When You Feel Like You're Not Enough at Work

I know that feeling well. And I want to talk about it—not from a place of having it all figured out, but from a place of deep understanding and lived experience. Because if you’re feeling this way, I want you to know you’re not alone, and you’re not broken for feeling this way.

1. Start by separating fact from feeling.

Your emotions are valid. But they aren’t always telling the truth about your worth.

Feeling incompetent doesn’t mean you are incompetent. It might mean you’re learning something new. It might mean you're not being supported the way you deserve. It might even mean you’re doing just fine, but your brain—especially if you're neurodivergent like me—is feeding you stories rooted in anxiety, perfectionism, or past trauma.

When that voice in your head says, “You’re falling behind,” pause. Ask yourself: “Is that true? Or am I just overwhelmed?”

You’d be surprised how often the pressure you feel isn’t coming from your actual performance, but from unrealistic internal expectations or a workplace culture that doesn’t value you properly.

2. Stop measuring yourself with someone else’s ruler.

Comparison is a thief. And in the workplace, it shows up with a clipboard and a spreadsheet, ready to audit your entire self-worth.

But here’s what I’ve learned: people have different capacities, different backgrounds, and different brains. Some people can multitask like machines. Others (like me) need quiet focus and white space. Some people thrive in chaos. Others need structure and grace.

There’s nothing wrong with how you work. The problem is when we try to contort ourselves to fit someone else’s version of productivity or success. You are not less than because you need a slower pace, or more support, or breaks between tasks. That’s just your rhythm. Honor it.

3. Build self-trust in small ways.

Feeling “not enough” can spiral into not trusting yourself to handle even simple tasks. The way back is through small wins.

Maybe that’s writing a to-do list you can actually complete. Maybe it’s setting one realistic goal for the day. Maybe it’s saying “no” when your plate is full or asking for clarity instead of faking confidence.

The point is: show up for yourself in small, consistent ways. Each time you do, you're rebuilding that inner trust. That’s the part that matters more than the performance reviews or the job title. That’s the foundation that holds everything.

4. Remember: Your worth is not your work.

You are more than the output of your labor. You are a human being with a heart and a mind and a whole life outside your job.

Your softness, your empathy, your creativity, your perspective—those things matter. Even in environments that don’t always make space for them.

If a job makes you constantly question your value, it’s okay to ask yourself: Is this really the right place for me? That question isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.

5. Talk about it. Yes, really.

Shame thrives in silence. And one of the most healing things I’ve ever done is speak the words, “I don’t feel good enough,” out loud to someone safe.

Sometimes all we need is for someone to look back at us and say, “I’ve felt that way too.” It reminds us we’re not crazy or dramatic or failing. We’re just human. And we’re doing our best in a world that doesn’t always make that easy.

If you’re in the thick of it right now, let this be your permission to slow down and breathe.

You don’t have to prove your worth by overworking or pretending to have it all together.

You are allowed to be a work in progress. You are allowed to need help. You are allowed to redefine what success looks like—for you.

And even on the days when you feel like a mess, you are still worthy. Still growing.

Still enough.

With love,

Briana