I worked at a nonprofit for six months between 2021 & 2022. This was my first full time job after college, and I’ve also been navigating inpatient & outpatient health treatment for a chronic illness that severely affects my mental health.
Long story short, I applied for a part-time (25hour/week) customer service position. But, between my interview & my start date two weeks later, their marketing manager quit. I was offered full-time pay, so I took it since they were a person down.
Side note: I went to school for journalism— and specifically informed them my training is not in paid media— but I ended up ‘helping’ with their content while they either replaced that position or hired an outside agency. No one was ever hired (shocker).
This was a very volunteer-heavy nonprofit, and I was expected to volunteer often as well for events. Managing the social media was a constant part of my days, on or off the clock.
I absolutely failed to set boundaries and advocate for myself. I was very preoccupied with health issues, and just making it through the hour/day was so depressing. The amount of gaslighting, manipulation and passive aggressive communication truly made me feel insane— and like I did everything wrong/deserved it.
I ended up being hospitalized, and I left the job and have been fortunate to take a break — but I know I need to jump back into reality and pursue new opportunities.
I have so many regrets about not standing up for myself, I feel like my creativity has been crushed and my self-doubt is at an all time high. I could really use some encouragement. TIA 🤍
Edit — spelling