I'll be 37 years old and I'm still emotionally scared for what a person in power told me nearly over 25 years ago.

That's okay, and you know why? Because when you talked to your boss -- i.e., asked for help -- your ACTION was in direct contradiction to your emotions. Basically, your action told your old emotions that if they want to hang out, they can, but they're going to get really bored, because you're going to go do something else, something that you DESERVE.

Will you feel shitty again, like you have no right to ask for help? Sure. But you can do the same thing you did this time -- go ahead and feel that way if those are the feelings that come up, but then ACT on what you know is true, which is that you deserve to ask for help.

In other words, what you did today goes a long way towards helping you deal with those old emotional responses.

Steph is wise.

La Tep is smrt.

I too cry from confrontations and it's comforting to know I'm not alone.

I used to work at a restaurant where the owner was a big scary guy named Hossein. One day the kitchen messed up and some appetizers took forever and then a foodrunner brought the entree to the table before they were ready for it and when I came to the table they started chewing me out relentlessly. Hossein met me when I was in tears on my way back to the kitchen and he asked if I wanted someone else to take over the table. I said yes and twenty minutes later their new waitress, Nancy was also crying. Hossein said he would finish the service and as he was walking out Nancy started laughing through her tears. "What's so funny?" I asked. Nancy said, "I was just thinking that if they can make Hossein cry, they're really good."

I have managed to make dinner. I think maybe I'll go back to sleep now.

Steph is wise, I just wish I realized this sooner.

So now I know...and knowing is half the battle!

SLNRLBF keeps reminding me of all the ways I'm doing great and that everyone really likes me at work and I'm good at what I do.

Anyway I'm planning to have a nice weekend. Mostly of cleaning up the house, I've let things get away from me while I was stressed.

I am SO PROUD of you askye. You did exactly what you needed to do, and you got a great response. That is HUGE. Go you. Relax! Have a good weekend! And when you go back to work you can make specific, definite progress.

Steph, I am like you with the cavalier attitude about exposed boobage. I'm a lot more shy about someone seeing my belly than my boobs.

*sigh* I remember a time when it was rare to be in a group where no one had seen me naked. Good times.

Yeah. Weird. I sometimes forget that everyone I know now has not seen me naked.

Had them used to apply glitter to my face?

Please tell me there's video of this.

Vortex, I'm glad you said something about the "getting wet"; I tried, but I couldn't write anything I could post.

salad shooter

Kristin, that's horrible! God.

askye, good for you; and Steph said what I wanted to, but better.

askye, everyone else has already said some great things about how you handled this. I'm just going to say they are right, and that I'm glad you'll be able to really relax. Also, yay SLNRLBF, for reminding her of how great she's doing.

I don't like blood oranges. Too sweet.

Much dental~ma for Squeak, so that he can soon be reunited with Sophie.

Nora, I'm glad the pain has backed down a bit.

There are so many wise women and men here who are so generous with their encouragement to me and to others - I just don't know where to begin to say thank you. And not just thank you for all the support you give me, but also for the lovely things you say to people that I care about.

I know she's 14, but really? Joking about liking Nazis?

ChiKat, my high school physics teacher used to joke that his role model was Ghengis Khan because Shaka Zulu wasn't ruthless enough.

Then again, maybe he wasn't joking.

But yeah, kid needs to be called on it.