Watched a short work-life webinar our HR sent out, the kind you’d normally skip, but I had it playing in the break room at 9am after a night shift, and one line actually stuck.
The presenter said you don’t owe people a reason when you set a limit, you just state it once and let the silence sit there instead of filling it with explanations.
I’ve been trying that for about 3 weeks now with a coworker who keeps asking why I look tired lately. I just say I’m dealing with something and leave it there, no follow up, no apology.
Felt rude the first couple times, at least in my case, since I’m used to over explaining to keep the peace, but nobody’s pushed back once. Still doodle through my breaks instead of small talk, that part hasn’t changed, but the tired questions have goten shorter.