Bad work day

So I work in a tutoring company that helps kids improve in math and reading. I usually do the grading and help out kids who are 3-6 years old. Today because there was 10mins left till closing I sent out a kid early and the mom came back asking me if he actually finished and I told her that he did two packets and that there was 5 mins till closing which I think was a mistake on my part to say that but like I was in shock because of how strong she came in and I then told her that if she wants I can do one reading with him and stay a bit longer but she also didn’t like that response due to her being upset that I let him leave 10 mins early. So then I told my boss the situation and the mom came back and for some reason the mom was now nicer and understanding about it and both just told me that next time to do one hour but my boss understood why I let him out early. It’s because I had another kid I was teaching and that kid likes to talk a lot and cause us a hard time so she thought that It was too much since I was working with that kid and the moms kid at the same time. But in the end I apologized to my boss about it and she told me that it’s okay that she only said certain things in front of the mom just so she can be happy or not have any problems. I just was very shaken up about it and still am. I feel like I always believe that I can handle people who come up to me in a frustrated or angry tone but nope I start wanting to hide and cry instantly so I was disappointed in myself. I have been wanting to quit this job for a minute because of the pay, I get paid monthly and it just doesn’t help with all the events and traveling I want to do. But I think I stay because I want the experience of working with kids so that I can seek other jobs but tbh I don’t think working with kids is for me. Not that I can’t handle kids, I know I can help and teach them it’s more so that it’s not a long term career that I wanna do. It’s just hard being a psych major and finding jobs or internships that relate to clinical psychology. I want to be able to hear people out and help them. I think I’m ranting at this point but in short I am just frustrated with myself for today because I’ve been working there for months and made a mistake that could’ve been easily fixed. It’s been bothering me all day and I hope it doesn’t ruin my mood for the rest of the week because I just wanna relax but feel like I can’t because I wanna cry.

nlloop

Date posted: 21d

Honestly your boss should have had your back. A story to make you feel better, I worked as a server before and I cried literally every single day I worked there for at least the first month. At first I was just shocked how people treated me. At that time, I had never been treated so bad in my life like I wasn’t even a person by the customers. It was hard to adjust to and realize I didn’t need to take it personally. But it ended up being a good job to strengthen me some. One day I had my first large table, I slipped right in front of the table and the soup and salad bowls went flying and landed straight on my back I went to the back and tried so hard not to cry but ended up crying anyways. Then had to go back out there obviously looking like I had just cried. Then I worked the best job ever with kids at a church and the people were sooo nice and always had the employees backs because they wanted us to stay, but they pay wasn’t great and I needed to get real money to buy a house. so THEN, I worked a job at a horrible title one school honestly the people were horrible. the “support staff” came in during a lesson while I was obviously overwhelmed and trying my best and told me that the lesson was boring, I was losing the kids attention and just tried to put me down honestly. They did not appreciate me. I read somewhere that the devil will try to break you right before your break through, because what is uncomfortable is bringing you to your next level. I’m not sure if this applies to what you are going through or not but sometimes it is worth it if you know this job is going to do something for you that can change your life and bring you to where you want to be but if it’s not then maybe try somewhere that makes you happy. Just know that it’s ok to feel how you feel and one day you will probably look back at this job and laugh about it or realize that it gave you certain strengths to prepare you for your next job. It is always hard in the moment though

Fr0ggy

Date posted: 21d

@nlloop Oh my, I’m sorry that happened to you! But I’m glad that you were able to push through and ended up taking it as a learning experience! And yes a part of me wished she had my back in that moment but they are very strict in making sure that kids stay 30 mins or an hour because parents like to complain about time. 😭

nlloop

Date posted: 21d

@Fr0ggy Well don’t beat yourself up over it. They are lucky to have you as someone who cares and also deal with the parents who seem difficult. A lot of time people are not happy about other things in their life and that is why they are so rude, so don’t take it too personal or let them steal your shine. You had good intentions and that’s all that matters!

Fr0ggy

Date posted: 21d

@nlloop Thank you, means a lot! I’ll try not to let it get to me but right now I’m trying really hard that I won’t get in trouble with another student because I only had her do 3 packets instead of her normal amount which was 4 and idk if I made her stay the full hour. Sometimes this job can be very stressful because the people who work there will be harsh on you with things like that. 😅

nlloop

Date posted: 20d

@Fr0ggy Maybe you can use a timer, like an old fashion one off of Amazon or either the one on your phone to start the time so then when the timer goes off you know that you used the full hour or thirty minutes. Then if they ask, you will be sure that you used all of the time and there is nothing they can say about it. Have you thought about looking at other tutoring jobs that may have a more positive work environment?

Fr0ggy

Date posted: 20d

@nlloop I always wondered why they never provided us a timer cause we all just rely on the clock that’s on the wall and we do write down the time when they get here on their packets to keep track. I have thought about quitting this job because the monthly pay sucks like my recent paycheck was $300 in something but that’s because I took one week off and one sick day during the month of August. People with other part time jobs are making more than me. I did find a crisis responder job but I’m still debating if it’ll be too much for me to handle or if I can do it since I am trying to become a clinical psychologist later on.

sjwmzn2023

Date posted: 21d

Everyone makes mistakes, in this case the mistake you made was minute. Give yourself grace, you did your job and it sounds like you’re good at it!! I was a hairstylist and when I made mistakes it was permanent 🫣 but it happens!

Fr0ggy

Date posted: 21d

@sjwmzn2023 Thank you! I think the mom was mad because parents pay for their kids to stay either 30 mins or an hour so they want their money’s worth but I just thought that 10mins wouldn’t have been enough time for the kid. And omg that’s cool that you were a hairstylist, and I know it must be stressful but I’m sure you were able to pull through and move on from it!

gwen_weaver

Date posted: 21w

rant about aggressive customer

(I work at a bank, this is my first full time job. I am in the teller drive through and this is my second week, I am also the youngest and least experienced employee of this branch.) We were extremely busy, there’s only me and one more employee in the drive thru. There’s 3 cars in each line waiting, and I’m overwhelmed and sweating. Spot 4 sends up the tube, and rings for assistance. I speak into the mic to her spot, “I’ll be right with you!”. She begins to demand something but i turn off the speaker because I told her i’d be with her soon and I don’t have time rn. I jokingly say to myself “Girl i said i’d be right with you”. My coworker (who has previously called customers b**ches behind their back) says “that isn’t how we speak about customers, we just remind them again that we will be with them in a minute”. i say “sorry” and speak to Spot 4, “I’m so sorry ma’am there’s a couple ppl ahead of you, I’ll be right with you”, she starts screaming and cussing me out, saying “IF YOUD LISTEN TO ME YOU ****” etc etc “I NEED TO DEPOSIT THIS NOW” i say “okay ma’am”. i’m bad at confrontation, im sweating and on the verge of tears. i finish my transaction and her tube comes back with a 7” stack of u organized and mutilated bills and 3 different deposit slips. I panic, i’m new, the amount is over my drawer limit. i say “i’m not comfortable doing this lady’s transaction, i don’t feel ready, can i watch you do it?” my coworker says “no you can do it”. it’s already 30 min past my shift ending, i haven’t balanced my drawer, i closed last night and opened this morning, im running on 3 hrs of sleep, and i haven’t eaten in 2 days. Spot 4 is ringing again to demand me to hurry up. i start tearing up and looking around for help, i finally grab someone’s attention, and they help me thru the transaction, but it was obvious they were annoyed. i can’t stop rethinking this and thinking i made it all up and im just an idiot. what did i do wrong???? ive been having a panic attack for 2 hours since my shift ended, im in hysterics, it feels like im doing compulsions extra due to the stress

Perfectionism OCD

loveyours312

Date posted: 20w

I don’t want to be a terrible person.

Today I kind of snapped and I do feel bad. At Chipotle, a worker wasn’t letting me finish my order and every 2 seconds she kept saying “that’s it?” “That’s it?” Like rushing me, and I yelled, “YES, THATS IT!” I do feel bad because maybe she was having a bad day but I was also frustrated. I do regret it because I need to stay calm in situations, especially because I understand how hard it is to work in fast food, I’ve done it before. I was overwhelmed and frustrated, she kept talking over me and I couldn’t even think about what I wanted next. I’m irritated with myself but I also feel my feelings aren’t wrong, I just handled it in a negative way. Now my OCD has latched on the situation and I can’t stop thinking about it. I feel like I’m an awful person and like I need some sort of punishment, as if having OCD isn’t enough punishment. I did try to call the restaurant to apologize but no one answered. I sent an email with an apology to customer support, I’m not sure if she’ll even get it. I’m having so many ruminating and self deprecating thoughts now. I’m not a terrible person but I feel like I am

bokang

Date posted: 18w

I hate my job

I've been having a really tough time lately with a recent workplace interaction that occurrd today, and my mind just keeps replaying the events over and over. It feels like an endless loop, and I'm finding it incredibly hard to let go. I'm trying to figure out if this intense replaying is more about my OCD, or if it's a typical reaction to a stressful situation that's being amplified by my OCD tendencies. The specific details of the incident involve a colleague engaging in a racially insensitive discussion that I tried to disengage from. Despite my attempts to steer the conversation away and remove myself, the situation escalated with direct confrontation and accusations. This led to significant emotional distress for me. Later in the day, the same colleague misunderstood another conversation, making baseless accusations and publicly confronting me in a very aggressive way. I kept quiet throughout, just a bit of muttering. The emotional toll of these interactions has been immense. Now, my mind is stuck. I can't seem to stop dwelling on every word, every gesture, and every imagined alternative outcome. Hoping I'm not viewed as the "angry black woman" which is such an affair narrative why can't I state grievances of racism, without this narrative. * how do you manage the relentless replaying of stressful workplace interactions? What are your go-to coping mechanisms when your mind gets "stuck" on these loops? * Have you found any specific strategies helpful for navigating interpersonal conflicts at work when your OCD makes it difficult to process and move past them? * When you're feeling emotionally vulnerable due to work stress, what helps you prevent these situations from turning into prolonged rumination cycles? Any advice or shared experiences would be incredibly helpful. I'll be so grateful for any assistance. I just feel like I'm not good at life.

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Bad work day

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