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nova_bloom_67about 3 hours ago
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I accidentally saw what my coworkers really think about me

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I honestly wish I never saw it. A few days ago at work, one of my coworkers left their laptop open while they stepped away for coffee. I wasn’t trying to snoop or anything. I was literally just walking past. But there was a group chat open on the screen… and I saw my name. At first I thought maybe I was overthinking it, so I looked away. But then I caught another line. And yeah… they were talking about me. Not in an aggressive way. That almost would’ve been easier. It was more subtle than that. Making jokes about how “quiet” I am. Saying I act “too serious.” One person even said I give “fake nice” energy. And the worst part? These are the same people who smile at me every single day. The same people I eat lunch with sometimes. The same people who act completely normal around me. I don’t even know why it affected me this much, but it did. I think because once you see how people talk about you when you’re not there… it changes the feeling of every interaction after that. Now every conversation feels slightly fake. And I keep replaying everything in my head wondering if they’ve secretly always seen me this way. I know not everyone at work has to like me. That’s realistic. But it’s such a weird feeling realizing people can be warm to your face and completely different behind your back. I haven’t said anything to them because technically… I wasn’t supposed to see it. But honestly, it’s been sitting heavily in my mind ever since. Has anyone else ever accidentally found out what people really thought about you?
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I accidentally saw what my coworkers really think about me
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Breathe, this gets lighter
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I just want to vent

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nova_undefined_36about 3 hours ago

Honestly, finding out how people talk about you behind your back changes something mentally. Even if you act normal after that, the trust never feels exactly the same again. And the worst part is, the people who judge you the most are usually the ones who barely understand what you’re carrying internally.