Mail Online

WAS I WRONG TO CRY IN FRONT OF MY COLLEAGUE?

I have an important job and am well respected in my workplace. However, recently I dragged myself into the office when I wasn’t feeling well and, as a result, ended up suddenly bursting into tears in the ladies. A junior colleague, who was in there at the time, was so kind that I found myself sobbing as she hugged me. Things haven’t been easy in my life recently and it all came spilling out. My husband had a major health scare, although is now thankfully OK, and my dad died a few months ago. My colleague persuaded me to go home and told my boss that I’d been taken ill so that no one would see I’d been crying. I slept for three days. My colleague has been so nice since, but I’m worried that she’ll think I’m pathetic and unprofessional and may tell others about it.

You are not pathetic or weak; you are human, and it sounds as if there have been too many stresses on you. From the reaction of your colleague, it is unlikely that she will tell anyone. But I don’t think that anyone would judge you for this episode. I suspect that you might be the kind of person who sets high standards for themselves or suffers from perfectionism. It is likely that you have not allowed yourself enough time to grieve for your father so it might help you to talk about these feelings – mariecurie.org.uk or mind.org.uk would be good places to start. Make sure you don’t avoid your kind colleague out of embarrassment. Sometimes showing vulnerability can feel awkward but it’s important to be normal and friendly. Displaying a human side at work usually makes people more popular, not less.

CAROLINE WEST-MEADS

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2023-03-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/282260964695885

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