I just had a full panic attack in front of my boss and 2 other supervisors.

47 Comments

1. Jackie RukaJuly 1,2023 at 6:21PM UTC

   You are a human being first. I know you may feel embarrassed and shame however, what others think of you is none of your business.

   Whats important is taking care of you first.

   Ppl who are rude and disrespectful to you can create a trigger. How you respond is important. No one deserves to treat someone like that. This is not your fault.

   Growing thick skin in a job like that takes practice.

   My suggestion is some therapy sessions and perhaps some training with handling aggressive customers.

   Re-evaluate how to best handle your emotions or your emotions will take over… which I know is apparent.

   So, this is an opportunity for you to be proactive and try not to beat yourself up about it. Breathing techniques, stress relief tools and meditation are ways to help your mind recover in between customer calls.

   Most people are too busy dealing with their own lives and so should you.

   Chalk it up to a learning experience and rise above it. This too shall pass and know you will be ok.

   Big hug.?

2. AnonymousJuly 1,2023 at 7:20PM UTC

   You are human.
   I had a panic attack the other day and I feel like management is looking at me as well. Unfortunately, I don't have pto time for counseling and because I need my job so badly -- well, reality is....I come last. My choice is to put up with it and say nothing so I'm not told "unstable". I smile and go on. Give give give the good and take the bad.

   This is not "poor me", this is reality of Drs, insurance, meds, jobs and expenses of life

   People in the world are extremely cruel and hiding behind a screen/phone make it worse

3. AnonymousJuly 1,2023 at 8:22PM UTC

   This is really not that big a deal. I don't want to diminish your experience but believe it or not people don't jump to extreme conclusions with anxiety or panic. I was in a grocery store a few weeks back and the cashier was just starting to melt down. Not one person there in line reacted beyond suggesting she take a break and get a backup to relieve her. You could feel her struggle and it's a human response .....nothing more.

   Understand that we all have triggers. Some more sensitive than others.

   Give yourself grace. You are a sensitive human. It will not destroy how others view you long term.

4. AnonymousJuly 1,2023 at 9:54PM UTC

   It's OK. I doubt they see someone that is weak. Just an employee dealing with a very tough situation and trying to get through it.

   They are trying to help you through it. Don't take their actions as looking down on you but trying to lift you up and support you after a challenging situation.

5. BrianaJuly 2,2023 at 12:26AM UTC

   First, remember to breathe. Repeat. Although it may feel like a catastrophe, it is not. Erase the thought that you need to regain their trust. You didn't do anything to break their trust. You didn't attack anyone; the woman on the phone did. You were the victim.

   It may feel like the stage lights are burning your skin, but they will dim quickly. Keep moving, and inevitably, something else will happen and steal the spotlight. People are interested in their own dramas, not yours.

   That being said, before you move on, you need to examine not just the scene's script, but the whole show's. Is this the first time you have had a panic attack at work? Are you struggling with other performance or social issues, or was it just a perfect storm on a day that you didn't have all your armor on?

   Be honest with yourself, as no job is worth sacrificing your well-being. Are there aspects about the job that keep you on heightened alert? Do you spend a lot of time processing the day after work? Are there days when you wake up feeling frozen? Do you honestly feel safe, valued, and professionally respected?Listen to your body and trust your intuition.

   Anxiety is a natural chain reaction hardwired into us for survival. Triggers are everywhere, but some are more visceral than others.That's how panic attacks work. Once the switch gets flipped on, it doesn't go off completely on its own, which leads to it being easily flipped in the future.Regardless of the source of the trigger and how much support you may or may not get from your leadership team, I encourage you to find another job that has a more balanced environment. At your current job, you're exposed to annihilation every time you dial a number. It's psychological roulette.

   Remember to be compassionate towards yourself. You deserve a safe environment to work in. Everyone does.

   Here are some resources that may help you explore the millions of options and opportunities available if you need them.

   The Department of Labor has great resources online:

   My Next Move Interest Profiler to get started using the O*NET database below.https://www.mynextmove.org/

   O*NET ONLINE is a giant occupational database and other free tools including in person jobseeker assistance.

   https://www.onetonline.org/

   O*NET provides and extensive list of resources for job accomodations

   https://www.onetonline.org/help/online/accom

   There is a Japanese concept called Ikigai. It roughly translates into “living purpose” it is the reason people get out of bed in the morning smile and keep going. It is about balance too. Check out:https://ikigaitest.com/

   Learn about Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). It has techniques that you can use everyday to win control over panic attacks. There is a new online resource that is really cool. Easy to understand, self guided. Includes videos and worksheets as well as exercises. I hope it helps.

   https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/Learn about Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). It has techniques that you can use everyday to win control over panic attacks. There is a new online resource that is really cool. Easy to understand, self guided. Includes videos and worksheets as well as exercises. I hope it helps.https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/

6. HeidinniJuly 2,2023 at 1:29AM UTC

   If your managers truly are supportive, they will understand as long as you are getting help. I urge you to talk to a therapist about maybe working through some of the things that set you off so you don't have to be in that position regularly. But I wouldn't worry about the opinions of the bosses at the moment, just worry about getting help and try to be grateful that the opportunity arose to point out where you still have work to do.

7. AnonymousJuly 2,2023 at 7:17PM UTC

   I believe working in a call center is not a good fit for you at this time. Working with the public is very difficult even if you are at your strongest point in your life. People can be downright rude and mean and I believe this type of work will escalate your condition. I have had similar struggles and stopped working with the public 12 years ago. I work with children now. It has its challenges like anything else but it is a better fit for me. I know it doesn't work for everyone and there are other roles where you are not on the front line with the public. Have you tried career counseling? Try getting some advice outside of work to cope. Yoga and deep breathing and even walking can help with stress. Try not to take it to the boss each time you are upset as this may backfire eventually. Try to let things roll off you like water on a duck's back. I know this is difficult because I used to take everything to heart, too, but at the end of the day it is just their opinion and ugliness coming through and you cannot base your day or happiness on what they say. Just keep working on yourself to build yourself up. Tell yourself that you aren't going to let others dictate to you and judge you, you are doing your best. Good luck.

8. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 12:40PM UTC

   Honestly, yes they will see you and treat you differently. They now know that in certain situations you may react in a certain manner. I hope that your employer is aware of your mental illness so that they can work with you in getting you accommodations. I know that it's easier said than done, but I would consider looking for a role outside of customer service. I'm not sure working with people would be right for you considering that people can be really mean and take their bad day out on you. It's not worth it to negatively impact your mental health.

9. BethBJuly 3,2023 at 12:42PM UTC

   Unfortunately being yelled at and being called names is part of this kind of job. People aren’t calling because they want to be kind, they are having some kind of problem and may be frustrated and angry. If this is upsetting to you it might not be the right line of work for you. This isn’t about trust. It is about temperament. And yea, they are doubting that you have the temperament to succeed. This doesn’t make you weak or “less than.” It simply means this might not be a good fit for you, regardless of whether your doc prescribes a higher dosage. My adult child has mental illness and I’ll tell you what I’d tell her, why jepordize your hard fought mental wellness for a job? There are plenty of other jobs that don’t involve being yelled at by random people.

10. Hilary GrayJuly 3,2023 at 12:59PM UTC

    Something similar happened to me years ago when I worked in customer service. I was screamed at over the phone and held it together until they hung up, then lost it when I was speaking to a supervisor about it and had to leave the room. It sounds like your supervisors handled it with empathy, which is good. I don't understand why people are so rude to customer service, but I guarantee it's definitely not the first time your supervisors have dealt with situations like this. Take care of yourself and perhaps explore other career options if that's possible for you.

11. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 1:03PM UTC

    I’m sorry that you went through this experience. There’re lots of friendly customers who contact customer service, but there’s nearly an equal number of buttholes, too. Some of the customers who contact call centers are some of most rudest, most ungrateful, and nastiest people on God’s green Earth. And, yes, sometimes they’re racist, sexist, ableist, or some other form of bigot. They’re merciless bullies. Yeah, it’s nothing personal when they’re a-holes to you. They treat their husbands/wives, boyfriends/girlfriends, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, coworkers, children, etc like shite, too. Yeah, they’re dealing with their own personal Hell because they’re drowning in debt/dealing with a personal loss/angry at the world for no reason/etc so they call you all day because they need an outlet for their undeserved anger at everyone.

    But, every now and then, you get off the phones and you’re thinking, “I don’t want to talk to humans for the rest of the day” or “I’m not getting paid enough to keep taking this crud from people”. I left call centers because I started to notice that these jobs were killing my empathy for people. I felt like it was turning me into someone I didn’t like. I’m amazed at people who can work in call centers for >5 years. That’s astounding to me.

    Unfortunately, being a call center employee involves developing a really thick skin to deal with angry d-bags. Not everyone has that sort of personality, though, and a person shouldn’t be required to sit there and take vile insults to pay the bills. Have you tried asking your supervisors if you can get a different job at the company? If not, it might be time to start looking for a new job once you’re feeling better and ready to return to work.

    I’d absolutely love to see a society where call centers no longer exist. Customer service will always be needed, but call centers? Screw ‘em.

12. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 6:05PM UTC

    Agreed. Between automated and AI, call centers should be abolished. It’s so 1980s.

13. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 8:09PM UTC

    It can be just as bad with people in person who have to wait their turn and use you as a scapegoat because you’re the one on the front lines checking them in.

    I did it for 2 years and hated it. People yelling profanities and angry at the time they had to wait. (I was not able to do anything about their wait time). The boss was crap.

    Finally went on stress leave and regained my sanity and joy. Landed a new job back in my preferred career and very grateful.

14. Afo Ogbeyalu KaluJuly 3,2023 at 1:17PM UTC

    Yes, some may view you as "weak" . . . others . . . "brave", and some many not be thinking about you, or the call at all.

    We typically can't control others thoughts, but as an individual, you can be your best self. Continue to act with professionalism. Continue to self-reflect and monitor those things/situations which may cause you anxiety, and utilize the coping strategies which work best for you. If the company has a system of tracking abusive customers, utilize it as well. Wishing you peace ??

15. Deb HornerJuly 3,2023 at 1:27PM UTC

    Straighten that crown, for you are a queen! The more I live, the more I realize that there are more neuro spicy people than there are neuro typical people. I personally prefer to be called spicy than divergent, and I'm probably somewhere on the ASD spectrum (I have twins with it, and they resemble some of my own mannerisms), I have ADHD (inattentive type by my own observations/testing) as well as a long history of depression. I'm currently drowning in too much stress, which involves a dose of depression as well as the inability to actually clean my house, or complete typical tasks. It's summer vacation after a semester from absolute hell (kid who physically attacked me for 4 months on a daily basis, culminating in him shoving me off a bench onto the concrete below), a court battle to be named successor guardian for my twins (their father died on MLK day) which I lost last week, and a sewer backup X3 with resultant contractors in my house every day for months, more dirt than I could cope with, and bleeding red ink from my budget. YOU are not weak. You are a strong member of a team who experienced bullying and aggression. You had a visceral reaction to maltreatment. That's NOT your problem. No employer should allow their staff to be bullied or mistreated. If they do, it's time to take a hike. Your employers did the right things. They offered you a break, and were supportive. Calling your doctor for help was exactly the right thing to do. Breathe, and realize you are capable of much more than someone who would bully someone on the other end of the phone call. I have to make call center calls this week, and I need to remember to ask for supervisors at the end of the calls. I typically do that to report excellent service and support because too many people neglect to mention that they received good service, but complain about the smallest detail that wasn't done to their satisfaction.

16. Kimberly AnneJuly 3,2023 at 1:42PM UTC

    Sadly your be judged. This is why I don’t work. Hopefully your issues aren’t like mine. I take meds and they are the sole reason I can drive a car and have a life. I hope they are good

    people.

17. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 1:50PM UTC

    As someone who worked in call centers for 10 years doing customer service plus takes meds for my adhd, major depressive disorder, and severe anxiety, I can tell you from experience after you have taken a few deep breaths, your next thought should not be “what if they see me as weak?”.

    It should be “what other types of jobs could I use my experience and job skills with?” You can’t control what others do, say, or think, but you can control how you choose to react or respond (anxiety and panic attacks aside).

    customer service isn’t always friendly a lot the times people only call in when something is wrong, in my personal opinion you have just identified a trigger and every time you get triggered you shouldn’t want your answer to be I need to request an increase in my medication dosage.

    Try to change the environment that will trigger you. I say this as a current grad student majoring in counseling psychology to become a therapist.

    Mental Health is more than just medications. Your self awareness is very important to your progress, slowly removes obstacles/triggers that will hinder that.

    I don’t take lightly that you are worried about your job, no one wants to get fired or lose their main source of income but thats why you might want to consider another job environment that fits you current skillsets where you aren’t left to deal with angry people. You are not a punching bag and mental illness does make us weak. As far as Im concerned you are a high functioning clinically diagnosed individual that is already making strides. There plenty of people unable to work because of functional disabilities caused by there mental health disorders. Find pride in it not weakness ?

18. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 2:19PM UTC

    This ^^^

19. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 3:03PM UTC

    I'm so sorry you had such an upsetting experience at work. While there is no way to know how others will respond, I would respond with compassion to any employee who had a panic attack and try to help. It was unacceptable that anyone talked to you that way. It seems call centers can be like hostile drivers. Taking out anger on someone who is not standing before you. It is unacceptable behavior. You should not be driven out of your job because people cannot treat you with the respect you deserve. If this is common at work, it is worth looking at work where you don't have to deal with phones and rude people. We all do, but not continuously. My mom dealt with people like this in airline reservations. She would tell abusive customers she would be happy to help them if they calmed down and treated her respectfully. It usually worked.

20. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 3:52PM UTC

    I have worked at several call centers. The last one takes the cake. One week I received accolades from a distant service center in the UK for providing outstanding customer service. Two weeks later I had the audacity to request assistance from an on-call supervisor with a question I could not answer. The regular supervisors were not available. I was fired shortly thereafter. Call center work is unpredictable. Find your calling outside of work. I did eventually find work in an ERP accounting system, which only required infrequent customer contact via email.

21. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 4:19PM UTC

    Sorry you had to deal with this unstable person who felt the need irrespective of your personal medical situation to verbally berate you to make themselves feel better. You have not lost trust. I think the best way to heal from this is simple. Sit your supervisors down and explain the word that set you off. Let them know that while you love your job that you cannot again have someone call you names that are personal. Ask them for the best way to disengage from a call like that should it happen again and not be the target for that type of abuse from a customer. Listen to what they offer as a solution and perhaps the solution you could recommend is an immediate call transfer to one of their lines or a hang up if that is permitted. Don't take this on your own back AT ALL! No one should be abused by another person while doing their job. If the company cannot offer a solution and they don't like your suggestions then finding a role where there is less strife and toxicity would be advised. Don't overmedicate yourself because of others. There is nothing wrong with not having someone call you names.

22. AnonymousJuly 3,2023 at 7:23PM UTC

    First, I'm sorry you are dealing with such anxiety and bipolar disorder symptoms. That's an especially elevated emotional job working in a Call Center where dealing with 'unseen' people each day. It can be brutal for those who don't have anxiety or BPD!Yes, seek your physician's advice. Yes, it can potentially put your job at risk, even with supportive bosses. They can't have employees who don't have the ability to remain cool and calm under pressure. No matter whether it's due to an illness or not, it's very possible for them to find other reasons to eliminate your job.Do ALL that is within your power to remain under control of your emotional outbursts: exercise regularly, proper sleep, nutrition, support system, and physician's orders for appropriate meds. Take regular breaks away from the phone. For me, fresh air and reading Scripture works wonders for my 10 min breaks. Share with your bosses what steps you are taking to lessen and diminish the symptoms, etc.

23. KellyW43July 4,2023 at 2:31AM UTC

    I'm so sorry you had to go through that. It's so frustrating when a customer treats you like crap.

    Think of it this way. Everyone has that one customer who will take them over the edge. Whether they have a panic attack like you, or takes you in the other direction.

    You just came across yours and it won't be held against you as this isn't a regular occurrence. If this happens daily or weekly, then there is an issue, but working in a call center. This happens a lot more than you think.

    You are just fine. Keep on doing the great job you are doing and you will be just fine.

24. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 8:07AM UTC

    i am so sorry you had to go through like that. Don’t take too much anxiety drugs. It won’t help you to solve your problems.

25. Catrina DomaikaJuly 4,2023 at 12:26PM UTC

    I've worked in call centers as a Customer Service Rep for years and trust that they know how demanding this position can be and feel actual empathy for you. They've been where you are, most likely more now as Supervisors taking those escalated calls daily. Customers can be down right mean when not in person. The power of the word behind the veil of the phone gives them the courage to say things we can only hope they normally would not.

26. Nykisha HarrisJuly 4,2023 at 12:26PM UTC

    Heavenly father I ask that you give your child peace in this moment father place your healing hands on her body Father. The devil is a liar I speak healing on her right now Father no weapon formed against your child shall prosper in the name of Jesus. Father I ask that you heal her now father. Free her from the demons that are trapped in her body that’s causing her to have anxiety and bipolar release that from her mind and body father in the name of Jesus the devil will not have your child father. Protect her while she on the phone with her callers, block any enemy they try to steal her joy father while at work father in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray for this young lady today Amen.

27. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 12:53PM UTC

    Go back to Facebook with this

28. Nykisha HarrisJuly 4,2023 at 5:45PM UTC

    ????? it’s ok that your mad I will pray for you too have a good day ????

29. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 7:58PM UTC

    This response only demonstrates another soul lost in the devil's lies. Praying for you to be saved from the depths of hell.

30. AnonymousJuly 5,2023 at 1:15PM UTC

    Nakisha Harris can you pray for me as well, I am going through the same thing. I don’t work at a call center, I use to work for this company called Gimme$5 but they rebrand to Keevado. I just have trust issues with the employees and supervisors

31. M CJuly 4,2023 at 12:33PM UTC

    Hi, I am so very sorry this happened to you. I can relate to your worries and concerns. Firstly, it is not your fault and when your supervisors show support, that is a great sign! Also, in a healthy workplace, it is understood that customers can be difficult. It makes so much sense that you would have a strong response to such a word, and it sounds a lot like mind games, and all we can do in these cases is to better learn to not take such things personally. I understand and relate to your brain projecting and worrying what your supervisors will think and I see that you need to feel safe, and I would as well! Listen to your doctor and maybe you can take this experience as an example of areas that you can work on, such as how our fears of what others think can really take over and so ask for help with that part of your anxiety, and I so deeply understand how that feels, and just know, that if people misjudge you, or judge you harshly, that is a reflection of who they are. If your anxiety and worry takes over, then take best care of yourself...and my advice would be also, if you feel, not your supervisors or anyone else, but if one day you feel this job is too stressful, you are free to look for something different, and maybe that will help release some of the pressure. Just keep taking care of yourself and it seems like you have not actually lost their trust, but maybe if you wonder about it, you can check in for feedback about it...most times, a healthy supervisor will not blame you for a customer being so difficult. I hope this helps...

32. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 3:49PM UTC

    Sounds like a very stressful job. The good thing is you seem to have good supervisors. I once had to leave a job where my supervisor was doing a lot to make my anxiety and self-image worse.

33. Miranda McdadeJuly 4,2023 at 3:58PM UTC

    As someone who manages people in a customer service setting, even people with no known mental health issues occasionally get pushed over the edge by customers. Especially in a call center environment where the customer can't see you, they are extra emboldened by a sense of anonymity. Needing a break after a particularly difficult interaction is proof you're a human being. If one of my employees had a similar incident, I'd want to make sure they have clear understanding of their options to escalate or pause verbally abusive calls. As far as regaining trust, try not to get stuck being down on yourself. Apologize once, only if you feel it's necessary/appropriate. And then try to let it go. Repeated apologies can make coworkers/supervisors feel like you're fishing for a response they haven't given. Try to be business as usual, so that your bad day at work is framed as exactly what it is, a single day in your work history.

34. Cecilia FlamingJuly 4,2023 at 5:22PM UTC

    I wouldn't worry too much about being viewed as "weak"! I worked in a call centre for 2+ years and let me tell you - it gets to ALL of us! People can be pretty nasty hiding behind a phone. We all get pushed to our breaking points, I had a couple times where I had to take a break and meet with my manager after some pretty nasty calls. It's great that they are letting you take a break, de-stress and take care of yourself. You don't have to worry about looking "less".

35. AnonymousJuly 4,2023 at 6:22PM UTC

    I also worked in Customer Service and use to take and be on the end of verbal garbage that the customers thought would get us to stop calling, instead of nicely and politely asking to be removed from the list. I really took getting called a bitch to heart and would talk about it in my grief support group. One of the wonderful ladies there taught me that being a bitch wasn't a bad thing as you were "being in control of herself"! Man did I grab onto to that and continue to use it with the added "What's your problem?"

    You've got this don't let someone ruin your day with verbal abuse, try to let it go. You probably caught them at a bad time, which is no excuse to be rude. Be strong, be a warrior and carry on.

36. TAHIR kamalJuly 4,2023 at 10:41PM UTC

    Hi, one thing that helped me through anxiety and overthinking is :

    Showering everyday at 6 or 7 am in the morning with "cold water"

    Preferably working out before, you can start moderately, if you like squats, and can only do 10 don't judge yourself just get your body heat up and take a cols shower

    Also whenever you're stressed and the back of your head hurts, take a cold shower.

    The most important part is this one:

    "When cold water pours on your body don't breath heavily from your mouth out of cold, stop your sensation of fear and inhale from the nose to keep your status strong, and exhale from the mouth deeply. don't say or think about anything, just focus on the cold water on your body and breath"

    Now don't try to do this perfectly on the first day, start easy, each day untill you can do it, but try to up it each day, or each 2 days to realize the improvement.

    Cold water makes you calm and helps you decide on other important stuff in life

    If you need help you can contact me I'll gladly answer your questions.

37. Cynthia Armistead NewmanJuly 5,2023 at 1:32PM UTC

    I've done call center work as well as training, mentoring, and supervising call center workers. In most places, unfortunately, the job is terrible. Callers assume that they can yell at workers, call them names, and generally act in a toxic, abusive manner. Most companies allow it, too.

    Nobody can pay me enough to accept that kind of treatment, and I've always stood up for my workers and not allowed anyone to treat them that way, either.

    I suggest that you find out what your employer's policy is regarding abusive callers. I trained people to calmly say, "Don't yell at me/don't use that language with me," once as a warning. If the caller continued to be abusive, the operator was to hang up, documenting what happened in their ticket.

    You might consider trying to move into a chat support role. People are seldom as willing to use abusive language if they have to type it while present under their own names (instead of hiding behind an anonymous "handle").

38. SarahJuly 5,2023 at 2:40PM UTC

    I've worked many years in a call center and I think that an agent breaking down over their calls is a pretty normal occurrence unfortunately. But, that means this probably isn't the first time that your boss and other supervisors have handled this kind of situation. I think the way they reacted speaks volumes about how they think of you and the situation. So in my opinion, they don't think less of you. Continuing to do your best at your job will continue building the trust that you still have with them.

39. Kimberley Ferretti HammettJuly 5,2023 at 7:53PM UTC

    It sounds like you've already been doing some good work on confronting your mental health in just the way you are recognizing that your brain is telling you what their perception is and seeking perspective.
    Congratulate and be grateful for all the hard work past "you" has put in to be here!

    Like some others said, there is no way to know for sure. They may privately understand first or secondhand or they may have another face entirely that is judgmental and anywhere in between where there concern is more than they've put off. since you can't know for sure, try to focus on what will make YOU feel stronger. From what I've read, it sounds like more than anything, confidence is what is shaken more than trust. Confidence in how you are percieved and potentially confidence in how you will be able to handle similar situations in the future. Here are two things I would say you think about:

    How can you build your confidence back up? What did you learn from the experience? If "Unstable" is a trigger for you, how could you prepare yourself better now knowing that?
    Avoid apologizing and try thanking them instead. What sounds stronger "I'm so sorry, I'm so embarrassed that happened!" or "I want to thank you so much for the compassion you showed when things hit me so hard."? You know you are capable of the job and you've likely got at least 20 good examples for every one questionable moment. If you were to KNOW they still believed in you as they should, how would that shape your approach?

    And on a more personal note.. I fully understand it being triggering for someone to call you unstable and in response I ask, what fully formed human is stable? Robots are stable. Humans are inescapably in flux. We are gifted with the ability to feel a huge range of emotions, sometimes many at once. You may still be working on how those things affect your behaviors and life.. but that just means you're human. The roller coaster is a great metaphor.. too many sharp inclines and declines can make you puke, but you also aren't going to have a lot of fun on a flat track! I hope you find the right ebb and flow for you and know that you are valuable!

40. AnonymousJuly 5,2023 at 9:55PM UTC

    You are no less the great person you are. Take the moment as a lesson to learn and move forward.

41. Jennifer BlumJuly 5,2023 at 11:41PM UTC

    Jeez, I am so sorry you've had to endure such abuse from a customer. People truly can awful. Hoping that your boss and supervisors are human enough to understand and better yet find ways to protect you from this kind of harassment. If not, maybe it's time to consider moving on.

42. Heather BinghamJuly 6,2023 at 12:56AM UTC

    I don't think you will be looked at poorly, but you need to break this down. Accept that the bipolar self-doubt is talking to you and tell it that you aren't going to listen until you've done your own analysis. Then I think you ask yourself, very honestly, how could that caller have known that you are less stable than some other folk? I can't imagine that you gave that away, so it was just an empty word that happened to reach its target. So far, so good. Then don't look at how the panic attack happened, because it did, but look at how you got over it. Did you cope with it well? It sounds to me that you did that part quite well. Does the bipolar self-doubt have anything more to go on? Probably not.

    I spent many, many years with the voice of bipolar self-doubt in my head. When I first became aware that it was there, I too was rewarded with a panic disorder, phobias and misery. However, the more you realise that the unhelpful voice is trying to drag you back, when you are working to move forward, the more you can disregard it. Eventually it can disappear in a puff of smoke. So take courage from this example, start to separate your true self from that nagging voice, and forge ahead. I got rid of it eventually and so can you. For now, though, it was just a nasty word that happened to reach its target, nothing more - just an unlucky shot.

43. MislynJuly 6,2023 at 2:09PM UTC

    I cried in front of my boss at work when I was going through a divorce. Everyday I was so upset I couldn’t help it. I don’t feel he viewed me as week. That was actually the only time he ever gave me some space. He was usually to involved. Having a panic attack is not uncommon and I don’t feel that you should be ashamed of it. Life is hard and sometimes we break and that’s okay. You boss and coworkers have all been to that point sometime in their life.

44. Cassandra RyderJuly 6,2023 at 5:03PM UTC

    Honestly, how you are viewed on an ongoing basis has a lot to do with how you view yourself- if you present yourself as a person with a limiting illness then you will be viewed that way, if you view yourself as someone that had a bad reaction to an unreasonable person, then this one incident will be overlooked. Stay strong- and be prepared with a set of responses for this type of behavior from customers, perhaps a printout with calm responses like "I understand you have an issue but I can't allow you to insult me, please restate your issue calmly', or 'Should I hang on while you regain your composure?' things like that. Put this list where your boss can see it. This will show that you are taking proactive measures to prevent a negative reaction on your part from happening again and will turn a negative into a positive- it seems likely you will encounter unreasonable and insulting customers again at some point.

45. AnonymousJuly 7,2023 at 12:01AM UTC

    I worked in a call center before for 4 years. The job was a lot, callers were often rude and say “I don’t want you” - the feeling was mutual. Another caller was mad the oil company she wanted to reach was closed for Good Friday . I was so annoyed I told her there is also a Greek Good Friday, being greek I know this lol. I commend you for being able to have a customer service job. I couldn’t do it now, I don’t have the patience or desire to. I don’t think they view you as weak. Maybe a position where you use chat would be better for you. Try not to be hard on yourself

46. Luke HathertonJuly 7,2023 at 2:45PM UTC

    If you have an anxiety disorder, you are already given over to rumination and constant worry. Panic attacks are so disabling and disruptive of your ability to think rationally that they can prevent you from putting things into perspective. So the fact that you are thinking that your supervisors view you as weak is both unsurprising and almost certainly incorrect, given how supportive they were. Understanding of mental illness is still seriously lacking but it is growing - at least, enough for people who don't suffer from mental illness to know that they can't know.

    So I don't think you need to regain anyone's trust, as you never lost it in the first place.

47. MislynAugust 5,2023 at 1:06AM UTC

    I cried everyday in front of my boss while I was going through my divorce and he did nothing but play with my feelings. It took my family and friends to make me actually see what he was doing to me. He is the most evil toxic man and he took advantage of me at my weakest and I will never forget it. I just wish people would truly see him for what he is. I left that job and I’ve never been happier. Anxiety depression you name it. I hope you get through this and come out a better person. I know I have.