When Work Becomes Your Identity
Work can give us so much more than an income. It can provide routine, purpose, achievement, connection and a sense of who we are.
But when our identity becomes very closely connected to what we do for a living, difficulties at work can begin to feel incredibly personal.
Redundancy, retirement, illness, injury, financial difficulties or a change in career may not just leave someone wondering “What am I going to do?” It can also leave them wondering:
“Who am I now?”
I think this is an important conversation for men in particular, because work and providing can sometimes become closely linked with feelings of success, responsibility and self-worth.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of your career or enjoying what you achieve. The difficulty comes when your job becomes the measure of your value as a person.
You are also the relationships you have built, the people you care about, your interests, your experiences, your values, your humour, your kindness and all the different roles you have outside of work.
So perhaps this resource gives us an important question to think about:
“Who am I when I'm not working?”
If that question feels surprisingly difficult to answer, it doesn't mean work matters too much. It may simply be an opportunity to reconnect with some of the other parts of yourself that have become quieter along the way.
Your career can be an important part of your identity without having to be your whole identity.
And whatever happens in your working life, your worth does not disappear with a job title.
Maggie
Space to Breathe Therapy
