What Happens When Your Career Becomes Your Whole Identity

Hating your job is one thing – but what happens if you identify so closely with it that hating your job means hating yourself? 00:00 Many people with high-pressure jobs find themselves unhappy with their careers 00:38 Here are several reasons high-pressure jobs lead to this feeling 02:00 Losing your career can feel like losing your identity 02:15 Here are steps you can take to initiate change 02:30 1. Free up time 02:56 2. Start small 03:02 3. Rebuild your network 03:20 4. Decide what’s important to you 03:40 5. Look beyond your job title 03:56 The takeaway Psychologists use the term “enmeshment” to describe a situation where the boundaries between people become blurred, and individual identities lose importance. Enmeshment prevents the development of a stable, independent sense of self. While identifying closely with your career isn’t necessarily bad, it makes you vulnerable to a painful identity crisis if you burn out, get laid off, or retire. Individuals in these situations frequently suffer anxiety, depression, and despair. By claiming back some time for yourself and diversifying your activities and relationships, you can build a more balanced and robust identity in line with your values. Based on the HBR article by Janna Koretz: What Happens When Your Career Becomes Your Whole Identity (). This video is co-produced with @Emeritus. You can find more co-productions from HBR and Emeritus on the Emeritus app: Follow HBR: Sign up for Newsletters: #HarvardBusinessReview #Explainer #Identity