Journaling Prompts for a Difficult Work Relationship
A difficult manager or colleague can make your entire life smaller—the dread on Sunday evening, the way it follows you home, the constant second-guessing of yourself. The power dynamic makes it particularly complex: you can't simply say what you think or leave without real consequence. And being stuck in a difficult work relationship can start to erode your sense of competence and self-worth, even when the problem has nothing to do with your ability. Writing can help you separate what's yours from what belongs to the dynamic, and figure out what you actually want to do.
Journaling Prompts
Describe the dynamic as specifically as you can—what happens, who does what, what you feel afterward. Get it all out without softening it for anyone.
What specifically does this dynamic cost you—your confidence, your energy, your enthusiasm for your work, your sense of professional identity? Be precise about the losses.
What is within your control in this situation, and what genuinely isn't? Write two separate columns. Then look at the 'within my control' column and ask what you've actually tried.
What would you say to a friend who described this exact situation? What would you tell them they deserve, and what would you encourage them to do?
What do you want your professional life to feel like—not this situation specifically, but in general? Does your current path have any realistic route to that, or is something larger worth examining?