3 Tips to Help Sensitive Women Survive Life at Work

I used to be an expert at hiding at work. 

Instead of speaking my mind, I would freeze, clam up, and shut down whenever someone would say something that I didn’t like or that I disagreed with. 

The slightest hint of conflict in the air would send me ducking for cover under my desk. What’s worse, afterwards I would judge myself harshly for not handling things better, as I collapsed into a hot mess of blame and shame. 

I didn’t understand how other women could assert themselves so effortlessly. 

I would see them voicing their opinions, taking on leadership roles, and setting healthy boundaries in a way that I would never dare to do. Sadly, for many years, I believed that there was something wrong with me because of this.

At the time, I wasn’t aware that I was a highly sensitive person, or HSP for short. If you look up this term on Google, you’ll find a lot of information about what it means. For me, it means that I feel my emotions more deeply than most people do, and it also means that I can pick up on other people’s emotions quite easily. 

Like so many sensitive women, I desperately wished that I could share my goals, needs, and opinions more freely at work… but I was too afraid of damaging relationships, saying the wrong thing, and ultimately ending up as the office outcast… so I kept on hiding. 

This approach to my life at work kept me safe, but it also cost me leadership opportunities, learning opportunities, and most importantly, my own peace of mind… until I was forced to find a way to stand up for myself that worked with my sensitive nature instead of against it. 

The journey back to myself has truly been both arduous and magnificent… and it continues to this day as I grow and evolve.

Three key things that I learned along the way are that:

(1) Being a sensitive person in the workplace is just as valuable as being an assertive person.

(2) I would keep getting stuck in fear if I didn’t embrace my true nature.

(3) Being strong didn’t mean that I had to stop being sensitive… I could learn to be both.

I’ve created a free workbook to help sensitive women break free from self doubt at work so that they hopefully don’t have to struggle as much as I did. That said, I also know that the struggle is what made me stronger.

My deepest hope is that the 4 steps in my Workbook will make you wonder… wonder about how you could express more of your needs, successfully achieve your career goals, take greater steps towards setting boundaries, or whatever else you’re feeling called to do.

Because guess what… wonder is the first step towards stepping into the full power who you truly are.

You can grab a copy of my free workbook — 4 Steps to Help Sensitive Women Gently Break Free from Self-Doubt at Work — here: https://naylamitha.com/