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Humiliating Situation At Work - Need Help on How to Fix This

MissMouse2023 May 20th, 2023

I have both anxiety and OCD, which comes with cleaning obsessions - what happened is this - I accidentally clogged the toilet at work because I used way too much paper (having IBS does not help either), and this usually does not happen because I flush a million times to avoid this (and it’s high-powered), but this time I was tired and felt rushed, so I was not paying attention to flush as often.

Thankfully, there was only paper in there 😰 because I had flushed twice before that, however not everyone knows that when they hear someone clogged the toilet 😣😬☹️☹️☹️

I also wasn’t thinking very clearly that day because I have been taking a bit too much Ativan (almost every work day for two weeks now)… So, I was too humiliated and flustered to tell housekeeping (and I was not sure how to get into the supplies closet for the plunger, and didn’t want people to see me unclog it anyways) so I was really lazy and selfish and figured that because they usually clean the upstairs bathrooms about an hour after this happened, it would be taken care of then.

However, the head-boss (my boss’s boss’s boss), who happens to be the CEO of this small business, discovered this first and housekeeping must have been occupied somewhere else, so I saw her come upstairs with a mop (because it had overflown). She then came out of the bathroom with a transparent bag full of soggy toilet paper and then she announced to everyone that the toilets upstairs can’t take too much paper and that because the plunger would not work, she had to put on gloves and reach in with her hands to pull out the paper 😬😣One of the people who overheard was the CFO who has an office next to me 😣😣😣 The CEO must have known it was me because I was the first person she talked to about it (while saying my name). Then there are a couple of other people on that floor who have offices there (all of which are my superiors) 😬 and there are customers who visit that floor too. Then, because my office is near a couple of staircases, some people downstairs could have heard this too, and I’m afraid that when she got the mop from downstairs, she could have talked about the clogged toilet overflowing and people could have guessed it was me 😰 because not too many people have their office there (unless it was a customer). Then, when one of my superiors was leaving to say goodbye for the night, she gave me this weird look 😬☹️☹️ I’m afraid that everyone I wanted to impress, or at least not make a complete idiot out of myself in front of (my superiors, someone who works downstairs that I’m attracted to), will know that I’m the one who screwed up, and they will think “what the *** is wrong with her” and also think I am really sloppy and selfish for leaving behind a clogged toilet 😰😬😣☹️ I am afraid that people will talk about it when I’m not there, and because it is a small gossipy place, everyone will know about it, and everyone will know it was me 😰😰😰 Everyone will think I am a weirdo for using too much paper and careless and stupid for not notifying someone when there was a clog ☹️☹️☹️🤬🤬

I’ll be socially ostracized, people will think there is something wrong with me, and my superiors will think I’m stupid.

It is bad enough that my social anxiety and OCD-related intrusive thoughts make me panic and “freeze” which makes me perform less well and probably makes me look and act in ways that make people think I’m weird.

If people know what happened and know it was me who f****d up, how could I fix my reputation?

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GoldenRuleJG May 20th, 2023

@MissMouse2023 Its unimaginable that you feel you will definitely get punished in some way at work. If someone did something wrong to you (not on purpose) and they did not tell you, how would you feel vs if they did do something wrong on purpose? I think this seems like a bite the bullet situation - there are disadvantages if you don’t share and disadvantages if someone hears it from third person. If you share what happened from your side what does that mean vs if someone else shares what you did accidentally and misunderstands? I will end this with this thought “Courage to accept the things you cannot change and the things you can.”

2 replies
MissMouse2023 OP May 23rd, 2023

@GoldenRuleJG

I did send my superior an email to apologize for her unclogging the toilet - her response was “no worries” and she wrote that she was not saying it was me but that the toilets upstairs are sensitive to too much paper. Still my other superior who is also upstairs with me (and saw all this happen) has stared at me weirdly the whole day today and usually she says hello to everyone, but she did not greet me today. I’m worried that being around her is going to be really awkward… Then I’m afraid that the people who heard about this will think I am a careless idiot and that they’ll gossip about it to everyone else at work or even mention during meetings with other directors that I caused a potential maintenance disaster ☹️😣😰 I really should have told housekeeping immediately instead of getting flustered ☹️☹️☹️

Does this happen to anyone else? Will people think forever that something is seriously wrong with me (especially for failing to admit to maintenance that I caused a clog) or are they able to relate at least a little bit to the situation? Are people going to treat me differently?

Even more to the point, do people realize that the reason why I didn’t notify anyone is because I was too mortified to do so? Hopefully they don’t think I just neglected the issue for no reason😰😰😰

1 reply
GoldenRuleJG May 23rd, 2023

@MissMouse2023 I know I’m this moment your feeling really discouraged and negative towards yourself :( We are imperfect humans - you did the right thing in that you acknowledged what the error was . Sending comfort hugs if accepted and sorry I feel my message was not encouraging for you at all. ❤️

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GoldenRuleJG May 20th, 2023

@MissMouse2023 Be honest and truthful and sincere as difficult as it is with them 💜💜

GoldenRuleJG May 20th, 2023

@MissMouse2023 7cups.com/BrowseListeners

Vaishnavi1111 May 24th, 2023

@MissMouse2023

Hello dear member, this is Vaishnavi.

I can understand how distressing and anxiety-provoking this situation has been for you. It's natural to be concerned about the impact on your reputation and relationships at work. It's important to be kind to yourself during this time.

Mistakes happen to everyone, and it's important to acknowledge that. Instead of dwelling on what others might think, let's focus on how you can move forward and learn from this experience. Is there anyone you feel comfortable discussing this situation with, such as a supervisor or someone from HR? They might be able to provide guidance and support.

Rebuilding trust takes time and consistent effort. As you continue to perform your job to the best of your abilities and demonstrate professionalism, others may begin to see your dedication and growth. It's important to be patient with yourself as you navigate through this challenging situation.

What steps do you think you could take to address the situation and work towards rebuilding your reputation?

adventurousBranch3786 May 24th, 2023

@MissMouse2023. I just saw this interview with an actor talking about their experience. If your interested it’s called ‘Sean Hayes embarrassing hotel bathroom incident.’

It’s on YouTube and I hope it helps you feel less alone.


walkalot May 25th, 2023

Hi Miss Mouse, clearly this is embarrassing, but it's also hilarious. Try to see the humor in it and laugh with the other people who are probably amused by it.