Guest post by Amber Little (learn more about Amber at the end of this post)
Most of us have been there (unfortunately). We are at work and things are going horribly wrong. Not only are we being under extreme pressure from the job, but we are also feeling the added pressure of not having support from our direct supervisors and bosses. In fact, the ones that we rely on the most to be our support system can be, in a very real way, responsible for making matters worse.
A person can only handle this pressure for so long until we can’t emotionally take it anymore…especially us ladies. Now, does crying in the workplace give the impression that we are both unprofessional and incapable of handling our jobs? Unfortunately, that is the exact image we are giving off…and it’s bullshit. We CAN handle our jobs. So what do we do?
Well…it’s never professional to cry in the workplace, so if you just can’t hold it in, it’s better to take a break and step away from the stressful situation. This may include taking a walk to gather your thoughts, walking (preferably not running like a madman) to the bathroom to have that cry by yourself (just be careful not to emerge from the bathroom looking like Alice Cooper, let me tell you), or confiding in another coworker to get things off your chest and possibly get some advice. The important thing is to not be too hard on yourself, there’s no shame in being human…we aren’t frickin robots.
The bigger question I have to ask is, is this job right for you? Do you have the support system that you need at work? All too many times we get stuck in a situation where these stressful situations begin to seem normal to us. That’s right, we think it’s normal that we start to get anxiety in the workplace; we think it’s just another day when all we can think about is LEAVING. Well, maybe it’s time for you to realize that you owe it to yourself to find something better.
Take a moment and figure out what you are good at and enjoy doing, and follow NIKE’s advice and JUST DO IT. It’s never too late to change unless you convince yourself that it is.
After all, nobody wants to look like Alice Cooper all day, it’s depressing.
About the Author
Amber Little is a senior accountant at a hospital in Northern Nevada, and she is completing her final semester of the MBA program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She blogs at Big Business Blog.
