Imposter Syndrome & Online Therapy for Young Professionals.

Women in the Workplace

You would think that being a woman in the workplace wouldn’t be an issue anymore. Haven’t we proven our abilities time and again in every industry? Still, women make significantly less money than male coworkers in similar roles, are less likely to receive promotions, and often feel left out of bonding or social experiences with their male counterparts. Whether your male boss is taking a group of the guys out to lunch once a week, the guys are golfing every weekend, or after-work drink invites don’t go out to you – it can feel like your gender is the main reason you’re not having the success you want. Navigating any workplace as a woman can be difficult, but therapy can help you build the confidence and resilience to take on the boys club and get yourself a seat at the conference table – even if you’re still not invited to the pool table.

Imposter Syndrome

I talked a little about this in the introduction, and it’s so important to understand how many ways we pretend to be something we’re not on a daily basis. People do this all the time. We want to fit in and get ahead, and we don’t want people to see our moments of weakness. So, we cover up our vulnerabilities and act like we have it all figured it. Then, we go home at the end of the day and feel like we’ve been performing in an eight-hour-long play called “The Person I’m Supposed to Be & I’m Not: Starring You.” Shakespeare might have said that life is just a play, but this lack of authenticity is draining. Let’s step off the stage and start empowering and advocating for who we are and how who you are is a benefit to your workplace.

Perfectionism

Has good enough ever been enough for you? Me neither. Many of us find ourselves struggling with perfectionism. While this often impacts our work, it can also bleed over into our personal lives. At the end of the day, none of us are perfect – no matter how perfect someone seems from the outside – remember that imposter syndrome thing we talked about? It may seem like you need to be perfect to be a good employee, but actually, finding the ability to admit when you’ve failed or knowing when you need to ask for help can be the best way to learn and grow as an employee. Here’s a secret, good employers know this too, and anyone who expects you to be perfect is giving you unrealistic expectations. Let’s find a way to enjoy being our imperfect selves while still being a good employee (spouse, parent, sibling, friend, etc.) too. Still, many people wonder if perfectionism is really a bad thing. Doesn’t it make me better to always try to be perfect? This is the false narrative that many perfectionists tell themselves but really think about the last time you tried unsuccessfully to be perfect. What happened when you were unable to achieve the desired result? For many perfectionists, the “high” of striving for a big result is followed by very low lows when they don’t succeed. For this reason, perfectionists are prone to be overly self-critical, have low self-esteem, and struggle with depression and anxiety. If you’re a perfectionist, let’s work on changing the stories you tell yourself about success and failure by redefining perfection and incorporating more self-compassion.

Anxiety

Many of the other issues surrounding workplace struggles are actually about anxiety. We’re struggling because we’re anxious we won’t fit in. We’re pretending to be something we’re not, or we think we need to be perfect. Anxiety can manifest in countless ways, and exposing the root of your anxious thinking, feeling, and acting can help you achieve real change and feel a little better every day.