The scars you feel
Workplace trauma is real. The workplace is where you go to earn a living, support your family, feel fulfilled, and find some meaning in your life, however often it is much more. Sometimes work is a difficult place where you feel overworked, demeaned, bullied and worthless. To the outsider looking in, there are no visible scars on the individuals in the room but to the individual in that situation the pain, the trauma and the hurt is very, very real.
Workplace trauma leaves the most dangerous scars, the ones you don’t see. When someone has an exterior scar it is a sign to everyone that something significant has happened to this person. Workplace scars exist on the inside. To the outside observer you appear normal, unscathed, blemish free but if you have experienced workplace trauma the scars are there and you carry them long after the experience has passed. Those are the scars that impact your spirit, your worthiness, and you feel in the middle of the night when you should be sleeping.
If you are wondering what I am talking about I encourage you to ask yourself these questions;
Have I ever started my day by saying, “I am quitting, today is the day, it’s over, I can’t take it any more?”
Have I ever cried at my desk?
Have I ever thought about negative things that happened at work during my personal time?
Have I ever let something that happened at work ruin an activity or event I was looking forward to in my personal life?
If you have answered yes to any of the above questions I want to tell you something, you are not alone and that environment is not normal. I want to validate you here, today and everyday, and tell you, if those questions describe your work environment, or your feelings it is not you that is broken or wrong. Workplace trauma is real.
In our modern lives we are expected to chart a fine balance between work and life. Career is supposed to be the ying to our life yang. It makes for a whole and complete person who will experience success in both work and life. If you have ever worked in a positive work environment you know how good it can feel to work. You know that work can bring you light, make you happy, build you up.
What does a positive work environment look like? What characteristics do good work environments have? What do you look like in that positive environment?
In my experience a positive work environment means smiles, laughter, teamwork, shared vision and achieving ambitious goals. My work helped me find meaning in my life and I felt really good about it. Sounds pretty amazing right? Honestly it was and once I had that kind of work environment it’s what I wanted, and what I always tried to build wherever I went. It just felt so good to go to work everyday.
The more individuals I work with, the more surprised I am to find toxic workplaces are everywhere. Slide over heart disease, toxic workplaces just might be the epidemic of the 21st century. It’s crazy to me, but most clients I work with can speak about a past or current work environment which will often reduce them to tears and force them to made big life changes.
Are you looking for a positive workplace right now? What are you doing to find that place? What are you looking for in a work environment? How will you know when you have found it?
To find a workplace where you have that kind of fulfillment and fun is a noble goal and these places do exist. I am encouraging you to keep looking and if you can’t find it, build it. Everyone deserves to feel worthy, appreciated and valued at work. Keep looking for that space and know you deserve to find it. I believe it’s possible, do you?
