Bartender With Diagnosed Depression Shares The Note Her Boss Wrote Her That Made Her Cry
"There’s no amount of money I could repay this action with.”
New Africa | Shutterstock We all have interactions in our lives that stick with us. Even as years pass, they still hold a special place in our hearts.
For one woman, a particularly impactful interaction occurred with her former boss, who supported her when she desperately needed it. She was depressed and struggling with anxiety while on the job, and her boss showed her an unexpected level of kindness, giving her a gift and a touching note.
The former bartender, who was diagnosed with depression, shared the note her boss wrote her that made her cry.
TikTok content creator @chief.maze, or Mazie, bravely shared her story of resilience with her followers.
“I’m 23, diagnosed depressed at 19,” she began. “My depression was caused because I replayed all of the wrongdoings I had done in life, and in my head, with immense severity. And so that’s all I would think about for a while until it forced me into an actual depression.”
“That’s probably the best way I can describe it, honestly,” she admitted. “It would just replay in my head how disgusting of a human I was.”
Mazie shared that this was an extremely difficult time for her, during which she struggled with basic human functions like showering and looking in the mirror.
“And, with this depression came dissociation as well,” she continued, explaining that "everything about life seemed fake."
Mazie thought she was capable of working through her mental illness on her own but quickly learned that she couldn’t, with one particular event highlighting this in her mind.
The bartender shared the difficult experience she had while serving and the meaningful way her boss helped her through it.
While bartending, Mazie had a panic attack in their storage closet. Her boss unknowingly walked in on her struggle, and although Mazie tried to convince him that she was fine, he wanted to help.
Her boss immediately called her into his office to talk.
"I said, 'I think I'm a disgusting human. I think I am the worst human.' And he listened," she recalled. "He gave me great advice 'cause I hadn't explained it to anybody."
Although she was the only bartender on duty, he told her to go outside and lay in the grass until she felt better. But his help didn't end there.
Martin Novak | Shutterstock
“The next day, I returned to work, and he got me a book, Les Miserables,” she said. “He gave me a book, and he wrote me a note.”
She then read the note to viewers. “Mazie, there is a small selection of books that have made a profound impact on me throughout the years,” he wrote. “This particular book is the only fiction writing in my top five.”
“It deals with the topic of redemption in a beautiful way,” he stated.
“P.S. One small bit of advice, if I may,” he added. “Worry about what you do, not what will happen to you. Anxiety barricades our minds.”
“I’m really grateful for that moment, and there’s no amount of money I could repay this action with,” Mazie concluded, in tears, adding that because of her former boss, she now knows how to help herself and/or her kids through something similar in the future.
Anyone can support someone dealing with depression.
This man took the time to truly care about one of his employees, demonstrating an abundance of kindness and empathy. If you know someone who is depressed, you can do the same.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “You can’t fix someone’s depression, but your support and understanding can help.”
They recommend that you “be willing to listen” and “give positive reinforcement” — two things this boss excelled at.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.