you're NOT your job; you're so much more

on detaching self-worth from work + journaling prompts, & reading recs

YOU’RE NOT YOUR JOB, BABE; YOU’RE SO MUCH MORE ✨

i've really struggled with detaching my self-worth from my productivity over the years, especially since i became too sick to continue working. previously, i had coped with trauma by being in a constant state of working & making & creating things. people were always like, “how are you SO productive?” (or “how are you still functioning? you don’t even have FUMES left to run on!”) & my answer was: witchcraft.

but really, work kept me going in a lot of ways - &/also, it made me sicker, exacerbating my systemic lupus to the point where my ankles were so swollen i couldn’t stand.

& yet, it can be so difficult to detach our self-worth from our work or productivity, even when it’s killing us. for example…

💖 workaholism as a strategy to cope with trauma / staying busy to avoid our thoughts

💖 workaholism is harmful to our bodyminds yet encouraged & celebrated by hustle culture (aka late-stage capitalism)

💖 we see our work as an essential part of our identity (i.e. the inescapable question of “what do you do?” when meeting someone new)

when i became too sick to work any longer, the process of detaching my self-worth & sense of self from my career became even more pressing. i'm nowhere near the end of this journey, nor do i believe in linear anything, but i've learned some things that i want to share with you.

i've created some journaling prompts + reflection questions &/also included some recommended reading: an incredible article on vocational awe + 2 books that really impacted me.

use these journaling prompts & reflection questions to start thinking about untangling your self-worth from your work & productivity, to detach your identity from your career, & to build a life that expands beyond the constraints of capitalism.

you might want to take 30 minutes to sit with & write on one of these prompts or spend an afternoon journaling on each one. take what works & leave the rest behind. these prompts are yours to use however you think they'll be the most supportive for you 💕

💖 what are my core values? why are these specific values meaningful & important to me? how am i currently acting in (or out of) alignment with my values? (need some inspo? here's brené brown's list of values)

💖 what brings me joy? what makes me laugh? what excites me? what inspires me? what do i find pleasure & enjoyment in?

💖 how would i describe myself? how would a loved one describe me?

💖 how can i incorporate more play into my life? what types of play feel good & generative to me? what play activities do i want to explore & experiment with?

💖 what am i excited to learn more about or deepen my practices around? how might my enthusiasm guide me?

💖 what hobbies, activities, & practices help me to relax & feel recharged?

💖 how do i want to feel, on an ideal day? what does that ideal day look like?

💖 how do i practice community care? what skills do i already have that i can share? what skills might i want to deepen & nurture?

💖 how might i create more spaciousness in my schedule & life for greater gentleness, intentional rest, & increasing ease?

"vocational awe describes the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in notions that libraries as institutions are inherently good, sacred notions, and therefore beyond critique. i argue that the concept of vocational awe directly correlates to problems within librarianship like burnout and low salary. this article aims to describe the phenomenon and its effects on library philosophies and practices so that they may be recognized and deconstructed." - fobazi ettarh

recommended reading: “vocational awe & librarianship: the lies we tell ourselves” by fobazi ettarh.

📚 i didn't do the thing today: letting go of productivity guilt by madeline dore

📚 how to not always be working: a toolkit for creativity & radical self-care by marlee grace

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i’m a disabled nonbinary queer femme artist, educator, & keynote speaker with BIG aries placements, a lone pisces moon, & of course, i’m also a gemini rising :)

i’m enthusiastic, excited, & earnest about zines, digital worldbuilding, trauma-informed librarianship, peer support, the politics of survivorship, queerness, healing thru aesthetics, color magic, disability, makeup & style, making things, teaching, trauma recovery, & creating resources for survivors, by survivors.

i believe survivors deserve beauty & strive to make beautiful resources, art, & tools for survivors.