Someone Always Has It Worse
Why that doesn't make your experience any less real
There's always going to be someone who has it worse. We say it to ourselves and we hear it from others, but there's danger in bypassing our own needs, often muted by misguided encouragement.
Unfortunately, this is all too common in unhealthy work environments. "Others have it harder" or "It could be worse" becomes an off-menu corporate value, while legitimate concerns get gently swept under the rug. As we start to question the legitimacy of our feelings or our intelligence, we isolate ourselves. Moments of vulnerability become fewer and farther between as the fear of being labeled a complainer, or weak, becomes a silent contagion. As Sally Clarke writes in Fast Company, the result is "a well-intentioned culture that values gratitude—but punishes truth."
The truth is, sure, someone or somewhere always has it worse. That doesn't mean your experience isn't real, or that it isn't worth continuing to make better. After all, the reverse is also true. Someone is always going to have it better. Don't you deserve better too?