09/18/2025

Enough Already

Here's the psychology of proving yourself at work

I remember sitting in my office one afternoon, juggling too many open tabs on my computer, when an email landed that made my stomach tighten. It was from my manager, and it said something like, "Could you please put together a summary of what you've done this year to justify your course release?"

To be fair, I don't think it was meant to be accusatory, but that is exactly how it felt (especially since the release had already been approved in writing). Suddenly, I was on the witness stand instead of part of a team. I stared at the screen and thought: Wasn't I just in a meeting about the financial success of the project I led? Didn’t I just take on that extra advising load when someone left mid-semester?

But instead of saying any of that, I simply opened a blank document and started piecing together a timeline from my calendar, email threads and task lists. The list didn't feel like a reflection of my work; rather it felt like a defense file to shield me from being seen as "not enough."

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.