Redditor tiredofland wanted to hear about the times they had to deal with emotions at work.
They asked:
"How do you handle people crying at work?"
I have cried many a time over the years. Especially when waiting tables. A hug always helped.
Condolences
six feet under GIF by HBOGiphy"As a funeral director, I tend to just touch them on their arm and hand them tissues. And stay quiet."
Oct92018
Cry on Me
"I usually provide a tissue. I often get hugged. My last job, we had a meeting and one of the people in the meeting, well, she seemed off. Everyone filed out and I kind of lingered, asked, 'Hey, is there something wrong you want to talk about?' Boom, waterworks, she had to put her cat down this morning, etc. I am the guy in the office people cry on, I guess."
Nadaesque
to a science...
"I'm a teacher, so it's a near daily occurrence for me. I have a jar full of candy - usually chocolate- on my desk (the kids call it sad candy), a chair, and a big round plush bird toy just the right size for hugging. His name is Sherbert, cause he's colored like rainbow sherbet. They can talk it out with me or just cry in silence if they'd rather, but I just sit with them until they're ready to re-join the world. It's sad, but I have this crap down to a science."
ThePhiff
The Stress of It All
"I work for a 911 center, you better believe there is crying. Especially when an employee is new and they give CPR to an infant and its not a positive turnout, someone kills themself while you are talking to them on the phone. Pretty soon your heart and soul die and you can deal with it, but something especially awful happens and it hits you. I have been doing it for 28 years and have seen plenty people come and go, who couldn't handle the stress?"
One-Butterscotch-786
Fur Babies
"In the veterinary industry, unfortunately, if you notice a co-worker is or has been crying, usually you pretend not to have noticed, maybe ask them nonchalantly if they can do something for you that isn't client-facing for a while like fill prescriptions, and don't bring it up later unless you're friends outside of work."
"Everybody cries at work at some point, and it's not even usually about a sick/dying animal. If a client is crying though, you have to be sensitive, empathetic, comforting, gentle, offer them privacy and condolences without smothering them."
"Clients cry for the reasons you expect, and of course it's hard to see them through it, because dealing with a sick or dying pet is hard. Staff will often shed a tear in these appointments too, but most often when a co-worker is crying it's because another person went out of their way to hurt them. Be kind to your veterinary staff folks, we feel pain too."
sainttawny
People do seem to cry a lot. Makes sense, I do.
I'm Here
Tell Schitts Creek GIF by CBCGiphy"'Is there anything I can do?' Then just listen. Often the listening is enough."
Pavlock
Kindness
"I work in healthcare, so this happens quite frequently. Usually it’s patients. Most often, people just want their feelings validated and that someone understands them. That’s all. Being empathetic goes a long way."
moscowmulesplz
"Yes! Empathy truly goes a long way!"
ElBarbon026
Alone
"Saw a chick crying at work, sitting outside. Half wanted to ask her if she was ok but when someone is crying hard sometimes they just want to be left alone in their feelings and it must be embarrassing enough to cry at work, so I left her alone and kept walking."
KiwiCatPNW
He is Awful
"Many years ago I (male) was having an extended discussion with a female coworker about something technical and I noticed that she would periodically start crying during our talk. I was so dense that I thought (perhaps out of intended politeness) that I should just ignore this and go on."
"For some reason I have often thought about this and reflected on the fact that it would have been much more humane to at least ask her if she was OK, if she would prefer to talk later, if she would like to talk instead about what was upsetting."
"Later I heard from someone else that she had travelled to the area from another state with her boyfriend. He had a job at another company nearby that was expanding rapidly and she had received the news that he was already cheating on her with multiple coworkers."
fund0us
I'm Blind
"I follow the golden rule so I ignore them, pretend not to see them, and later talk to them normally like nothing happened, because that is what I want in their position."
xyanon36
"Same! I tend to get more upset if someone checks on me, because now I'm embarrassed and feel exposed on top of what's causing me to cry in the first place. Since I never want to be the cause of that, I won't ever approach someone in that state."
Annonymous_97
There is no perfect way to comfort somebody. You just do it. Or apparently... look away.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Reddit user Civil-Scallion3503 asked:
"A surprisingly high amount of people (adults) still sleep with a comfort item, what’s yours?"
I know I'm not the only parent whose kid has "donated" a stuffy or two as a cuddle buddy. I'm also not the only one out here who needs a cuddle buddy to begin with.
Here's what Reddit uses:
Pork Chop
"A tiny throw pillow with a pig dressed in cowboy clothes. There's a western-style text font above it that reads 'pork chop.' "
"I'm 20 now and still sleep with it."
"It's a random pillow I saw in the mall when I was 2. I pointed at it and my mom bought it."
"I don't really like to keep a lot of things in my room. I give away a lot of stuff from my childhood but I can't let go of this one!"
- chwenotchews
"I love that! Really random but hey it’s what helps you sleep and that’s awesome."
- Civil-Scallion3503
Imgur
The Classics
"The classic one: my teddy bear."
"It's 30 cm high. Apparently I love my teddys to death because I have to buy a new one every couple years. Then I have to slowly adjust to the new one as it smells and feels different from the old one."
"Also I absolutely hate it when I need to wash it. It doesn't smell or feel like teddy, just like my washing stuff."
"I really love it and need it. It's there for me when I cry, sleep, am happy, watching shows. I carry it with me through my flat. Sometimes I talk to it."
"Yes, I am living alone. Yes, I am a grown-up woman. Yes I know it's weird but luckily my partner knows about teddy and accepts it."
"I also have a big teddy watching over me and sitting in my unused side of my double bed."
- Kaelysaa
"Grown man here."
"I have a teddy as well. Last time he was washed, Reagan was in office. What makes teddy, teddy. Is that fact he's been well-loved."
"New bears are nothing like well-loved bears. There is comfort, there is safety."
"I don't give a f*ck if the outside world would thinks I'm strange. There are people out there committing real crimes. I refuse to be bear shamed."
- LibertyBibbity
"When I was 31, I received my first ever teddy bear. I had always wanted one and cried for like an hour when I opened the box my aunt sent me."
"His name is Bear Bear. Sleep well with him."
- Slight-Ad-1744
A Rock
"A literal rock - not even kidding."
"Specifically a quartz crystal - like I'm not into crystal mythology or whatever, I just really like this one rock. It is A Cool Rock, I've had it since 2015."
"This sounds stupid, but it feels like it's a privilege to be able to have something around that is older than me, my family and everything I know."
"I got it dated once, and it turns out it's 66 million years old - it's very cool that I'm lucky enough to have found something so old that I got to attached to."
"All rocks are super old, and we just dismiss it. It's nice to keep an eye open and then if you find one you like, you can find out more about it by asking around geology departments like I did."
"I am a 29 year old man, bur adulthood sometimes involves having Cool Rocks"
- cripple2493
"Humans have been collecting shiny rocks forever, I like this one the most so far."
- Gildian
The Right White
"I have permanent tinnitus from taking ototoxic medication."
"I wear earbuds or headphones during the vast majority of my downtime."
"I cannot sleep without a fan running. I need white noise or I can't relax."
- RABBIT_3314
"I don't have tinnitus but my parents do and I grew up in a very small house."
"My mom always had a box fan on at night to drown out the tinnitus so she could sleep, and you could hear it in every room... now I can't sleep without a box fan either."
- Lumpy_Space_Princess
Elmo!
"I've got a relatively large Elmo doll."
"Not like a tickle me Elmo toy, all he has is stuffing inside so he's very soft."
"Had one when I was kid. It's nice having one now too."
- UltimateStrenergy
"For me it's a tiny little Elmo doll! I've had it for 24 years now."
- hannahbeliever
Elmo Hello GIF by Sesame StreetGiphyThey Cared Enough About A Stranger
"Back in 2017 I voluntarily admitted myself to a mental hospital for 11 days due to a really bad relapse into drug use."
"When they showed me to my room, on each bed was a small handmade blanket. I picked the bed I picked because one side of the blanket was red flannel and the other side is like nursery rhymes and it’s soft and so comfortable to lay with."
"It isn’t very big, it barely covers my torso, but the nurse who showed me to my bed told me the folks in the elderly care home down the road sew those blankets specifically for the people that come in to that hospital. They also make them for preemies at the nicu."
"It’s been five years and seven different places - and it will always stay on my pillow."
"Often I will fold it up and wrap it around my eyes when I’m feeling overwhelmed and I am reminded that someone who never met me, who never knew what brought me to that hospital bed… they made that blanket to comfort someone."
"They cared about a stranger enough to put their time and labor into this adorable little blanket and I cherish it."
- justhavinganap
Penis Face
"For Christmas my family plays a game where we trade around gag gifts and at the end the game the gift you end up with is the one you get. My oldest daughter has a dirty sense of humor."
"I now sleep with a 12"x12" plush penis."
"I tell people my penis is so big I can wrap my arms around it or lay my head on it. And damn if he doesn't have the cutest face on him. I am a 47 year old man, by the way."
- theomniconian
It Runs In The Family
"I have horrible sleeping problems because of my mental state so despite being 20 I still sleep with my llama plushie. His name is Menta (Hebrew for mint) and I love him dearly."
"I also have a few smaller plushies that are there to comfort me, two of them are realistic fish plushies in different sizes and they are both lawyers. They are father and son, it runs in the family."
"I’m not a marine biologist, so I don't know what they actually are - but they are awesome fishies."
- TomokaTheAxolotl
Fathers Day Hug GIF by DisneyGiphyLike A Baby
"I'm sleeping with my baby blanket now."
"It's made of some kind of thermal material, and it used to be white but is now a pretty unappealing gray color lol."
"It's older than I am, over thirty years. It's got so many holes in it due to childhood dogs biting it/me dragging it everywhere. One corner turned into a long rope like piece that I wrap around my fingers when zoning out."
"I sleep with it all the time. Its smell and feel calms me down."
"I can't wash it in machines or it will fall apart, so I hand wash it very rarely. It... gets pretty dirty from body oils I guess."
"I can't throw it out. The day I lose it or it gets damaged beyond repair will be a sad one."
- Stoobly
"My blankie."
"My mom bought it 9 years before I was born for a baby shower gift. For some reason she couldn’t bring herself to give it away. She bought another gift and put blankie in her closet."
"9 years later I was born and it’s been my comfort object for 37 years."
- MalaEnNova
The Vest
"After I wrecked my motorcycle, my best friend bought me a new vest because mine got destroyed."
"I wore it to bed every night and told everyone that I did so because it helped with the broken ribs (which it did, actually), but it was really because it was the only thing that helped with the crippling fear I had while I was concussed."
"Most of it I think had to do an identity crisis I was experiencing. Anyway, I don't sleep with it every night now, just when my anxiety gets bad. But it's always within arm's reach. Always."
"I also have a super soft sheepy squishmellow plush named Blossom that's usually floating around my bed. Lol"
- purplesheepy
It's your turn to get in on the action.
Do you have a cuddle buddy for bed time? If you're a parent - did you steal it from your kid? Be honest.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Redditor RunningInCali asked:
"What TV show is your go-to comfort show?"
Call of the Wild
"Wildlife documentaries."
- LucyVialli
"Anything with David Attenborough."
- Wizdad-1000
"His voice is just relaxing on its own."
- Aarizonamb
GiphyLaughs in Space
"Futurama. I have so many good memories laughing at it with friends, it brings me back."
- throwingplaydoh
"I’ve been falling asleep to Futurama for about 6 years now. Whenever it’s not playing I have difficulty sleeping."
"Now if my girlfriend is sleeping over I’m so acutely aware of how quiet it is."
- UptownShenanigans
GiphyAdrian
"Oddly enough I really love rewatching Monk from time to time as it gives me comfort about my own self. Even though it’s a fictional show it was the only show that I’ve been able to fully relate to it’s main character."
"It helped me come to terms with and fully accept my mental quirks and the reality that just because I suffer from severe social anxiety and various phobias those things don’t make me any less of a person than anyone else."
"Abnormalities aren’t inherently bad and there’s plenty of real people out there that you can connect with or relate to."
- BradRodriguez
GiphyPoor Lois
"Lately Malcolm in the Middle."
"Not only is it a fantastically well-made show, but my family's problems exist to a greater degree in their family."
"They're a troubled family but ultimately have great lives. It's comforting."
- Cartossin
GiphyMake It So
"Star Trek: The Next Generation"
- SissyCouture
"Oh man, absolutely. My dad and I butted heads a lot when I was a teen, and sometimes it got pretty heated."
"But no matter had happened, or what had been said, at the end of the day we could always sit and watch TNG together."
"Now, some 20 years later, it still helps me when I've had a bad day."
- CaptainDrunkBeard
GiphyPoor Gus
"Psych!"
- flyinhawaiian02
"This is one of my favorite comfort shows to re-watch!! My friends and I used to watch it during study breaks back when I was in school."
"Even after all this time, it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Gus will forever be my favorite."
- thematrix1234
Giphy
The Hollywood Handshake
"The Great British Bake Off."
- penny_can
"The very definition of a comfort show. It's like being in a warm bath that never goes cold."
- CyanManta
"The comradery is so heartwarming! This is definitely my go-to, and is a great palate-cleanser type of show after watching something heavy."
- catlady3LSS
GiphyPoor Tina
"Bob's Burgers, something easy to half pay attention to while unwinding."
- System_Soup
"That's my go to show. It's like going home and seeing family. You feel like everything is going to be ok, and you're not alone."
- SummerOfMayhem
GiphyDearly Missed
"No Reservations."
"Anthony Bourdain had this way of making you feel immersed in these far flung destinations and cultures."
"When working six to seven days a week with a full time job and a part time job I often just feel caged by work sleep repeat."
"Anthony and his show seems to open that cage and put me at ease if only for a moment."
"RIP Mr. Bourdain, and thank you."
- randomandy90
GiphyDid your comfort show make the list?
What would you add?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
