So, I think I handled this situation decently, as decently as I can with only being on medication and still not being in therapy.

I’ll keep it brief. Or try.

A coworker of mine (W) is very bossy and controlling. Other coworkers think so too, and she sort of alienates others because of it. She’s been with the company 10+ years to my 3 months, but she is not in any sort of management position, and doesn’t really hold any authority over me, other than she probably knows the ins and outs of the work far better than I do. She was being particularly bossy and controlling the other day, which a coworker also noticed. I decided I didn’t really want to deal with it, so I told my boss. He said he was aware of the situation, and he’d talk with her. (The more I think about this, the angrier it’s making me but...) 

I’m going to assume he did, because today, W said boss needed to talk to me. I wasn’t sure where W said he was (it’s a large building and I’ve yet to see every nook and cranny) so I walked around in circles trying to find him. Ended up going back to W to ask where exactly he was. So I find him, joking to him by saying ‘all this searching for you has taken away from work!’ Said in a joking manner. He says ‘we need to talk about that. Someone has said when they come to your station to assist you, you end up slacking off and staring into space or messing around on your phone.’ I immediately tuned him out because I knew who ‘someone’ was. And I was immediately angry. I let him continue talking, I asked him who ‘someone’ was, he wouldn’t say. He continued on, I was so SO INFURIATED I had to walk away. I walked back to my work station and proceeded to work, my head still buzzing and me dizzy with anger. I took a few deep breaths and found my boss again. I apologized to him for walking away and told him I was angry and needed to take a breather. He picked up the conversation with ‘... but it was not W that told me!’ And.. I could barely contain myself. I did not insult him, demean him, or call him a liar, all of which my Monster (my crazy) was so eagerly ready to do. I gripped my fists very tightly. I said ‘I didn’t ASK for her help. If she has a problem with me when she’s helping me, then she shouldn’t FUCKING help me.’ And walked off. Still fuming. 

I NEVER stare off into space. Ever. If I am in between work to do (if there’s not a heavy work flow), I will FIND something to do. Do I mess around on my phone? Sure, I’ll freely admit it. I dick around trying to find the right playlist or song. Maybe send a quick text. I do that whether or not someone is helping me. It’s a bad thing, yes. I shouldn’t do it. 

But W made up some shit to my boss, who blindly believed her, then LIED to me about W being the one telling him. I assume because I told my boss about how W is bossy and controlling. Any other coworker has confronted me if I’m being a slack off or anything along those lines. W hasn’t. W is a kiss ass. I knew that from week two. 

Writing this out, I also realized that another coworker, who also understands W’s character flaws, said that W told her I am slacking off, etc, and W even told yet ANOTHER coworker about my ‘lazy slacking’. Which, to me, sounds like she’s trying to get people on her side. Which makes me so, so angry. The whole situation had me angry the rest of the day. My boss never said another word to me the rest of the day. W STILL kept helping me and it took me everything in my power to not tell her to fuck off. 

I spent the rest of the day being so angry that I ended up feeling exhausted and hungry. Which is sort of where I’m at now. I desperately wish there was a way I could professionally escalate this, but the fact that W only fabricated part of the story means I don’t really have a good case. The fact that W retaliated makes me so angry. This is a woman in her middle age. I am just. I just can’t.