When standing up for yourself feels out of reach at work
If you’ve ever been stuck in a toxic workplace, you know how heavy it gets:
Every meeting feels like a minefield.
Every email makes your stomach knot.
Every week leaves you more drained than the last.
And then someone says: “That’s just Brussels. OR Just stand up for yourself. Just leave. Just be brave.”
If only it were that simple.
When your energy and confidence have been chipped away, standing up for yourself doesn’t feel like an option. It feels impossible. You start questioning yourself, not just your workplace, but yourself.
So what do you do when speaking up for yourself feels out of reach? You start with what you can control.
Your time. What you give after hours. What you keep for yourself.
Your actions. Whether you mirror the toxicity around you or choose a different response.
Your behaviour. Holding on to respect, kindness, and boundaries, even if others don’t.
Not the office politics. Not your boss’s behaviour. Not the culture you didn’t create.
Just what’s yours.
It won’t fix everything, but it gives you something to stand on. And from there, courage has a way of growing back. Not the loud, dramatic kind, but the steady kind that keeps you standing until you can ready for your next move.
As small practice
Write down two things you can control today (maybe how you structure your time or how you respond to one difficult person) and one thing you’ll let go of because it isn’t yours to carry (like your boss’s mood or a colleague’s gossip).
It’s not everything. But it’s enough to remind you: you still have power.
And if you need a reminder you’re not alone in this, A Better Brussels is here with stories, resources, and check-ins for anyone trying to survive and change toxic work culture in this Bubble.
