Work that Works for Sensitive Souls
Six Steps to Transforming Your Career
by Jenna Avery, CLC, Life Coach for Sensitive Souls
Have people always called you “too sensitive?” Do you try to hide it,
pretend it doesn’t exist, or work around it as much as possible? Many
Highly Sensitive Souls believe that our sensitivity makes us weak,
weird, or different. Actually, being sensitive makes us highly aware,
caring, and perceptive.
For more information, see my article “Are
You Highly Sensitive?”
In the workplace, the gift of sensitivity may feel like a handicap. As
Sensitive Souls, we care passionately about our work and it tremendously
impacts our well-being. I am a fervent champion of work for Sensitive
Souls where we can fully contribute and feel deeply satisfied by our
efforts. So how is this possible?
Create Work that Works
Work for Sensitive Souls must feed our minds, hearts, and souls. We must
make a contribution that resonates to our core. To do otherwise is to
invite despair, confusion, and sorrow. The traditional structure of
working culture isn’t always supportive of our needs. So we must create
work that works ourselves, whether by creating our own positions or
businesses, working in less mainstream positions and companies, or
adapting our current jobs to better suit us.
In order to create work that works, I believe that Sensitive Souls can
benefit from the following explorations.
1. Tune Into Yourself
A critically important aspect is to know yourself. This may seem
obvious, but many Sensitive Souls get lost in the expectations of others
and become disconnected from ourselves. When we discover our own
passions, values, personality, gifts, and dreams, we steer clearly
toward work that supports our true nature.
How do we tune into these magical inner clues? I’m a huge advocate for
self-discovery. For example, working with a life coach is a powerful
means of accessing the truth of who you are, what you want, and where
you want to go. A coach supports you to claim your dreams and discover
your talents in a safe space. Additionally, meditation, listening to
your intuition, journaling, and personality discovery work are great
self-facilitation approaches.
2. Factor In Your Soul
As Sensitive Souls, we require work that is meaningful, intellectually
stimulating, and creative. It must be a true calling. One way to think
about this is to remember the “meaning factor.” That is, the intangible
satisfaction we get from doing work that is important to us. As you
contemplate career options, be sure to consider whether the work will be
satisfying intellectually and creatively, while also meeting other
requirements like income and location. Look for what you are naturally
drawn to and excited about as critical clues to what will ultimately be
most rewarding. Your passions will guide you to your deepest truth.
3. Create an Ideal Career Checklist
When looking for a job or making a career change, remember to “think
outside the box.” Draw on your innate ingenuity. A helpful technique is
to develop an Ideal Career checklist. Consider the environment, people,
type of work, pay, hours, emotional climate, and intellectual challenge,
alongside soul requirements such as your gifts, sensitivity, passions,
dreams, and meaning factor. In other words, know what you must have,
need, and want. When you know what works for you and what doesn’t,
potential jobs are easier to evaluate. You might even consider adapting
your current job to meet your ideal!
4. Do Take Your Sensitivity to Work
Your sensitivity is an important part of who you are. It’s one of the
unique gifts you bring to work. Your empathy, emotions, creativity, and
thoughtfulness are part of your valuable skill set that makes for
authentic work relationships, dynamic invention, and compassionate
service. One way to use your sensitivity is to share your insights,
intuition, and gut responses in meetings and with co-workers. You can
also use your sensitivity interpersonally. Take a deep breath, tune in,
and ask: “How can I best be of support here?” Let your sensitivity guide
you.
5. Support Your Sensitivity and Practice Self-Care
Career transformation challenges Sensitive Souls because standard
formulas don’t work well for us, like 40-plus-hour workweeks, commutes,
fluorescent lights, and cubicles. We require physically and emotionally
supportive environments along with plenty of independence and privacy.
In addition, each sensitive person has specific challenges – such as
people, noise, or light. It’s important to know which of these are
significant for you and to learn how to address them. For example, you
might bring in an incandescent lighting source or create a cubicle of
plants to define your space. You might also learn protective energy
techniques for interpersonal challenges.
And remember: Take great care of yourself both inside and outside work!
It’s important to recognize that self-care is a REQUIREMENT for a
Sensitive Soul. It is fundamental to making a meaningful contribution to
the world. This means making sure to get plenty of sleep, eat well, take
time for yourself, and engage in soul nourishing activities like art,
gardening, cooking, or being in nature.
6. Get Support
Many of us have been hurt by our prior work experiences. We bring our
tender souls with us wherever we go, and transforming our careers can
bring up painful emotions. This is a normal part of healing and
transforming a career. Sometimes it can be an obstacle to simply know
what we want. Be sure to ask for support from friends, coaches,
therapists, or career counselors.
Above all, remember: You are here for a reason. In the words of Woodrow
Wilson, “You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with
greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are
here to enrich the world.”
About the author:
Jenna Avery, Certified Life Coach, is the Life Coach for Sensitive
Souls. It is her purpose and vision to support Highly Sensitive Souls to
find their power and to change the world with their wisdom, beauty, and
depth. For details, please visit
http://www.highlysensitivesouls.com or call 510.528.1696.
