Late 40s, plummeting confidence at work.

[Theextraordinaryisintheordinary]

Is anyone else experiencing this?

Some days I amaze myself but more frequently I can’t believe just how hard it is for me to process simple things. I think back to the confidence I had in my 30s and wish I possessed just a corner of that now. I’m more confident in many ways but my brain frequently feels like it needs oiling and I get panicked at simple things and have been making quite a few mistakes.

HRT has helped to some extent but the paranoia about being a bit shit really hits some days. I do think about stepping down and doing something less difficult but I still have a lot of motivation and drive to improve the service I manage.

Anyone out there feeling the same?

Keep going. I felt like this at your age, but now I am through the menopause I feel back to my old self. Remember, you may have brain fog moments, but you will have far more experience than most people you work with. And people will never be as critical of you as you are of yourself. But honestly, don't step down, this will be temporary

Prime example! I’ve posted this in AIBU! Basic errors.

This is absolutely me. I used to get things straight away but now I find I can't follow arguments the way I used to be able to and I make careless errors which I'd never have made before. Also I forget guidance I need to work to so I have to look it up every time which slows me down. I feel like a total imposter.

I could have written this. I couldn't get my words out in a really senior meeting today. I felt so stupid and embarrassed.

I feel like my confidence has hit the floor. I'm 53 and have had a very successful career over 30 years. The last 3 years have been awful.

I am also exhausted. In bed now!

Yes, it’s the imposter syndrome for sure. So hard to explain to my younger female and male colleagues how it feels.

There's some great podcasts and articles on menopause and work on balance website.

Are you able to share the names? Thank you.

Reading with interest as I'm in bed exhausted and headache but not sleepy Just overwhelmed

This could have been written by me!

(Un)fortunately I'm in a position I can let myself take a lower paid job and just choose to go easy on myself. I say unfortunately because I feel I'm giving up and just admitting defeat. I'm currently awaiting a voluntary redundancy decision and looking at minimum wage jobs. It's a big battle with myself to allow myself to do that and still don't know if I'd be making the biggest mistake of my life. Then I realise it's the anxiety making me overthink. It's just a massive vicious circle.

No.
If anything, I'm far more confident at all fronts at similar age than before.
All that shit I took from others when younger...

www.balance-menopause.com/
Type on work in search and brings up loads articles and podcasts

I’m lucky in that as long as I am hitting my targets (I am exceeding them) then no one bothers me and I look like I’m killing it at work. In reality I’m having a nap every afternoon, forgetting people’s names and am a right mess. Just keeping my head down and hoping no one notices the glitches - seems to be working so far…

This is great. Thank you so much for sharing.