Lies I have told myself as a job seeker
I am a strong advocate for people getting therapy as a way to learn about themselves. I have done it for years, but not every therapist will be able to work with you.
I should have known that a therapist I worked with recently was not for me when I started to talk about my job history and how I have been laid off so many times over the years I have lost count.
“STOP RIGHT THERE,” she said during our first encounter. “What is WRONG with you? Losing so many jobs is a HUGE RED FLAG.”
Amazingly, I continued seeing this therapist, who would continue to yell at me each session. I only gave up on her when she missed an appointment with me: this is my HUGE RED FLAG as it’s not the first time it’s happened to me. Recognizing her behavior, however, eventually led me to recognize when I was “yelling” at myself through things like negative self-talk.
I have recently written about lies that I was told by others about things that I “had” to do to get a job, like dye my hair. None of those lies has had the impact of the lies I have told myself while I have looked for jobs, including now. It’s much harder to identify gaslighting when you are gaslighting yourself.
None of us are perfect, especially if we are dealing with being laid off and trying to get our confidence back to a point where…
