Did anyone else’s work performance get messed up because of a coworker situation?
I’ve been thinking about this lately and I’m honestly wondering if other people have gone through something similar.
A while back I got pretty close with a coworker on the same project. At first it was just normal work communication, but after a few video meetings we started messaging more and more outside work too.
It slowly became daily good morning/good night texts, random life updates, emotional stuff, late night conversations, etc. Nothing officially “romantic,” but at some point it definitely stopped feeling purely professional.
I didn’t even realize how emotionally invested I was getting until my mood at work started depending on our conversations. Like if things felt weird over text the night before, I’d carry that mentally into the next workday.
That part honestly caught me off guard the most.
Eventually things became kind of inconsistent and emotionally confusing, and looking back I think I should’ve created stronger boundaries earlier.
The weird thing is I’m not even that upset the relationship didn’t go anywhere. What bothered me more was realizing how much it affected my focus, mood, energy, and overall mental state at work without me noticing it happening in real time.
Now I’m curious if this is actually more common than people admit, especially with remote work and constant messaging.
Has anyone else dealt with something like this? If so, what were the early signs for you?