1. If you can sit in a meeting and see that your boss speaks differently to other people than they speak to you, that feels very isolating, that feels very alienating. You feel disconnected not just to the boss, not just to the company, but also to your co-workers, because they get a different experience than you. You worry that if you say something, they're going to be like, 'That's not how that was. That's not what they meant.' Or 'Are you sure?'
This can then, in turn, cause you to stop talking to co-workers and feel even lonelier at work, Ranger said.
2. You frequently feel on edge and irritable.
If you find that every little thing at work now has the power to set you off, it could be traced back to how your boss is making you feel.
3. You wake up dreading the work day, and it makes you unable to sleep at night, too.
If good days or bad days are measured by how much you'll see your boss at work, it is a warning sign you should not ignore.
Oftentimes, the dread that you feel when you wake up for the day is about, 'Is today the day that shit hits the fan?'. You don't know what's coming at you, and you don't know the intensity of what's coming, and it fills you with dread. That dread is anxiety. It is... the strongest belief that something terrible is coming.
This dread can also cause sleep problems later at night, too.
4. You avoid your boss and the tasks they ask of you.
Avoidance is another way anxiety can manifest.
With a toxic boss, you may notice that you put off asking them a question you're needing answered for work. You may take a different route to avoid going past their office. If an email comes in from them, your anxiety heightens.
You may find yourself choosing your words extremely carefully and speaking up less in meetings out of fear that they will lash out at you.
5. You become more distracted and forgetful.
Having a toxic boss takes over your brain and makes it harder to focus on doing your actual job.
If all of your energy is dedicated to [your toxic boss], you're going to miss stuff. You're going to walk into the copy room and have no idea why you walked in there... Your ability to stay focused and remain organized becomes impacted by anxiety.
6. You lose interest in things that used to matter to you.
Feeling increasingly disengaged in the world around you is a big red flag for how your toxic boss is worsening your psyche. It also has long-term health implications.
Lack of interest is connected to anxiety, burnout and depression. These symptoms... can also lead to hopelessness.