Hi Pink,

Thank you for your short and sweet advice.

Most people at work are self serving and don’t care about you.

That is something that i find hard to get. Because i’m too much the opposite. And i’m lucky that many people there at the workplace are not like that, but very helpful and relaxed. In my previous workplace as well, we would help each other when we could. Not always the same but i don’t mind about that, as long as we can work together in a nice way. For me it’s already natural that i’m helping them more than they do, but i usually don’t mind that.
This woman is a strong exponent of this quote of you and i’m still trying to accept that. That is not the way i want to live, even though i should become a bit like that.

I think you say it right: train people not to mess with you. And i don’t seem to be doing well in relation to that woman. Only yesterday i decided it was a bit ridiculous that i’d jump away so easily for her just because she decides that she wants to do my task. So i told her i’d do it and she said ok. But she still stayed there and started to do some things involved. So we got into a kind of discussion, she told me ‘yes but i’ll do it as well’ – 1 person is enough. So i kept quiet until she left. I was glad with that experience but now i feel that i have done this, i should keep quiet in my corner again for a week. It is a struggle and i hope to learn something from it, but perhaps i will have to respect that i will only progress in my own pace.

I think i will also have to train myself in having the right attitude from the beginning on. Learn to take on a bit of a stance to look more confident and to make it more clear that my space is there to be respected. Not to try to please them but observe them more.

With this woman it might be hard to change things but i will have to try.

Thank you so much for your support.