August 9, 2026 at 10:15 am

She Was Crocheting Quietly During Downtime to Stay Calm—Then Her Boss Turned the Room Against Her

by Heather Hall

Woman holding her head, unsure of what to do

Pexels/Reddit

Having a bad day at work is one thing, but being singled out can make everything feel a lot worse.

One employee dealt with that after going into work despite getting devastating news about her family.

It all began when she started crocheting to calm herself down during a slow period, which was something management had already allowed.

But this time, her manager began criticizing her over the radio until she had a panic attack.

Later, she learned he was also complaining about her to other employees.

Read on to see what she plans to do next.

AITA for planning to report my manager?

Last year, I finally sought out therapy, and I discovered I have a few mental illnesses.

It’s been confirmed that I have two anxiety disorders and depression. It was recommended to me by my therapist that I let my managers know about my disorders, just so if I happen to have a panic attack at work or start to feel bad, I can get help.

It was also recommended that I find an activity to help me curb panic attacks, and I found crochet is one of the few things that helps.

The manager was upset that she started crocheting.

A few days ago, I had something very devastating happen within my family right before I had to clock in for my shift. I was going to call in, but I decided to calm myself down and go in anyway.

For a good 15–20 minutes, not a single customer had walked in, and all the lanes were being used, so I decided to start crocheting. Keep in mind, two of the coworkers who were working with me in the same area were sitting on stools (which we technically aren’t allowed to do) and on their phones.

I had just barely started crocheting when my manager started calling my name over the radio and repeatedly demanded that I do something productive.

At this point, she started hyperventilating.

Normally, I would have just done what he asked, but he was berating me publicly, and I was already stressed enough as it was because of what had happened earlier with my family.

The girl who I was working with was trying to calm me down since I was now hyperventilating and had even said over the radio that I just needed a small break.

My manager was still complaining about me over the radio, and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I left and hid in the bathroom for a minute while I tried to calm myself down as much as possible.

He tried to explain himself, but she’s still wants to turn him in.

I wasn’t really planning on complaining or filing a report against my manager, but I found out he had gone to a separate coworker who watched exactly what happened and was complaining about me to them, saying I was over-exaggerating and he was the real victim in the situation.

He even complained to the manager who would be in charge of my section later in the day, and I had to deal with comments from him as well. This was literally the third shift I have had with him in which he publicly berated me in front of both customers and all my coworkers.

He has explained that he has been particularly stressed as well, and I can see how it might seem like I am over-exaggerating on my end, so I feel bad going as far as reporting him.

AITA?

Oh no! Situations like this are never easy to deal with.

Let’s check out what the people over at Reddit think about the whole thing.

This first reader thinks she was in the wrong.

Panic Attacks 3 She Was Crocheting Quietly During Downtime to Stay Calm—Then Her Boss Turned the Room Against Her

This person suggests that she report him.

Panic Attacks 2 She Was Crocheting Quietly During Downtime to Stay Calm—Then Her Boss Turned the Room Against Her

As this comment explains, she was on work time.

Panic Attacks 1 She Was Crocheting Quietly During Downtime to Stay Calm—Then Her Boss Turned the Room Against Her

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who ends up quitting over a dispute over bereavement leave.

Yes, but they still have a business to run.

Panic Attacks She Was Crocheting Quietly During Downtime to Stay Calm—Then Her Boss Turned the Room Against Her

This is a tough situation.

On one hand, the manager did have every right to expect her to work while she’s on the clock.

However, once she started having a panic attack, publicly shaming her only made it all worse.

Maybe she needs to save crocheting at work for the moments where she really needs it or doesn’t have anything else productive to do.

Enjoyed this story?

Readers who liked this also read this story about an employee who decided to push back against time micromanagement.
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Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.