Self-esteem at work

Your self-esteem can be closely linked to your job. When you are depressed, you may experience an image of yourself which you find almost unrecognisable. In this situation, you can easily become self-critical. This will harm your self-esteem.

In the table below, you can see the differences between
 • the ideal you
 • the current you
 • the realistic you

Exaggerated self-criticism
You should be aware that self-criticism is a symptom of depression. Self-criticism is usually exaggerated. If your self-critical thoughts begin to affect your work, you should seek professional help.

There is constructive self-criticism, such as "I would like to be better at this, I am going to practise more, learn it better, read or take some courses...:" It is a strength to be able to recognise your own faults, but it is not constructive to ridicule yourself for them.

Once you have learnt to distinguish between symptoms and realistic self-criticism, you can learn to control negative thoughts relating to your work.

There is no doubt that it is best for you to stay active, e.g. at work. It is best for you if you can continue to work, however if the depression does not go away and it affects your work negatively, you may have to take some time off until you have recovered.