Workplace boundaries

I'm growing increasingly displeased at work. It's all come on very suddenly, and I fear it's gathering momentum like the proverbial snowball. And the worst part is, I seem to be feeding directly into a vicious cycle, spiraling down into an unproductive mess.

It pretty much started last Monday, became exacerbated on Tuesday, seemed to get better throughout last week, then plummeted back down yesterday.

As I was packing up my things to leave the office, my boss called my BlackBerry (from another building on our corporate "campus") and asked me to wait for him to return for a little discussion. I thought it was in reference to a vendor to whom I'd sent a stern message a few minutes prior, but he surprised me by closing the door upon his arrival.

It seems his boss, whom I met a few hours earlier, felt I was "detached" in our meeting and not my usual self. So, he asked my boss to check in on me. In truth, I'm not terribly pleased with how things are going, but it's been a particularly painful week of nonsense. It's nothing from which I can't recover, but I guess I'm no good at masking the strain.

The problem is, when my boss comes in to ask me if everything's okay, it really puts me on edge. I don't come to the workplace to discuss my feelings. And if I'm not happy about work, I am not about to share that with my superiors. Maybe that's not the best way to deal with things, but I've seen too many people get burned when they're honest about how they're feeling. I don't need to get saddled with the "attitude" label and boxed into a position with no prospects.

And when my boss shifts gears to ask if everything's okay "at home," in a condescending, faux-caring manner, it makes me want to die. If things aren't okay at home (which isn't the case), I certainly wouldn't burden my colleagues with my personal problems. Maybe I'm old-school, but work is work and home is home. In many cases, I'll build friendships that cross from work to home, but if this has not happened naturally, I resent anyone who tries to force it. And I'm not about to unload or moan about my cat nanny or lack of fun bars to my boss.

I'm told our HR partner may contact me to check in on me as well. That should be a fun conversation. All this "caring" just makes me want to find a new workplace.