Did you know that women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA community regularly compete in the Olympics? It’s not what you think. These are Mental Olympics, that require shape-shifting, hypervigilance, and self editing. I refer to it as the danger of being yourself because historically excluded groups often have to contemplate whether or not they can bring the fullness of their identity into an institution or situation. This creates an additional emotional labor as individuals from historically excluded groups navigate when they can show up fully, and when they have to self edit.
“Self-editing” forces members of underrepresented groups to monitor their behavior and be hyper-vigilant of others’ impression of them. Researches have documented the emotional, the weight of feeling like the ways that being under constant scrutiny and meticulously managing how others feel about you, creates an emotional weight in a additional barrier for success.
Watch this video below for more insight into what’s happening in the workplace and how we can create more inclusive cultures. The danger of being yourself should be a thing of the past.
