🧠 “Did You See That Too…? No? Just Me Then.”

How to Protect Your Mental Self When You’re the Only One Willing to See the Problem

Written by Cari Borden

Ever been in a room where something’s off? A policy that suddenly gets swept in with no clarity. A leader who subtly tears people down in public, but everyone just nervously laughs. A red flag you know others notice, but silence wins.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone of corporate gaslighting: where your gut says “This isn’t right,” but the meeting says “Let’s circle back next quarter.”

So how do you protect your mental self when you’re the only one willing to blink and say:
“Wait…did anyone else catch that?”

🔍 1. Validate Your Reality — You Are Not Crazy

The hardest part is the self-doubt. When everyone else is playing the corporate quiet game, it’s easy to assume you’re the one overthinking. Spoiler alert: you’re probably not.

Write it down. Date it. Capture the moment. Facts are your friends when clarity starts to feel like a hallucination.

“Just because no one else speaks up doesn’t mean you’re wrong. It might just mean you’re braver.”

🛡️ 2. Protect Your Peace, Not Just Your Job

There’s a cost to constantly biting your tongue, and it’s your mental health. If something is gnawing at your values, and no one else wants to name it, then you have to draw your own line.

Set boundaries. Step back from energy-sucking conversations. Find ways to release, journaling, talking to a mentor, or taking a walk where Karen from accounting can’t follow you with her toxic vibes.

🤐 3. You Don’t Always Have to Be the One Who Says It Out Loud (Yet)

Courage isn’t always confrontation. Sometimes it’s observation. It’s strategic silence. It’s collecting patterns and knowing when to hold or when to act.

If you feel compelled to speak, do it with purpose. But if you need to protect yourself first? That’s not cowardice. That’s survival.

🧩 4. Find the Others — They’re Just as Quiet as You

Chances are, someone else did see it. But fear and politics keep their mouth shut. Whisper to the trusted few. Build quiet alliances. You’re not alone, just early.

And being early? That’s leadership.

🌱 5. Decide What Kind of Integrity You Want to Keep

Sometimes you’ll stay. Sometimes you’ll leave. But wherever you are, ask:
“Can I live with myself if I ignore this?”
“Can I thrive here long-term?”

Protecting your mental self means choosing your values over their comfort.

Final Word:
If you’re the only one speaking up, or even just thinking differently, don’t shrink. The world doesn’t change by echo chambers. It changes because someone finally says:
“I saw it. And I’m not pretending I didn’t.”

🧭 Ready to Trust What You See?

I’ve been there. I’ve sat in the meetings, bit my tongue, second-guessed my instincts, and watched the fallout when no one said a word. I’ve seen what silence costs. And I know how hard it is to be that one voice in the room.

So let me say this:
You’re not crazy. You’re not overreacting. You’re awake, and that’s a strength, not a burden.

If you need a mentor, a gut-check, or just someone who’s walked the path and gets it, I’m here. Nobody should suffer alone, especially not for seeing the truth.

📍 Let’s connect here or on Fiverr, because your mental clarity is worth protecting, and your voice is worth hearing.