Sunday, September 28, 2014

Always Something

Well, this is unusual.  Normally I can't tell you the details of what's going on in my work life because everything is super-top-secret.  This time I can't talk because one major problem has gone totally public, therefore stating what's going on could identify my workplace and compromise my anonymity.  I just can't win, can I?

Suffice it to say that something happened; the news media picked it up; and therefore everyone at my work totally freaked out.  Fortunately, I happened to have taken this past week off as vacation before the news hit.  Unfortunately, I ended up having to do some work from home.  Fortunately, this helped to address the problem without my having to be in the currently horribly tense atmosphere of the office.  Unfortunately, I am heading back to work on Monday.  Fortunately, I still have a job.  Unfortunately, some people are saying that this problem may put us all out of work in short order.  Fortunately, I believe that the negative attention will blow over pretty soon and we'll all be fine.  Memories are short, right?

Often I find that the worst part of many small-to-medium sized problems is the collective emotional reactions of the people around me.  I often have to do as much or more work dealing with peoples' moods as I do solving the actual problem.  It seems like people feel a moral imperative to ensure that everyone around them feels as bad as they do.  If you're not worried, they'll blast you with their fears until you start to show signs of anxiety.  I guess misery loves company?  

The options available to someone who doesn't want to be swayed into the worry camp are limited.  Ignoring the worriers often results in them redoubling their inflammatory efforts.  They need you to agree with them so that if they can't feel secure, they can at least feel right.    Often it comes down to a choice between ignoring them to the point of rudeness OR telling them to zip it OR spending your own already taxed emotional resources reassuring them.  It's frustrating.

I may not have been at the office, but remember, I work for a family business.  I can only escape a certain amount of the madness by going on vacation.  The rest follows me around wherever I go.

Oh well.  At least I got enough quality me-time to get my head together about this particular problem.  I'm ready to go in tomorrow and deal with whatever comes my way.  We might go out of business?  Okay, that's not ideal, but I can get another job.  Other bad stuff might happen?  Sure.  Maybe there's a dormant volcano under the building and it's about to blow up.  Whatevs.  We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.  Want to try to freak me out?  Go ahead.  But be prepared for me to tell you to zip it.  If you don't have something supportive to say, don't say anything at all.  


7 comments:

Warped Mind of Ron said...

Sometimes the wait for the crap to hit the fan is unbearable. Hopefully now that it has happened the issue can be worked through and good or bad it can be behind you. Keeping positive thoughts headed your way.

DarcKnyt said...

As I worrier, I can tell you we generally are trying to leach off the strength you who are fearless (in our eyes) exude. But we don't very often see the other side, wherein the person who isn't worried may be taxed beyond their ability to uphold themselves AND us, the worriers.

I know you're going to be fine, Spark. But I will pray for you just the same. It can't hurt. :)

Vanessence7 said...

Goodness! The madness continues! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all this garbage, Spark. I know it's taxing on your emotional resources. You can only be strong for so long for so many!

So I will pray for your continued strength, and that like most everything else in the world, this too shall pass.

*hugs*

Sparkling Red said...

Ron: Thanks. It's actually working out to be less bad than I had feared. Therefore, I am pleased.

DarcKnyt: Thanks! It's so tempting to lean on strong people, isn't it. I don't mind it, to a point. But past that point it starts to get messy.

Vanessa: Many thanks. I know that your prayers make a difference, because I already feel better. :-)

G. B. Miller said...

I like how you did that "fortunately/unfortunately" thing to start off the post. A bit of levity is always a good thing to have.

Sometimes no matter how hard you shovel, it just keeps falling back on top of you.

Keep the faith and things are sure to fall your way.

Ginny said...

I hope things work out soon. For me the "waiting" part is the worst. Work stress is tough because you spend so much time at work.

Jenny Woolf said...

Sorry it has been so difficult. It sounds mysterious so I don't think there's much more I can add to that (and I bet you don't want me to come to think of it). It can be very hard dealing with people who just add to the problems when things are difficult.