Not just the work you’re paid to do, but the energy you spend off the clock.
The energy spent laying awake at night dreading the work day ahead. The energy spent wishing you were driving to literally anywhere else but work. The time spent mustering up the courage to talk to your boss, worrying how they’ll punish you for speaking.
The energy spent thinking:
“How will my boss set me up for failure today?”
“What will I do ‘wrong’ today?”
“Will my boss just make something up to be mad about today?”
“Why am I being treated this way?”
It may surprise you how much of your energy, on and off the clock, can be drained by having a boss who mistreats you, belittles you, refuses to engage with you constructively, or perhaps even discriminates against you. And it can feel like there’s no way it will stop—your boss is the one you are supposed to turn to if you have a problem, right?