Today I wrote about something you’re not “supposed to” discuss on LinkedIn: 👇
I opened up and talked about grief. 💔
I acknowledged that my engagement on LinkedIn has been a little erratic recently.
That’s been due mainly to 2 things:
Burnout & Grief
It’s not necessary to share the direct source of the grief — some things are indeed too personal to share online. What is important, though, is to discuss how dealing with grief affects burnout (its own challenge).
Grief causes you to withdraw into yourself (at least, it does for me). 😞
It causes my creativity to stop and exacerbates a burnout desert that’s already been plaguing me. It causes me to second-guess myself on things which I would otherwise be confident in — both in portions of my writing and my personal life. Pieces that I would otherwise enjoy writing don’t seem to come out the way I want them to. And it creates an unhealthy mindset for my writing and of myself.
Does any of this belong in a professional space on LinkedIn? 🤔
I don’t know for sure, but I think the answer is actually Yes.
☝️ Because transparency & authenticity in and with my network helps me find balance again.
There isn’t one right way to go about this. Finding ways to be open and authentic have no “correct secret sauce” to employ. Every situation is different. You make the assessment of where that “sharable” line is for you — it’s different for everyone.
But letting other people in *is not* a sign of weakness. 💪
Rather, it’s a function of being human and allowing others to support & empathize with you.
We hear & talk about “authenticity” all the time, right? Well, this is what it looks like in the tough moments.
Linkedin can and should be more than motivational “You can do it!” graphic posts. Those are fine, but Linkedin should ALSO be posts that reach out and say:
“It’s okay. Whatever you’re going through, it may be a part of life, and it’s okay to be human.”
For me, this is how I invest in my own mental health; 🩺
By not pretending to be a robot. 🤖
Because I’m not a robot — I’m human.
We all are.
I am immensely grateful for all the support I’ve already received. ❤️ And for the kind words that keep rolling in. It will be okay — time has healing powers.
Being human does not mean you’re broken. 🙌
