's episode. Thanks for listening.
