We often hear the phrase:
“Bring your whole self to work.”
However, for those navigating intersectional identities - neurodivergence, physical differences, mental health challenges, caregiving responsibilities etc. - the reality is a persistent and draining “Inauthenticity Tax.”
This isn’t a buzzword, this is the idea that identity suppression - masking, passing, and covering - systematically reduces mental energy and emotional resilience. It’s the internal struggle to ignore systemic slights and internalised “isms” like ableism and racism, simply to survive the workday.
This is a biological process where those directly impacted remain permanently tensed, preparing for a threat that never truly goes away. That mental energy required to maintain a professional façade becomes a secondary, invisible job.
To reclaim your energy and power, it’s important to first understand that your body is not ‘failing’ you - it’s simply responding to exactly what your body requires in that situation.
Polyvagal Theory and Your Nervous System
Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is the silent architect of your professional life, dictating whether you feel safe enough to innovate or remain trapped in a state of survival.
This system operates below the level of conscious thought, utilising those old, ancient evolutionary pathways to ensure your protection.
According to Polyvagal Theory, your biological responses move through three distinct stages:
The mechanism driving these shifts is neuroception, the nervous system’s internal surveillance that considers tone of voice, facial expressions, and bodily expressions.
For anyone with a stigmatised identity, neuroception is particularly taxing.
They are not simply scanning for general safety - they are scanning for nonverbal signals of dominance and submission.
When your environment is recognised internally as a threat, your body won’t just simply ‘think’ its way back to calm. This constant biological surveillance is the main driver of the Inauthenticity Tax.
Identity Suppression as Trauma
The burden of identity suppression is often compounded by systemic stereotypes that force you into performative roles. Archetypes prescribe expectations of mental and physical strength and weakness, demanding the prioritisation of others’ needs different to your own.
These stereotypes fragment how you see yourself and become not just a physical tax but a biological one too.
Systemic validation requires us to admit that the burden is often unfairly placed on the individual. Western psychotherapy frequently fails by placing the responsibility for ‘calm’ on the person experiencing the oppression, rather than the environment causing it.
From Performance to Protection
Healing requires a personal narrative transformation, which entails shifting from a state of shame regarding your exhaustion to a state of self-compassion. It involves undoing the internal criticism as a result of systemic pressure and reclaiming your right to feel and be who you are.
The main reason why you feel this resistance is what is often referred to as the “Soul Nerve.”
This is the vagus nerve that connects the heart to the stomach. Returning to the “soul” of the body is a strategic form of protection as it allows you to reclaim your intuition.
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