Dear Abby: I blew up at work after years of silence. Was I wrong?

DEAR ABBY:

I’m a soft-spoken person. I work in a medical laboratory, and I am finally speaking up for what I believe in (after years of social anxiety and depression). At the last meeting, when asked by the manager for suggestions to improve the lab workflow, I spoke up. Fast-forward to tonight. When I expressed some excitement about my idea, the site leader, a different manager, shot my idea down, saying, “It’s not going to make a difference.” This isn’t the first time she has made me feel like my ideas are dumb or that I’m not intelligent, and I snapped. I asked her what ideas SHE had, and she looked as if I offended her, but she’s done this numerous times since she came here. Meanwhile, she has her favorite person in the lab who gets away with murder.

Was I wrong for getting upset at her? I just feel like my suggestions go unnoticed or are scoffed at, but when another person comes up with something similar, she applauds them. — HAD ENOUGH IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR HAD ENOUGH:

Blowing up at the manager may have felt good at the moment after years of silence caused by depression and social anxiety, but it was the wrong thing to do. That kind of behavior does not belong in a professional environment. Favoritism happens in many work environments, and it can be frustrating. If you can’t find a way to accept it, you might be happier working at a different lab.

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Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

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What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)