#work problems

The more you know 🌠

How to decide whether to report

There’s this girl at my work—I’ll call her Willow. She’s in her late thirties, and she can be very friendly at times. But lately, I’ve been getting really mixed feelings about her, and I can’t tell if it’s just me overthinking or if something is actually off.

I don’t know everything she’s been through, but I do know she’s mentioned things like menopause and past injuries—like when she said a horse fell on her when she was younger. And I genuinely try to be understanding of that, because I know everyone has their own history and things they deal with that aren’t always visible.

But here’s the thing: almost every single day, something is hurting her—her leg, her arm, her back, or she has migraines or headaches. I’m not even exaggerating when I say it’s constant. There’s always something going on, and a lot of the time it leads to her asking to go home early.

And I don’t judge her for that. If she’s not feeling well, then she’s not feeling well. That’s not my place to question.

What bothers me is how differently she treats me in comparison.

I’m 20, almost 21, so yes, I know I’m young. But that doesn’t mean I never feel pain or discomfort. And whenever I mention—even just once in a while—that something hurts or that I’m not feeling great, she immediately dismisses it. It’s always something along the lines of “you’re young, you’ll be fine,” like what I’m feeling isn’t valid or worth acknowledging.

recent example is I am currently dealing with a swollen lymph node under my arm. Yesterday it was genuinely painful—bad enough that it was hard to even move or lift things. And instead of understanding that, she brushed it off, said I’d be okay, and still asked me to lift something heavy. My arm was hurting so badly, and it just felt completely disregarded.

Meanwhile, if her back is hurting or something is wrong, she’ll ask me to do things for her, and I always help without hesitation. I sympathize with her, I tell her I hope she feels better, and I try to be considerate of what she’s going through.

And on top of that, there are times when she’ll ask me to do something for her and then step out to smoke for 10–15 minutes. It happens pretty often—honestly, it feels like she goes to smoke every hour. I’m left picking up the slack while she’s gone, which just adds to the frustration.

And that’s what really gets to me because I know if I ever treated her the way she treats me, it would not go over well at all.

I always try to be understanding and respectful toward her, but I don’t feel like I get that same energy back. When it comes to me, it just gets brushed off like it doesn’t matter.

It’s not about wanting attention or making a big deal out of things—it’s about basic respect and mutual understanding. If I can give that to her, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect at least some of it in return.

A few days ago, I made a post, talking about my experiences looking through applications, resumes, and portfolios. And how every time I do so, I see the same mistakes over and over again.

I have a lot to say about this topic, so decided to see if there were some interest in the topic. Turns out, a lot of people are interested!

📆 So please join me, at 05/16 10am GMT +8, on https://www.twitch.tv/mushroomgrenade 📆

To see what bullet points and slides I've made! (Around 30 pages)

Heya! Im still living!