May Li was proud of her work ethic. She arrived at 7:30 AM and left at 7:30 PM. Her boss, Derek, praised her as "the backbone of the department." But the praise was a trap.
The abuse began subtly:
This is workplace psychological abuse—a pattern of behavior that degrades, humiliates, and controls through professional dependency. May Li couldn’t quit; she needed the health insurance for her aging parents. The abuse at work distorted her entire lifestyle. She stopped seeing friends. She cancelled her gym membership. Her identity became “employee.” facial abuse mayli work
The statistic: According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 79% of workplace abuse targets are women. 61% of bullies are men in management. And 40% of targets experience stress-related health problems, including clinical depression. May Li was proud of her work ethic
The wellness industry is a $4.5 trillion behemoth. It sells you the idea that you are broken and need fixing. Lifestyle abuse manifests as: This is workplace psychological abuse —a pattern of
If your life resembles May Li’s, you are not “too sensitive.” You are not “failing at adulting.” You are experiencing systemic abuse.