Today is World Mental Health Day. It’s aim, every year on October 10th since it was first established in 1992 is to help “raise awareness in the global community about critical mental health agendas through collaboration with various partners to take action and create lasting change. Over the years, this day has gained momentum, becoming a platform for governments, organizations, and individuals to develop initiatives that focus on various aspects of mental health care.” ~ World Health Organization
This year’s campaign focus is dedicated to advocating for mental health in the workplace by raising awareness and elevating the importance of supporting, protecting, nurturing, prioritizing and promoting good mental health in professional settings. Amen!
My job can be quite stressful most days, some of which I put on myself, especially since I am admittedly easily overwhelmed, love to take the weight of the world on my shoulders and I am a certified “people pleaser”. With this in mind it’s no wonder how going back to work full-time after an 8 year hiatus has put a huge strain on my mental health. I am so grateful though for several of the amazing ladies I work closely with who keep me grounded and I now call friends, but I can’t say that of everyone.
I was planning on sharing something else today in regards to World Mental Health Day but given that this year’s theme is all about raising awareness and elevating the importance of supporting, protecting, nurturing, prioritizing and promoting good mental health in professional settings I just couldn’t because I’ve had a really shitty week due to so much stress surrounding my job, and then, by my own doing, I also recently accepted an opportunity to take on an even more hectic workload when my boss presented me with the opportunity a few weeks ago.
I didn’t hesitate, not even for one second to say yes when she asked me as I only saw it as an opportunity to try and make more money. But it’s now come at the expense of my already fragile mindset.
Within hours of accepting the opportunity and prior to this new role having even started, the self-doubt and negative self-talk kicked into full gear.
I live with what psychologists term “Imposter Syndrome”. Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of failure. Despite my boss having the confidence that my skills and competence could handle it.
My “Imposter Syndrome” mindset is telling me otherwise though. I can’t allow myself to ever feel adequate or good enough. I can spin any one of my successes or accomplishments around in a millisecond with a negative thought, without even batting an eyelash which has lead me to even more feelings of anxiety, stress, and self-doubt over the past couple of weeks, and is impacting both my personal and professional life greatly.
Sigh…
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YouAreEnough 