When I started my first job, I worried about disclosing my struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to my boss. I was almost certain that she wouldn’t understand. Once she knew, I told myself, she’d assume I was unreliable and uncommitted. I imagined she’d deem me unworthy of a promotion, or worse, be entirely dismissive.
For two months, I ruminated about how the conversation would play out, envisioning every negative outcome. Eventually, I came to this: If I didn’t talk to my boss, I wouldn’t be able to ask for the support I wanted.
