Taming Your Inner Critic

Academia is an ultramarathon that we try to run as a sprint. This approach tends to leave us with little time or energy for life outside of work and very few resources to cope when we face challenges. But a healthier approach to research is possible and is essential if you want to build a sustainable career in academia (or anywhere else in this fast-paced, competitive world we live in).

Despite our increasing diversity, academics tend to harbour a common chorus of voices in our heads. Voices that demand perfection, or that tell us we aren’t good enough and we don’t belong here; voices that we believe have driven us to excel, but that also charge a pretty high tax. A tax on our emotional, mental and physical health.

• Explore how your mindset and the mental models you hold shape your thoughts, your mood, and your choices, and your productivity;
• Address the critical inner voices that drive perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt that sabotage your motivation and enjoyment for your work;
• Learn how to shift your mindset in order to create more mental space and energy to think, create, be present, and thrive.

Facilitator: Desiree Dickerson, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist and Academic Mental Health & Well-being Specialist.