Hello all.
Due to the nature of my role, I work with many UX and marketing professionals. These include in-house staff, freelancers, and agency owners. I often see people struggling in their jobs. They feel frustrated, demoralized, and even angry. As a result, many of my coaching sessions involve as much therapy as anything else.
Lack of Understanding and Support
In our industry, many individuals are alone in their roles. This is true for freelancers, agency owners, and UX teams of one.
Others feel isolated because those around them don’t understand their work or its value. This can be even worse when their manager is the one who doesn’t understand their role.
I empathize with you if you find yourself in one of these situations. Not only is it challenging, but over time, it can impact your mental health.
Strategies for Coping
There are several strategies you can adopt if you find yourself in this kind of situation:
- Consider moving to another company.
- Practice self-care.
- Find a mentor.
- Focus on your achievements.
- Expand your network of people in similar positions.
- Speak with management.
- Seek feedback.
You likely have considered many of these already. However, what you may not have thought of is to “care less.”
Embracing the Concept of “Caring Less”
Earlier in my career, I burned myself out. Some of it was due to circumstances, but a lot was self-inflicted. I cared so much about my work, clients, and team that I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility. I thought every project had to be perfect. I got frustrated when I faced resistance or couldn’t meet my own standards.
I resented the compromises and felt unappreciated. But, much of this was in my own head. Over the years, I’ve realized that others not adopting my ideas or approach didn’t mean they undervalued me or my work. It simply meant they had different factors to consider or approached the work from another perspective.
Passion for our work is beneficial, but it can also be damaging. There’s a risk of painting ourselves as the user’s hero, fighting valiantly on their behalf. However, constant fighting leads to burnout.
It’s more sustainable to care a little less and celebrate partial wins. This was the essence of my recent email about “good enough.” I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t care about our work, but we must hold onto it lightly. We don’t need to hold on tight and fight every step if it’s changed or abandoned. We can express our concerns and then let go.
Redefining Professional Value
It’s easy to equate professional value with what you deliver, but that’s not the case. Your value lies in the quality of the advice you give. Whether others accept your advice is up to them.
It is almost impossible to change others; we can only change ourselves. It is not worth compromising our own mental health in a vain attempt to change others’ minds.
