Managing your energy can be a challenge at the best of times. But if you’re a highly sensitive person, you might be more prone to burning out due to your unique traits and the demands of your work.

Being highly sensitive doesn’t mean being touchy, but having a high degree of empathy and a particular way of processing sensory input. That means it might take longer to recover from a tricky situation like a conflict with a colleague, or witnessing something traumatic at work.

The key to managing energy as a highly sensitive person is to understand and embrace your sensitivity, and put strategies in place to protect and replenish your energy.

This week, Rachel talks with Dr Becki Taylor-Smith, an anaesthetist and coach who specialises in helping highly sensitive individuals discover their superpowers.

Around 1 in 5 people has high sensitivity. With this higher degree of empathy often comes the need to help people, which is why there may be many more people in medicine who identify as highly sensitive.

People who identify as highly sensitive make great leaders, but can be reluctant to step forward. So without support or strategies in place to help them harness their abilities, teams can miss out on the unique abilities they have.

But by setting small boundaries and incorporating self-care activities into their daily lives, highly sensitive people can be supported and encouraged to thrive in their own careers, and lead others.

Listen to this episode to

• Learn how to manage your energy effectively as a highly sensitive person in high-stress jobs.
• Discover strategies to prevent burnout and overwhelm while still making a unique difference.
• Understand the traits of highly sensitive people and how to embrace them as a superpower in leadership and teamwork.

Episode highlights

• [00:04:22] Traits of highly sensitive people
• [00:09:10] How to tell if you're a highly sensitive person
• [00:11:07] When being highly sensitive can be a superpower
• [00:14:08] Highly sensitive people as leaders
• [00:20:58] The ABCs of managing your energy
• [00:27:38] How to protect yourself and your energy
• [00:32:12] Avoiding burnout due to sensory overload
• [00:35:37] How to support highly sensitive people
• [00:39:26] Becki's top tips

About the guest

Dr Becki is an anaesthetist and coach supporting sensitive professionals caring for people and the planet to rediscover their joy and make their difference without burning out.

LinkedIn | Facebook | Website

Resources

• THRIVE Weekly Planner
• More episodes of You Are Not a Frog:
• How to Thrive in a High-Stress Job When You’re Neurodivergent – Episode 179 with Matthew Bellringer
• Are Your Tiny Traumas Building Up to Burnout? – Episode 182, with Dr Claire Plumbly
• Download the episode’s workbook and CPD form. You can use them for reflection and to submit for your appraisal.
• Download Becki’s free guide to using your sensitivity as a superpower
• The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Survive and Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, by Elaine Aron

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Connect with Rachel

Have any questions? Contact Rachel through these platforms:

• LinkedIn: @Dr-Rachel-Morris
• Twitter: @DrRachelMorris
• Email: hello@youarenotafrog.com

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Mentioned in this episode:

Escape the Urgency Trap masterclass
A 90-minute training for doctors and other busy professionals working in high-stress, high-stakes jobs like healthcare.

Am I Stressed, Overwhelmed... or Burning Out?
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