laurenmk
11-11-15, 01:29
Our new office makes me nervous. It's in a very old Georgian townhouse, and I worry about lead paint, mold, etc. It's pretty manageable on most days, and I'm lucky in that I am often out of the office in client meetings so I don't have to live with it all the time.
They started doing some work on the basement last week (we're on the first floor), and on the one day I had to go in for just an hour, I noticed it smelled bad. I can't put my finger on what it was. . .some sort of paint thinner meets paint meets. . .something. Anyway, today was my first day back in a week, and I assumed/hoped (mostly hoped!) the smell would be gone. IT WASN'T. Not at all. I marched into the office and kept telling myself, "Your colleagues are here all day every day. They're fine. You wouldn't be allowed in the building if it were dangerous." Of course, my irrational part asked me, "But what if you're more sensitive and it IS a problem for you?" I told that part to take a hike ;-)
Ok, so I was a few hours into the day and I was doing it. I was OK. Then they came. The pest control guys. I was reminded of a fact that I try to forget, which is that there are a dozen or so mouse bait stations around the office. It was getting to be too much. The smell. The poison. Everything in my mind was screaming, "I don't want to be here! This is not safe!"
I started feeling lightheaded and unwell and did go for a 10 minute walk to get some fresh air. But overall, I did it! I made it. I didn't cry, and I didn't flee.
I don't have to go back to the office this week (yay), but the question will be how I deal if the smell is still there next week.
Still, I'm not going to borrow worries as I like to say, and for today I'm just going to be pleased with myself for getting through it!
They started doing some work on the basement last week (we're on the first floor), and on the one day I had to go in for just an hour, I noticed it smelled bad. I can't put my finger on what it was. . .some sort of paint thinner meets paint meets. . .something. Anyway, today was my first day back in a week, and I assumed/hoped (mostly hoped!) the smell would be gone. IT WASN'T. Not at all. I marched into the office and kept telling myself, "Your colleagues are here all day every day. They're fine. You wouldn't be allowed in the building if it were dangerous." Of course, my irrational part asked me, "But what if you're more sensitive and it IS a problem for you?" I told that part to take a hike ;-)
Ok, so I was a few hours into the day and I was doing it. I was OK. Then they came. The pest control guys. I was reminded of a fact that I try to forget, which is that there are a dozen or so mouse bait stations around the office. It was getting to be too much. The smell. The poison. Everything in my mind was screaming, "I don't want to be here! This is not safe!"
I started feeling lightheaded and unwell and did go for a 10 minute walk to get some fresh air. But overall, I did it! I made it. I didn't cry, and I didn't flee.
I don't have to go back to the office this week (yay), but the question will be how I deal if the smell is still there next week.
Still, I'm not going to borrow worries as I like to say, and for today I'm just going to be pleased with myself for getting through it!