It's been a year since I left a toxic workplace, and reflecting on that experience has brought some important insights. When I was in that environment, I started to believe I was incompetent, which really affected my self-esteem. However, after a few months in a new job, I found that I was performing well again. It was the same skills and the same me, just in a healthier environment. The recovery process was not what I expected. I thought I would feel instant relief after leaving, but instead, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions—numbness, anger, sadness, and finally, relief. It took a lot longer than I anticipated, spanning several months. To aid my recovery, I found a few things really helpful: - **Therapy**: Talking to someone about my experiences helped me process everything that happened. - **Education on burnout and stress**: Learning about workplace manipulation and stress made it easier for me to understand my situation. - **Gentle movement**: Simple activities like walking and stretching outdoors had a surprisingly positive impact on my mental state. - **Journaling**: Writing down my thoughts helped me organize them and reduced the constant replay in my mind. One surprising aspect was realizing how much physical stress I had been carrying. After leaving, my sleep improved, my headaches became less frequent, and I felt generally less tense. Looking back, I see that it took time to adjust, but eventually, the job no longer dominated my thoughts. I keep asking myself if I did anything wrong, but I know now that I didn't.
Loading comments…
Comments