Hello, I'm Lisa Tea.
Welcome to the Self Worthy HSP Summit. If work has felt harder for you than it seems to be for other people, if you felt drained, confused, discouraged, or like you just don't fit the usual career advice, this session is for you.
And I wanna say something important right at the start. If your current work, if you have work, doesn't fit, that does not mean you are the problem. It may mean that you're ready for a better fit. That idea alone can change how you see yourself. Many highly sensitive people assume they need to try harder, to toughen up, to force themselves into environments that don't suit them. But often the real issue is not capability, it's fit.
So today I wanna help you think about work in a different way and give you practical steps you can use whether you currently have a job, are looking for work or are rethinking your next chapter.
First, a little bit about me. I'm a highly sensitive person, a communications director for a nonprofit organization, the parent of two young adults, a writer and an artist. I've been writing and researching articles about neurodiversity for over 20 years, and I have been working either self-employed, for corporations or nonprofits for over 30 years. I live and work near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Before we get deeper, I just wanna share some good news. You do not need to solve your whole career today, so don't worry about that. You can start with small, clear steps.
I know as an HSP, that the whole idea of work, career, occupation can be extremely overwhelming. And when I prepared this presentation, I definitely kept that in mind.
Why does this matter for HSPs in particular?
For highly sensitive people, work affects more than income. It affects our energy, our confidence, our mental health, our creativity, our self-worth, our relationships, and so many things.
This isn't particularly just for Neurodiverse people or HSPs, but I found from talking with other people who do not identify as being neurodiverse, a bad day at work for them is a lot different than a bad day of work for us.
When work is a poor fit, we often feel it deeply. I know I do. And when work is a good fit, we feel that too, on a positive note.
So that's why this conversation matters. Before we get practical, i. I've created a handout called Action Items, and this is from a series I did on my substack called Finding Meaningful Work as an HSP.
This will help make the process that I'll talk about today easier and give you practical next steps. After this session, I'll also include templates for some of the activities we're going to go over today. These bonuses are included in your Selfworthy Support Pass. Be sure to download them.
Now let's get into five practical ways to move towards more meaningful work.
First off, we're going to make a drains me, gives me energy list. This activity works whether you have a job right now or not. First, you're going to think about past jobs, current responsibilities, volunteer work, caregiving, school, or daily tasks, and you're gonna make two columns.
Again, I will include this template to those of you who have the All Access pass. So that will make things easier. The two columns are, the first one is drains me. Some examples can include, and again of course this will be personal, constant interruption, conflict, unclear expectation, noise, rushing, repetitive administrative tasks, emotionally draining people even just reading this list makes me tired.
And then the other column will be, gives me energy. Examples can include writing, helping others, solving problems, organizing, creating things, more focused work, learning, and improving systems. So this will help you to see patterns, if you're looking for clues about how you function best.
The second thing you're gonna do is identify your real strengths. Many HSPs overlook their strongest abilities because they come naturally. Ask yourself or a trusted friend, partner, older, child, colleague. What do people trust me with? What do others thank me for? What feels natural, even if I undervalue it, and what problems do I solve well? Your strengths might include empathy, attention to detail, insight, thoughtful communication, creativity, planning, calm under pressure, noticing issues early, and making people feel understood.
Please note that these are real strengths. They matter in paid work, business, and community roles. From a personal perspective, but someone who's been in the workforce for 30 years and has done a lot of research and thinking and interviewing people on this topic, please do not diminish or dismiss your strengths.
I find that highly sensitive people, particularly women, tend to dismiss compliments about them and their innate skills. Please, I beg you to refrain from doing that. While we do need to be realistic about employable strengths and skills, having confidence and clarity are also key.
Number three, we're going to improve the situation you are in now. If you have a job right now, ask yourself, or ask someone else whom you trust, what can I improve without making a huge leap?
For example, could you create more time to focus? Could you reduce unnecessary meetings? Could you set better boundaries? Could you ask for clearer expectations? Could you take on work that's better suited to your strengths? Could you make your workspace calmer? If you do not have a job right now, ask yourself, or again, a trusted friend or family member, how can I create more structure in my week? What kind of roles would suit me better right now? What support do I need to job search well? How can I protect my energy during this season? Progress is still progress even when it looks different.
Number four. You're gonna test these ideas in small ways. You do not need to bet your whole future on one decision. So take a deep breath. We're gonna try some small experiments.
Here are some examples. These are some ideas to get you thinking. You could take a short course, you could freelance one small project just to test it out. You could volunteer, you could update your resume or your LinkedIn. You could talk to someone in a field you're curious about. This is sometimes called an informational interview. You could start a tiny side hustle. You could learn one useful skill. Or you can apply for a role that feels like a better fit. This is really important: action creates clarity. You often learn more by trying and moving forward than just by thinking or overthinking.
So certainly there's a time for thinking. I've given you some examples here of lists and ideas to ponder, but it is really important to take those action steps and keep moving forward in a considered fashion, of course.
Number five, define meaning for yourself. Meaningful work is personal.
And because it's personal for you, you're gonna need to think about how these ideas apply to you or don't apply to you. But you can use them as a jumping off point. So again, defining meaning for yourself could mean helping others. It could be creativity, flexibility, independence, fair pay, calm. Growth, contribution, stability kind people. All these points, I would argue, are part of the HSP ethos. So I imagine that most or all would apply to you, but you can choose your own definition. If you chase someone else's version of success, you may end up going down the wrong path and none of us wants that.
Our path is never gonna be fully linear. As adults, young adults, even teenagers or older adults, we've probably tried new things. We should try new things. But you need to get clear on what meaningful work is for you and try and pursue that.
As an HSP, again, it's really important as much as possible to find meaningful work.
I do wanna say, I a hundred percent understand this is a difficult economy and for many of us, work is work. So it may be a luxury to think about meaningful work, but I do urge you to consider all of these things and where applicable or appropriate, hone in on them so that you will be happier and healthier in the end.
In closing, if work has been painful or confusing for you, please remember this: a mismatch is not a personal failure. Sometimes it's information. Sometimes it's the beginning of a better path, and you do not need all of the answers today. You only need the next step, and as mentioned before, to take action.
Thank you so much for being here with me at the Selfworthy HSP Summit.
You can find my writing and the community at Secrets from an HSP Copywriter on Substack. The link is below. I'd love to see you there. Thank you so much.
