Are you working for a Bad Boss?
A few of the traits a bad boss shares are mean, dishonest, lying, cruel, aggressive, selfish, and demeaning. Boundaries are not a concept they understand. They build walls, not bridges. Team building does not exist, except for fear.
Can you say trauma? You are in a war zone and it is called the workplace. Ongoing trauma on your job has a cumulative effect. You can be suffering from PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The daily stress of working for these people can take a terrible toll on your relationships, and mental and physical health. It makes it nearly impossible to concentrate and complete projects. You get headaches, dizziness, chest pains, flashbacks, and then tense and keyed up. You start to avoid people and relationships. These are a few of the symptoms. If you suffer any of these for longer than a month, see a professional.
The atmosphere of the workplace is heavy, depressive, and oppressive. The fear of being humiliated or fired looms over you and your co-workers. Your inner voice becomes more critical and less optimistic with each passing day. Working here can be injuring your ability to enjoy life.
My experience with a Bad Boss
I have only had two bad bosses and they were top-notch ones. Mine were the lying, backstabbing, and demeaning variety. Each morning I would have to run to the bathroom upon entering the office. I got headaches, nightmares, dizziness, and flashbacks of encounters with these monsters. I watched helplessly as they took out their negativity and bad traits on others until it was my time. Being in my 20s, I had not yet developed my skill set to deal with these people.
The boss would give me one task. Once completed he would say, “I wanted this done this way. Why did you do that?” – at
times I thought I was losing my mind. Running on empty, I was feeling alone and isolated. I sought counseling and was informed that I had situational stress and as long as I was in that situation I would have stress. This is not what I wanted to hear. So I decided there must be a third option.
This option took me on an odyssey into the world of visualization, yoga, self-hypnosis, positive thoughts, and color breathing. I learned how to lower my stress and be calm with unreasonable people. These techniques and habits served me well then, as well as throughout the years. I stayed in that job for over 8 years and left on my own terms to travel and study.
Tips and strategies to deal with a Bad Boss
These techniques take time to learn and practice to feel more comfortable. I learned that before going to work I needed to have a list of my accomplishments and positive traits in my car and one in my purse. I would take several deep breaths and recall one trait or accomplishment at a time, filling up fully with these thoughts – then get into the feeling of seeing the day being better and calmer. I always kept the big picture in mind that what I was doing is something that contributes to my purpose at work.
I would rehearse what I would say to each person and sometimes and just saying, “Yes” was the easiest. Knowing this was the best way to deal with the unreasonable and helped me to feel that I was not being true to myself.
These are 4 techniques I used:
I. I saw a clear and distinct boundary between the boss and myself as I walked in.
2. I saw myself and my desk surrounded by a golden light and saw whatever insults the boss would fire at me would bounce off and fall to the ground. I liked to add a sound like “Thunk”!
3. I saw the boss growing smaller and their voice getting quieter.
4. Having pictures of funny jokes in my center drawer helped greatly and lifted me up any time I opened the drawer.
My health and sanity were saved by taking these simple daily steps. This will help you greatly while you proceed to do your work and keep your productivity up. Laugh more and enjoy friends and family.
I would love to hear how these tips worked for you.
Contact Darielle online Email at Darielle@dariellearcher.com
See my book, which is filled with useful information to be confident in any situation: “The Thriving Code: A Guide For Healing and Energy Protection”
