this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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First, don't tell me that the answer is just to "not bottle things up", because that's objectively incorrect too. Society doesn't want you to have any negative emotions. I need to know how to not express negative emotions at all whatsoever unless I'm alone. I know it can be done because it is done in many other people on the planet.

Edit: Ok so I think one of the things I want to try doing next is ask for a med change from my psych provider.

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[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 62 points 1 day ago (1 children)

First, don’t tell me that the answer is just to “not bottle things up”, because that’s objectively incorrect too.

Well, no, it's not objectively incorrect. I get the sense that the main problem you have is communicating negative emotions without being overly confrontational or acerbic about it. My experience is that it's very possible to tell someone you're unhappy about something without making a major deal out of it.

Also, I'm curious about how often you find yourself in the situation we're taking about. Everybody had occasions where they have to vent frustrating, but if that's a super frequency occurrence, there might be something else going on. Sometimes it should be enough to take a deep breath, recognize that the issue is minor, and let it go.

[–] dingus@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (3 children)

It is not super common, but it's common enough that my friend takes notice. The issue is that I occasionally explode at work which is not good for my job security. Generally if someone is being mean to me or my fellow coworkers I get upset. My supervisor is also a huge bitch who is rude and mean to everyone and I have a hard time dealing with her at times. Most of the times I am able to shut up, but sometimes I get upset with people like that and I react inappropriately.

[–] Coyote_sly@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have a pretty stressful job. I've been doing it for almost twenty years. I have not "exploded at work" once. Not ever.

This isn't an "expressing emotions isn't okay" problem, man.

[–] dingus@lemmy.world 0 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (2 children)

Have you never had anyone bully you or others at work? I'm glad to hear it, man, but we aren't all that lucky. My coworkers handle it better than me, but I'm also picked on a bit more than them.

This is the first time the bully at work also happens to be my supervisor. I have been able to handle workplace bullies in the past by interacting with them minimally, but I can't do that when it involves my supervisor.

[–] Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 hours ago

I'm not sure why you are getting down voted so hard for this. You are describing a very direct awful relationship thats unavoidable. Sort of like an abusive parent.

I would advise you try to find another job, or if you can move laterally in the company that might get you to a different supervisor.

Also, your supervisor can go fuck themselves in their own face.

[–] Coyote_sly@lemmy.world -2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

People have threatened to stab me at work.

I'd bet $10 your boss isn't doing a damn thing besides holding you responsible for not being able to handle your own shit.

[–] dingus@lemmy.world 6 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

I have not threatened to stab anyone. I don't think that just because my boss doesn't threaten me with physical violence that it can't be psychologically damaging. With all due respect, that is a very inappropriate response and comparison.

My supervisor nitpicks me and lectures me for every single little thing that I do. Often I am not even actually making mistakes, but just exercise judgement that is different from hers. The kicker is that she wants me to exercise my own judgement about work tasks, refusing to make specific policies on what she wants. But then she chastizes me for not telepathically knowing that she wanted things another way. She talks down to me and comments on my unconscious physical mannerisms. She is a bully and I am not her first victim.

She absolutely is not "holding me responsible for my own shit". She is known for being incredibly difficult to deal with and has had many complaints filed against her to HR. She causes a lot of conflict among a lot of different people. HR just doesn't particularly care and everyone expects me to shut up.

[–] pishadoot@sh.itjust.works 5 points 23 hours ago

If this happens at work then yeah, definitely a personal trait that you need to work on.

As someone who shares the same trait and has learned to manage it with time, I recommend you look into anger management. Plenty of free stuff online to start with but a professional can be a huge help, if you can afford it or if your workplace is willing to assist you with getting to a resource.

For me the key is being self aware enough that before I blow up I recognize where I'm headed and DISENGAGING until I can settle down. Blowing up, for me, is an ego driven/lashing out issue. It's complicated and I don't feel like explaining, but that's me. I can tell when it's happening and I care more about not being unprofessional or damaging interpersonal relationships so I DISENGAGE before I get there, which does not FEEL as good, but it's necessary.

I can't tell you exactly what you need to do, but I would bet a lot of money that you can start to identify when you're headed in that direction and stop the train before you go off the tracks. To do so you need to be willing to put your ego aside whether you think you're right or wrong and LEAVE the room or end the conversation. To do so is not easy because you want to release whatever you're thinking about the current real/perceived grievance, but if you're not being a functional member of society because you blow up in a rage then you have to modify your own behavior somehow. Disengaging is the simplest and most effective way to manage it.

With time and more self reflection, personal work, therapy, maturity, whatever - you'll need to disengage less and less and can manage/cope without that tool. But for now that should be your goal until you learn to control yourself.

This isn't an other people problem, it's a you problem. It's not that you're not allowed to express yourself, but there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to do so in polite society, between friends and loved ones, and in a workplace. If you can't admit that then start there.

Get on board or lose friends, break up, and get fired.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.ca 3 points 23 hours ago

Sounds stressful for you and for the folks around you.

I think you're going to find that most people don't have great advice for how to do it because it's not something they've struggled to overcome. There might be people here who have that issue or one similar enough, and overcome it, so they can tell you how they did. But your better bet is going to be to look into some kind of anger management techniques.