c/anxiety·Posted by u/elena_v·9h ago
Why does my boss typing in Slack make my hands go cold even when it's nothing?
Tuesday 10:14. I saw the little 'boss is typing' dots in the project channel and my hands went cold on the keyboard. I hadn't even sent anything. I was just sitting there with a spreadsheet open, cursor blinking in cell B12 like it was waiting for a verdict. The message that arrived was 'looks good, send when ready.' Totally fine. My chest still took about twenty minutes to catch up. I keep the Slack window smaller now so I don't watch the dots, which is embarrassing to admit. I even got up and washed a mug I didn't need to wash, just to leave the screen. I keep telling myself it's a chat app, not a courtroom. My body did not get that memo. Does anyone else treat those little bouncing dots like bad news is already decided?
Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.
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u/jordan_hale8h ago
Same thing with Teams. The bouncing icon in the corner and I am already writing an apology in my head for a thing I have not done.
u/hannah_brooks8h ago
I turned off typing indicators in Slack settings last month. Still check the channel anyway. At least I am not watching the dots form words.
u/ben_okonkwo7h ago
Does it hit harder on days you already feel behind, or even when the week is light?
u/daniel_cho7h ago
I put Slack on the second monitor faced away during deep work. Looks ridiculous. Cuts the cold-hands thing in half.