“Oh, your back hurts? Try being me! Everything from my neck down to my toes bothers me all day and every day! Take some ibuprofen and get over it!”
My shoulders, back, and feet always bother me in some way, shape, or form but it’s become normal for me so I just kind of keep going. I don’t ever make it about me when someone says they’re hurting. In fact, I’ll often end up pushing myself harder to make it easier on them.
But then I’ll have some kind of new pain, such as a tooth abscess, and I just can’t work with it. I’ve had coworkers tell me things like, “Go ahead come to work; I have some [insert narcotic] that you can take.” Like, no.
Why can’t coworkers, managers, supervisors, etc., just be sympathetic and understanding?