Just like a bad relationship, a bad job continues to follow you around even after you’ve severed ties. I had an ex-boyfriend who, as if by magic, only called me to be cute and cordial and chatty as soon as I’d started seeing someone else but couldn’t care less about me when I was single. Evil bosses and bad jobs are like that too. You move on to something better, go to a company that treats employees well and score yourself a snazzy new title, and then suddenly one day you’re sitting at your shiny new desk when it happens–a flashback. It’s the workplace equivalent of an acid flashback. For a few terrifying seconds, you’re back at your old cube, answering six phone calls at once while simultaneously signing for a package, ordering your boss’ lunch, and getting screamed at, and…whoosh.
In situations like that, the best thing you can do is open your eyes and remember it’s over. Go and look out your window. Close your office door just because you can. And then think about how, now, it’s your job to help save assistants, just like you got saved yourself.
Have you ever suffered from Workplace PTSD? Tell us your stories.
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