What Are Work Wounds? Understanding, Naming, and Healing Them
Weekly Dose of Work Recovery Vol. 2.19.25
Work wounds™ is how we at Executive Unschool describe the emotional and psychological scars left by toxic cultures, poor leadership, or high-pressure environments. Sadly, they have become even more common and more intense this year. With economic uncertainty, layoffs, and increasing “strict work” and RTO demands, many people are experiencing deep disconnection and loss of self-worth tied to their professional struggles.
It’s no surprise that work wounds are accelerating, but the key to healing begins with a powerful reminder: your worth is not tied to your work.
When we internalize workplace challenges or failures, it becomes easy to believe that our value has actually diminished. But gaining perspective is critical. This too shall pass. Just like physical wounds, work wounds require time and attention to heal, but they are not permanent. Separating your self-worth from your job performance is a vital step toward clarity, healing, and growth.
And in case you're wondering if that broken heart you're nursing is a work wound, here's the types of work wounds we are talking about at Executive Unschool:
Betrayal: When trust is broken by leaders or colleagues, or you are laid off, terminated or part of a RIF, it can leave lasting emotional scars that affect your confidence and future relationships at work.
Bullying: Toxic behaviors, micromanagement, and emotional manipulation create environments where individuals feel powerless and undervalued.
Burnout: Chronic stress and overwork drain your energy, leading to disengagement, exhaustion, and diminished creative or productive capacity.
Bad Behavior: Discrimination, harassment, and workplace sexual misconduct leave deep, lasting wounds that impact your mental health, safety, and ability to thrive at work.
Healing Takes Time, But It’s Possible
A Harvard Business Review on the topic underscores that healing from harmful work incidents often takes longer than most expect. Researchers explain that the average recovery can span six to 12 months, depending on the severity of the incident, the support available, and the individual’s coping mechanisms, and can last as long as 2+ years.
During this time, it’s essential to prioritize self-care, community support, and self-compassion. Recovery is not linear, there will be setbacks, but each step forward is progress.
Practical Steps to Heal Work Wounds
Healing requires processing the incident, creating distance from the toxic environment, and engaging in activities that restore your self-worth and confidence. Here are a few practical steps to help you move forward:
Reflect: Take time to process the incident and identify any lingering emotions. Journaling or speaking with a trusted mentor or therapist can help.
Set Boundaries: If you’re still in the same environment, prioritize setting healthy emotional and physical boundaries.
Reconnect with Purpose: Find ways to reconnect with work or activities that ignite your sense of meaning and contribution.
Seek Community: Healing is faster when supported by others. Surround yourself with people who uplift and validate your experiences.
Work wounds are not reflections of your worth, they are experiences to process and overcome. Surround yourself with supportive relationships, seek tools that help regulate your nervous system, and lean into practices that restore your sense of self beyond the workplace.
Remember: Work may shape your experience, but it does not define your value. Healing these wounds is possible, and it begins by stepping back, breathing deeply, and knowing that brighter days are ahead. 🌱✨
This Week's Did You Know?
January is not the most “unhappy month”!
It's actually February and March. Despite January feeling like the-longest-month-ever for most people, and “divorce day" and “blue Monday” - allegedly days for the most divorce filings and most unhappy people in Jan, Feb and March are months when people report being the most unhappy and their stress levels skyrocket. Did not see that coming…did you?
Source: Is January Really the Most Miserable Month?
Links & Resources We Love Right Now
A listen: This podcast - History Chicks - which delves into an amazing woman in history. When women's stories are often notably absent from history books, it offers a way to reconnect with amazing women and hear their powerful stories of resilience. Did you know the first woman ran for president in 1872? Victoria Woodhull Episode
A learn: When you feel overwhelmed, try this: Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down everything you're stressed about. Then circle any of the stressors that you could remove without much pain. If you can delete Facebook, block a website with doomsday headlines, or cancel an event, do it. Your peace matters.
A shoutout: A case for volunteering - volunteer work can improve mental health since helping others can in turn make you feel better about yourself. Yet another good reason to find a local cause that could use your support, time, and energy.
Something I love: Getting off the “hedonic treadmill” this year. We have cut nearly all non-essential spending for the second month and have never been more fulfilled. Founder of the Happier Lives Institute says its true - objects tend not to make people happier because we have adapted to them, something termed the hedonic treadmill.
