254. Stop Reading Silence as Rejection: The HSP Fawn Response Explained | The Not Too Sensitive Podcast
Jul 28, 2026When someone's energy feels a little different than usual, quieter, colder, more reserved, your mind starts filling in the silence with a story about what you did wrong.
This week Alissa breaks down where that hypervigilance actually comes from and why your mind rushing to assume the worst rarely has anything to do with what's actually happening.
Pulling from her own patterns and stories from women in the Not Too Sensitive Club, Alissa walks through how to catch the spiral before it takes over.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why your mind rushes to fill in the silence when someone seems distant or short with you
- The childhood origin of hypervigilance and why it gets mistaken for high sensitivity
- How to create space between a triggering moment and the story you decide to believe about it
- The exercise for completing the anxiety loop and realizing you could survive the worst case scenario
- Why overcompensating to win over a cold or quiet person is really about your own comfort, not the connection
- How choosing a new response in triggering moments builds a steadier, more confident identity over time
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Learn my 6-step process for managing & neutralizing your triggers as an HSP in our FREE UN-Botherable Workshop!
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Follow Alissa on Substack: https://substack.com/@lifebyalissa
As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my workshop for HSPs called Not "Too Sensitive" (usually $35)!
All you have to do is:
- Leave a written review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Email a screenshot of your review to [email protected]
That's it! 😊
🦋🦋🦋
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