Last night, I had an experience I’ve been dreading for years. Roughly four to five years ago, I worked a dead end minimum wage job with people that sucked. They were mean and cruel to someone who was clearly struggling with both social anxiety and depression. We started off friends but some things happened and soon everyone treated me like shit (I had an anxiety attack on the clock). It was an extremely difficult point in my life but I moved on. I made new friends, started a new job, and forgot about them. Last night, I was at a grocery store near my school when I ran into someone I knew from that job but always got along with. When I approached her, I realized she was with a guy from that job who I never got along with and really didn’t like. Keep in mind I’m 21M and he’s ≈ 26M if not older. Instead of putting on a fake smile, he immediately verbally attacked me. He brought up things I haven’t thought about in years- some things that were painful memories. I walked away and quickly checked out. At first, I had an anxiety attack. This was my worst fear for a while. But the more I thought about it and replayed it in my head, I realized it wasn’t that bad. I handled it pretty well in my opinion. Not only that, some man in his mid/late twenties remembers shit that a 16 year old did at a dead end job. How sad. I’ve grown and changed and he hasn’t. For years I had anxiety in public dreading something like this and it happened.
26 comments
I think you processed this really well and are totally right in your conclussion about this guy. Good for you man.
You did a great job handling this situation! His negativity says a lot about him and how you handled it shows how much you’ve grown. Keep fighting the fight!
Stay up young brother 👊
Hey I’m glad to see the way you processed tje events and the attitude in your mind. You are right, it’s really sillu for an adult to be so hung up on something a teen did. You are really strong :3
That guys world is obviously very small if your job performance 5 years ago is his biggest priority. Im sorry you had to deal with that but you handled it well!
Good game! And what the hell, that guy is really some miserable asshole if he immediately treats you like a complete moron, in front of his damn girlfriend, after he first sees you after 5 fucking years. No backstory justifies that. Fuck that guy.
Nice job in holding up your moral high ground, and keeping your head cool about it afterwards.
Wait can u please elaborate on how he brought up negative things from the past? Like as if he had a grudge against u and was waiting for the day he’d run into u in public?
Dude seriously doesn’t have much else to think about does he?
Just because you get criticism doesn’t make it valid. Keep your chin up, you did well.
I agree that he is the one that handled it poorly and you can take that to heart. I wouldn’t associate with people who behaved like he did, and if I did, they’d be getting an earful. You can find people who appreciate you and will defend you.
Hey, kudos to you for handling it so well! You’re awesome! 🤍🤍 And honestly if some guy in his mid to late 20s is still thinking about what happened to a teenager half a decade ago, he must have a pretty boring life…
Fuck that bitch, you stayed composed and done what you were planning to do. Can’t say the same about the other person, they let their emotions and thoughts take control of them, for all you know, people who witnessed this, probably felt for you, and thought worse of his character and his affiliates for this aggression. Be glad that you didn’t let go of logic and humiliate yourself/do something stupid/incriminating.
Damn bro you seem to have dealt with this in a very healthy manner. Good for you.
Men I was on the exact situation an hour ago!
Just the guy was alone and walking towards me saying hello with a bully smile.
I just ignored the guy and walked my way.
Better die of thirst than drink poison.
Good job and I hope the lesson is face your fears and emotions are like waves they will come and go and don’t let them control you! 🙂 yay!
Exactly. You are so much more mature than a 26 yo man. Good job.
that dude has to be an npc
Good for you OP! That’s a really great observation to have. Particularly one to come to on your own. It’s really difficult to think that way in the moment, but like with picking up any habit, it’s something you can practice to get better at, more out of, and do more automatically. It’s basically your own CBT.
This title totally reads like an onion headline, haha, good job.
A lot of times, non-confrontation is the most honourable thing to do.
You have an excellent mature perspective on this and yeah that guy (and the other person who apparently remained silent) is an as$. Go you!
i think that guy is just normally a miserable fuckhead. I dont think anyone at your old job has a high iq, even the female coworker who you supposedly got along with, otherwise why is she hanging out with that jerk?
He’s probably still working that dead end job too. Good on you OP & recognizing you did well. Proud of you ☺️
He ain’t worth the effort
what a loser lmaooo (him)
You did well. He’s a loser who gave you an opportunity to realize something very important. Kudos!
GGWP
You did well. Don’t worry about that jackass. As you said, you grew and he didn’t. Remember that living well is the best revenge.
You were living in his head rent free