Maybe its everyone else and NOT me.

[jaguarundi]

In a couple of past workplaces people have told me to my face that I am weird/ mentally ill/bitchy etc

So not mind reading, then.

 

[Grackle]

I like the idea of redefining what fun is.

 

[jaguarundi]

I'm an introvert so it would do wonders for me to just sit quietly and have my lunch, sort if replenish my energy levels which is what a break is meant for. Just sitting in a room of 8 -10 people is exhausting. Says Grackle

Seriously, if you need to take some time away from people, you can do it. I never, ever told my co-workers that I needed to go and sit in a church and get some peace (not stoooopid, right?), I told them I needed to clear my head, so I was going to take a walk in the fresh air (assuming it wasn't pissing down with rain). In the rain I would say I had to pop out and get some shopping, go to the bank, whatever.

Clearing my head so I could work better in the afternoon worked quite well with the bosses.... and actually it was true.

I didn't do it every single day, maybe two or three times a week or so. Also (assuming you have an hour for lunch) I would first eat with them, get through it quickly, then go do my own thing. Another good tip was to say I was watching my weight or feeling bloated so I would not go to the staff restaurant today as it was too tempting (women generally can use this one).

Ok I know there are those who think this is not true and a lie and all that, but I call it 'self-protection.' A bit of mingling with co-workers for team building ya da ya, a bit of time for myself for mental health. No confrontations, no thinking it was me vs 'them.' Over time I got better at dealing with my co-workers, was more comfortable around them and it wasn't as much as of a chore to listen to endless football and cricket scores, off-colour jokes meant to shock me, and politics I didn't agree with (worked in a male-dominated field).

And fun - we are all entitled to have fun in our own way, I think, providing it isn't illegal immoral or jumping off a bridge tied to a bit of fricking elastic...

But obviously all bets are off if it is a clear case of office bullying and harassment as Tiina reported^ This does happen, obviously, but I don't think it is a good idea to start off believing that 'they' are all against 'us,' unless events prove otherwise.

 

[Grackle]

Monday morning and I promise myself I will eat quickly and then go for a walk, using the 'I'm trying to be more fit' as my ticket out of the lunchroom. I get 30 mins so if I eat less (which I should do anyways) I can have at least 15 - 20 mins on my own.
Thanks for the tips

 

[FreedomFromLiberty]

Monday morning and I promise myself I will eat quickly and then go for a walk, using the 'I'm trying to be more fit' as my ticket out of the lunchroom. I get 30 mins so if I eat less (which I should do anyways) I can have at least 15 - 20 mins on my own.
Thanks for the tips

Then they will probably wonder why you don't invite them out to walk with you. Or maybe not. I hope not.

 

[jaguarundi]

Monday morning and I promise myself I will eat quickly and then go for a walk, using the 'I'm trying to be more fit' as my ticket out of the lunchroom. I get 30 mins so if I eat less (which I should do anyways) I can have at least 15 - 20 mins on my own.
Thanks for the tips

Great idea Gracklie-baby, hope it works out for you. If any of them DO want to come out for a walk with you as FRF^ suggests, set a cracking pace so no talking possible!!

 

[Grackle]

Monday morning and I promise myself I will eat quickly and then go for a walk, using the 'I'm trying to be more fit' as my ticket out of the lunchroom. I get 30 mins so if I eat less (which I should do anyways) I can have at least 15 - 20 mins on my own.
Thanks for the tips

Great idea Gracklie-baby, hope it works out for you. If any of them DO want to come out for a walk with you as FRF^ suggests, set a cracking pace so no talking possible!!

Thats funny
It snowed a lot today, 7cm at least but the lunch room was quiet, lots of people stayed home. Good news though, one of the bigshots who loved talking about his penis was transfered on Friday .... prayer really does work.

 

[jaguarundi]

Thats funny Smile
It snowed a lot today, 7cm at least but the lunch room was quiet, lots of people stayed home. Good news though, one of the bigshots who loved talking about his penis was transfered on Friday .... prayer really does work.

I have given you the tools - it's up to you when you use them! Just knowing that you can makes a huge difference, I find - that you have an alternative up your sleeve.

Lets hope Big **** takes his penis with him when he goes, as no doubt it is what does his thinking for him ?

[Although wouldn't it be funny if he left it in the break room and it kept popping up during lunch making irritating comments?]

 

[Marine_Vet_78]

It's probably both. I don't particularly like the human race either - but my reasoning is different. I see that we have enough food to feed the planet, yet we have almost an entire continent starving. I see that we're overpopulating the planet and our country, but any attempt to correct the problem is (incorrectly) seen as immoral, xenophobic or racist.

It could be you, it could be everyone else. In my view... it's all of us. We're all awful. (And that's not a popular viewpoint. Most are unwilling to accept the negative sides to what they say or do. So they ignore it or spew hate at anyone who points out that they're not perfect.) Thus, lonely.

Plenty of different views out there... ultimately we all pick the one which makes us most comfortable.

My sentiments exactly.... Yes, there are many things that could make the world a better place...but as it stands, we humans tend to do the least we can to actually make that happen.

 

[sk66rc]

Reading this reminded me of an one eyed monkey story... "Once upon a time in a forest, there lived a group of monkeys... One day, very young monkey got lost... After wondering around the forest for hours, he finally came across another huge group of monkeys... Except every monkey in this entire group only had one eye... One of the one eyed monkey felt sorry for the baby monkey & raised it... When the young, two eyed monkey grew up & came to realize that he was different than everyone else, wanting to fit in, he took out one of his eyes thinking he was the one who was abnormal..." Mortal of the story, just because you're different than everyone else doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with you... It's entirely possible that may be there's something wrong with the rest of the society...!!!

 

[Grackle]

Gold star for sk66rc' story....I like that very much.

 

[sk66rc]

Gold star for sk66rc' story....I like that very much.

Lol... Thank you... I got millions of these stories... Apparently, I had a lot of free time, being that I'm a loner & all... Ha ha... Hope you'll feel better about your job situation soon...

 

[Annie Bodie]

One of the things I've realized as I've gotten older is there is something inside of me that finds large amounts of human contact emotionally exhausting. Sometimes even being in the presence of just one person, but the WRONG person, wears me down. One of the things I find so special about my husband is that he doesn't drain my energy or wear me out (occasionally frustrating, a little annoying when he gets silly and full of beans) and to me that is a rare trait.

I also can't stand shopping, makes me feel the same as being around people. Apparently other women find this activity enjoyable and relaxing. I'd rather have my teeth cleaned.

If you think about it, the great thinkers throughout history, like philosophers and theologians, are rarely social butterflies.

 

[Forever Misanthrope]

I see that we're overpopulating the planet and our country, but any attempt to correct the problem is (incorrectly) seen as immoral, xenophobic or racist.

I enjoy picking out a community's smarter members.