Journaling Prompts for Managing a Toxic Colleague
Sharing a workspace with someone who actively undermines, manipulates, or belittles you is an exhausting psychological battle. Their toxic behavior turns a professional environment into a hostile territory, draining your mental energy long after you have logged off. The hardest part is often the cognitive dissonance: wondering if you are simply being 'too sensitive' while simultaneously feeling the hard, verifiable impact of their sabotage. Writing documents the reality. By recording the clinical facts of their behavior, you strip away their gaslighting, allowing you to build an emotional firewall and a tactical strategy to protect your career and your peace.
Journaling Prompts
Document the most recent aggressive interaction objectively. Write down exactly what was said and done, removing all emotional interpretation, as if taking minutes in a courtroom.
Analyze their underlying motive. Is their toxicity driven by their own profound incompetence, deep insecurity, or a desperate need for control?
Write down the specific professional boundary they repeatedly violate. What is the exact, emotionless script you will use the next time they attempt this violation?
How are you currently shrinking your own potential or silencing your ideas to avoid triggering their outbursts? Why is protecting their ego not a required part of your job description?
Draft a strict protocol for disengaging. When they begin their toxic cycle tomorrow, what physical or verbal action will you take to immediately remove yourself from the blast radius?