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In love with coworker. Accused of Harassment.

135

Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 7,692 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    @Hannibal_Smith

    I do not think I know better than anyone else or what anyone else's boundaries should be. But would you assume that a no to a meal I make is a no to meal from someone else as well? If someone else can offer them a meal that gets a yes, then why can't I offer a different meal to try get a yes?

    Because she's told you no. Instead of accepting it, you've taken up habits solely to try and attract her, written her love letters, bought her valentine's presents. All after she told you no. Of course a no to you, does not mean a no to everyone. She's entitled to say no to whoever she wants. She's also entitled to go to work and function in a professional manner without someone in her ear begging for a date and claiming they love her. Be professional and do your work instead of obsessing over colleagues. She's felt so uncomfortable she's brought it to HR and you still can't see the issue.

    Your unhappiness is not her job to fix. It's yours. She is not part of the solution, in fact you're making it part of the problem.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,800 ✭✭✭notAMember


    yup, you are never worthy. You have behaved awfully, and this is not recoverable.

    I am almost physically repulsed just reading what you've written here, I can't imagine how any sane woman would entertain any kind of relationship or even friendship with someone who behaved in this way towards them.

    Sending unwanted valentines gifts etc to someone you are not in a relationship with. Beyond inappropriate, it's bordering criminal.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 576 ✭✭✭exiledawaynothere


    I will not repeat what others have said and I am not convinced you really want to take the advice you are getting to steer clear. But looking at it another way - Do you like your job? Would you consider moving?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,100 ✭✭✭manonboard


    Regarding the last part of your response to me. I answer, the difference between fixing the problems of why she rejected you and fixing your problems that may help you in the future is nuanced but important. Treating the reasons why she rejected you as problems to overcome so potentially fix her rejection (if i am understanding your intent correctly) is that any continuing effort towards this person is inherently really disrespectful to her. You have already harmed this person enough that they feel unsafe around you, so much that they have asked for external help. Any attempt to fix this is you trying to either fix it for your benefit to date her, befriend her or whatever, or at the most extreme fix it for her benefit so YOU feel good about your dynamic with her. Either way, it comes from solo self centered place. I would suggest to you to review these responses in a few days after this conversation has passed and you might see that at all time, your over arching direction of movement in response and understanding is to still not disconnect from this person. If i reject a person the way she has rejected you, and you continued to make advances or even repair in that direction, i would find it horrendously threatening that ive already made it clear i dont want my life to include you in any way, and you wont accept that. I strongly advise you OP to never interact or practice fantasy about this person. Its inherently unsafe for her as its already demonstrated shes not able to control your prescene in her life using just words or silence. We all have that right.

    Yes you should fix the issue related to rejection, but the issues are not WHY you were rejected, the issue to fix is how you are responding to the rejection. The rejection reasons could be harmless and totally not something to change. Eg: she doesnt like how you look, she likes tall short skinny or big men. She doesnt like older men because she has had bad experiences with them and good experiences with younger men. Maybe she finds younger men have a better emotional relationship model akin to her own age. Maybe she doesnt like men at all and is struggling with many issues around it. It doesnt matter. Maybe it had nothing to do with your personality or physical looks, maybe the day she met you she just wasnt interested in anyone and you got put in that box. The issue to focus on is the very very high level of persistence you showed that invalidated her need for safety and control, yet you felt justified by creating logic around proving yourself and the romantic notion of love.
    I hope that goes somewhat in the direction that people are trying to explain to you. Its not about fixing issues that caused rejection, the rejection is a perfectly normal healthy piece of the dynamic. The unhealthiness of it started after that. (well technically the infatuation you felt was likely unhealthy too..but one problem at a time).

    One of the really difficult things that the human mind does is creating a seemingly logical train of thought that obtains a desire that quenches a fear. Your mind seems quite good at doing that. However, it clearly created logical train of thoughts that led to actions that ignore the context and negative consequences it had on others. It seems to be extremely focused on your inclusion in this other persons lift whilst ignoring the fact the other person decided it was better if you were not included.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,173 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    OP here we are 65 posts on.

    In your first post u wrote

    I need help.

    So why are we still here?

    Is this all fantasy?

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 207 ✭✭Papagei


    It's nothing to do with being "worthy". She's just not into you, quite the opposite by the sounds of it. I imagine she's scared of you at this stage.

    You need to forget about this "love" you say you feel. Move on, speak to a professional. If you are autistic, which I suspect you are, it may help you to see an occupational therapist as well if you can get a diagnosis.

    What you're looking for should come from within, not some fantasy that you project onto another person. Learn to love yourself. Stop looking to use other people to feel better about yourself, address why you follow hollow to begin with.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,598 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    OP, the fact that you have repeatedly compared this woman to a cooked meal speaks volumes about how much agency you are allowing her in this whole scenario.

    You're trying to dismiss everyone's very valid advice to you by using "logic" to rationalise completely irrational behaviour (quotation marks because there is, in fact, very little logic being employed in your arguments).

    Everyone is wrong here but you. She's wrong. The scores of people giving you literally unanimous responses here are wrong. You won't confide in your friends because you don't want to burden them and think they'll just agree with you anyway, but I strongly suspect it's because you know what their reaction will be, and then you'll have to convince yourself that they're wrong too.

    Seriously, stop pulling on this thread. The only common denominator here is you.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 1,887 ✭✭✭Apiarist


    OP asked what the professional help is like. It depends, but it is likely that a course of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will be employed. It is a boring type of mainly self-help techniques with only a guidance from the psychologist and it works very well to clarify one's thoughts and to arrive to a set of logical ways to move forward.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,946 ✭✭✭tea and coffee


    OP you are going to lose your job, become potentially unemployable and maybe end up with a criminal conviction, in prison or on the sex offenders register if you persist with this and this line of thinking.

    That can happen despite what you think you change of yourself, her, the situation, the mind of anyone who has given you advice.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,714 ✭✭✭con___manx1


    Op yes in a club or bar as you suggest is perfectly fine but not on work messenger. Just think about that.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,481 ✭✭✭witchgirl26


    OP what you seem to be stuck on is how to make her love you. You can't. You can't force her to give you a chance or a reason behind the no. And you can't change yourself & then try to make her like you for that. It's not ok.

    Love is something that is between two people that know each other. So no you didn't love her the first time you saw her as you can't love (properly love) someone you don't know. And if you love someone, you respect them. You haven't shown her that respect. You have relentlessly pursued her in the workplace and if you're not careful, it won't just be HR that will be noting this but she may be able to take it further to the Gardaí for stalking & harassment.

    You've place all your future hopes, dreams and aspirations on a single person that you don't know. It's pressure for someone to do that to a person they're in a relationship with let alone someone who has said no to that.

    And you have no idea why she said no. It could have been anything. She might not have been physically attracted, she could be interested in someone else, she could be involved with someone else, she might want to be single for a while herself. You are not owed any explanation. You leave it and move on. You do not try to change & continue to pursue someone who has given a no. So please stop the fantasy of becoming her friend & getting her to see who you are etc.

    You apparently didn't need to know her to be in love with her so why does she need to know you to say she doesn't want to date?

    Like others have said, you need help. And yes it's creepy behaviour but that doesn't mean I think you don't deserve help. In fact I think that's probably why you need it as you're not recognising that you do need it.

    You've said it's an age gap with you being older & that you've been in a similar age gap relationship before. That's great. But that does not mean that your coworker feels the same. I know plenty of people who do not want an age gap in a relationship and that is their choice.

    Leave this woman alone before she does go to the Gardai and maybe focus on yourself for you rather than for anyone else.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,081 ✭✭✭JoChervil


    OP, you need professional help because you have a very wrong idea, how relationship should look like. You think, if you just mould yourself into someone she would like, you both would be happy. But it doesn't work that way. After some time you would want to be loved for, who you really are (the first dish served). So another person will feel being cheated and wasting her time for a fake persona.

    People want to be with someone, who is a challenge to them. I think that the biggest part of her attractiveness to you is, that she is such a challenge to you. She gives you an air to breathe and a space for your love to grow. While you just want to completely mould yourself to her expectations and be no challenge for her at all, so in short suffocating her. Who would like such a relationship? In this way you would be a huge burden for her. She would have to drag this relationship on her own, so be responsible for two people. Who would like it?

    Frankly, if I come across someone like you, I would run a mile. That's why you need professional help to change your whole outlook on relationships. I don't think you can do it on your own.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,210 ✭✭✭spaceHopper


    Your post genuinely scares me, you need to talk about this face to face with a qualified therapist. What does your health insurance cover?


    This has crossed a line into harassment and stalking. She does not and will not return your feelings. She may already be in a committed relationship. You have rosy image of her without knowing anything about her. She does not want to be talked around. Leave her alone. Best to move jobs if you can.

    Start therapy. With the aim to understand that not everybody you will like, will like you back in the same way. Find a way to deal with rejection and move on. Hopefully, you meet somebody who makes you happy. But learn to accept that, that might not happen or last. Look after yourself and look after you kid.

    Please understand you can't rationalize this around to where it ends well. That ship has sailed, just stop leave her alone.

    Post edited by spaceHopper on


  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,227 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Whether you are male or female, whether you are the younger or older, whether the other person is male or female is all totally irrelevant. Your actions are creepy. You are making a work colleague uncomfortable and you have been told to stop.

    This person doesn't fancy you. They are not obliged to get to know you. Attraction is organic and natural. It's either there or it's not. This person is not attracted to you and your actions mean they will never be attracted to you.

    You don't love them. You are attracted to them. They are very different things. You said above something like a relationship is 99% loving someone and 1% knowing them. No it's not!! A relationship is based on knowing someone. You can't love someone you don't know. You can be attracted to someone you don't know. You can be infatuated with someone you don't know. But you can't love somebody you don't know. And you certainly don't start off from a place of loving them and then getting to know them.

    This person feels nothing for you. No attraction. No curiosity to get to know you. They want you to leave them alone. Stalking and harassment are now criminal offences. Leave them alone. Leave the job if necessary. This person has made it very clear that your attention is unwanted. They have been kind up to now asking for this to be dealt with informally. Unfortunately lots of victims feel the need to appease their aggressor and treat them gently for fear of an escalation of the unwanted behaviour.

    However, this self-preservation from the victim leaves the door open for delusional types to think 'maybe I do have a chance'. You don't. The next step will be a formal complaint, possibly dismissal from your job and a visit from the gardaí.

    I urge you to find another job and move away from this person.



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Assuming this is real, you are heading for serious trouble. As an employer, if one of my female employees came to me with her side of this story, I would already be in the midst of doing everything I could to fire you - I'd do it the right way so you had no comeback, but I'd make sure it happened, and I'd be surprised if your employer isn't planning the same for you right now.

    She said no, end of story. You can sit at home and fantasise all you want, but you now need to do the right thing, start applying for jobs elsewhere, get professional help as others have said, and leave her alone from now on. If you continue this the only road I see for you is a criminal conviction and lifelong unemployability, along with the social exclusion that will come with being known as a stalker.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,704 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    I got a little afraid for your co-worker the more I read OP.

    Definitely get some help.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭z80CPU
    Darth 8-bit


    Add the life long requirement that you are on the sex offenders register. And have to sign in at the local garda station every week



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 336 ✭✭LastApacheInjun


    OP, even if you could read her mind and transform yourself into her ideal man, the ship with her has sailed. The. Ship. With. Her. Has. Sailed. There is no coming back from this.

    If you are truly concerned about what, in your behaviour, has led you to this point, by all means go and talk to a therapist. At the very least, it will mean that when a woman rejects you in the future (and for everyone, there are far more rejections than there are yeses) you will not repeat this behaviour and get yourself into very serious trouble. At best, it will help you understand and address your fears and lack of confidence, which will make you more attractive to a prospective partner.

    One sided infatuation still feels very much like love - even if it isn't. And the heartbreak can still feel very much like heartbreak. But you have to accept that this is now your issue to move on from. It would be best, for everyone including yourself, if you tried to find yourself a different job.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 37,256 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    And therein lies the issue, OP; you are placing the entirety of your own self-worth on whether or not this woman likes you. She represents little else to you other than making yourself feel whole because you think just being with her will fix all your issues. You're not in love with her, you're in love with the idea of being in love with her, and of her loving you back.

    But she doesn't, and that's simply her choice. She rejected your first advance, and then your second. She does not want to be with you or get to know you, and everything you've done since has pushed that further away. But even then, it's not her responsibility to make you feel worthy.

    You need to work on your own issues, yourself or with a professional, and then you'll be in a better place to try and find someone else who makes you feel worthy, but who you also make feel worthy.

    But for the love of God leave this girl alone and learn to respect people's boundaries and autonomy.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,352 ✭✭✭✭AndyBoBandy


    If I am really how you all think of me, how do I deserve help?

    Maybe you do, or do not deserve help…. who knows?

    but the very least this girl deserves is you getting the help you need in order to leave her alone. You are already having a tremendously negative impact on her life, and it appears you can do nothing but make it worse for her.

    Get help, for her sake.



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  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    This has to be a wind up.

    -------------------------------------

    Off-topic



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,359 ✭✭✭✭bucketybuck


    No, the "love" you feel is absolutely a fantasy.

    It is like a stalker pointing at an actress on a poster and deciding that he loves her, and so that she must love him.

    It's nonsense, you know effectively nothing about her, it is mentally unwell to think that such a thing is love.

    The one thing you do know is that she doesn't like or want you, but you seemingly think that doesn't matter. You are a danger to her.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,481 ✭✭✭witchgirl26


    OP you need to learn that you won't be everyone's cup of tea no matter what you do. And one person does not make you worthy or not of anything. It's just their opinion. And they are entitled to it. I have people that I couldn't tell you why I dislike them really or wouldn't have gone out with them. Nothing I could put my finger on at all but just not for me. It doesn't mean they aren't worthy of a nice life & someone else going out with me. It's nothing to do with them, it's my feelings. In this case it's her feelings but you are ignoring them despite claiming to love her. You do not ignore the feelings of someone you love.

    You may never be "worthy" of her - she will probably never change her opinion of you. Doesn't mean that someone else won't want you in the future but you need to learn not to come on so strong or to continue when you've been told no.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,068 ✭✭✭crusd


    OP, you are not in love with this woman, you are in love with the idealised version of her you have created. I say this with experience, at one point years ago I was that person who created an idea of a "love" with a co-worker where none existed. And in that scenario we actually were friends at work and had quite a bit in common. But my mind still created the idea it could be something more and that I had fallen in love and ultimately destroyed the friendship. You can tell yourself that if only they gave you the chance to know them it could be different but to be honest, who they do and dont talk to is entirely their business and once you asked them out and they said no you needed to just put it behind you.

    And truth be told you are not ready for any relationship right now. You need to work on yourself first. The baggage that you seem to bring from previous relationships and your negative feelings about yourself would ultimately destroy any potential relationship. To be in a successful relationship you must first learn to be comfortable with yourself alone. Only then will you be in a position to share openly with another person. Please reach out to someone for help. You will look back in the future and say it was the best thing you ever did for yourself.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 11,390 ✭✭✭✭John_Rambo




  • Posts: 3,065 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I would think the OP is trolling, I certainly hope so.

    If you are not, then get professional help immediately. It is definitely needed. There is no doubt about that.

    You don't love this person, you don't even know them and you've gone much too far into a fantasy about a stranger.

    If you try again to get her to change her mind you are going to lose your job, and the police will have to get involved.

    Get in touch with a counsellor today. And seriously think about changing jobs right now.

    --------------------------------------------

    Warned: If you have a problem with a post or poster report it and let the moderators deal with it. Don't call out troll onthread. It's off-topic

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,960 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    I suspect this is another fake thread created by someone with too much time on their hands, and who wants to get a load of Boardsies involved for the craic. The site is full of them this last year or so.

    And if it's genuine, well the OP was already in 2 long term relationships and has a child to another woman, so he's not ugly, or a weirdo or a creep. He has just got infatuated with a younger woman, who no doubt is fit and good looking, and is obsessed with something he can never have. I'm the same with a Ferrari.

    I wonder did he "fall in love" with women he passed on the streets over the years? All men will see an attractive woman and think "wow", but the difference is that most of us don't become obsessed with them, end up stalking them, making them uncomfortable and buying them valentines gifts (probably the creepiest part in this entire story). We aren't horny teens, we know you can't always have what you want.

    Also, if he leaves this job, he will likely just "fall in love" with another pretty girl in the next job.

    ----------------------------------------

    Warned: if you have a problem with a post or poster report it and the moderators will deal with it. Commenting on thread is off-topic.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 6,571 ✭✭✭CalamariFritti


    To be fair you hear that a lot, love at first sight. I knew he/she was the one the moment I laid eyes on him/her.

    But of course on such occasions it was mutual and rare and it may not have been precisely like that either. But the fact it worked and lead to something long and good glosses things over a bit. When told as a story it may create ideas in people's heads that this is how it works in perfect relationships. Love at first sight, we knew. And sometimes it probably does. But there has to be at least a mutual beginning. We.

    When its one-sided its bound to lead to negative feelings on the No side; as bad as creeped out and possibly afraid and all that.

    Truth is like many have said already it sounds like an infatuation that got out of hand. OP can't be in love 'cos he doesnt know that person. OP isnt a bad egg or a weirdo but he got caught in this thing and he causes bad feelings for the person he wishes only the best presumably. And he is likely to damage himself, too. He needs to stop finding reasons why this may still work out. This isnt a movie.

    It probably sounds not an easy thing to do but you gonna have to let go and if you think you need help with that then like others already have said seek some help. You're not only creating a bad episode for the woman in which she is only a worried bystander, you're wasting valuable time of yours too.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,800 ✭✭✭notAMember


    The objectivation is depressing. A meal to be eaten, a puzzle to be solved, a trophy to be won. I thought we were evolving past this, as a society.

    Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it's all a male fantasy: that you're strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it

    → Margaret Atwood



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭thereiver


    unless you look like a movie star young handsome most women do not date co workers ,it can be awkward Theres 100s of options on hinge or tinder for dating men.you should not add someone on social media without asking them first.She,s not interested .Move on theres plenty of single women out there .I think you find her attractive i don,t think you can be in love with someone you have never dated and you dont actually work with her or speak to her frequently.Leave them alone or else you could end up losing your job for harassing a co-worker



This discussion has been closed.
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