I really dislike having to talk to bosses especially about things they've done wrong. These kinds of situations trigger my ptsd, so having a calm robot text playout a controlled situation based on my worst fears of how he will react and how I can manage a response helps me feel more armed going into the conversation.
A fear is that I'll have a panic attack while trying to communicate, usually while being cut off and belittled. He thinks I'm crazy or 'not able to manage stress' and then finds some excuse to fire me. Sometimes I can feel this way, because well, its happened with a previous abusive employer.
I do try not to project my triggers, but the power dynamic I think renders the situation inherently triggering. Even if these are different people, different companies, etc the fact remains that my ability to eat is tied to this guys approval of me.. on some deep reptilian brain level. Which is abnormally active in people with ptsd.
So, I'm going to try the responses from Chat and update this post with the outcome. If I'm too anxious, I was going to chat on slack to my direct manager about it, I think there is a more harmonious relationship there.. in that she doesn't trigger my ptsd.
What about you? Have you enlisted AI to create better emotional boundaries at work?
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chatGPT for mental health, navigating toxic work environment, remote work anxiety, emotional boundaries