At a party someone asks what I do, and I feel myself brace. Whatever I answer, I feel like it is being scored, and me along with it. It should be small talk, but so much of my worth is wrapped up in my job that the question lands like a quiz on my entire life.
More people experience this than they realize.
A casual question about your job feels like a judgment on your whole worth.
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.