A6
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TuESDAY, FEbRuARY 26, 2019
Boss increases my anxiety
Dear Annie: I enjoy my job, secret, but bosses are, in fact,
but my boss is a bit hit-or-miss. human. Your manager could
Sometimes he’s very friendly be stressed over things in his
with me, whereas other times, home life, spread thinner at
he’s blunt and unforgiving. work than you realize or even
I’ve had lifelong issues
battling his own mental
DEAR
with anxiety. It’s diag-
health issues. Whatever
ANNIE
nosed and medicated,
the cause of his moodi-
ness, it’s not you. So do
but my boss’s unpredict-
ability sends my anx-
your best not to take it
iety through the roof.
personally. Develop a
He’s not very approach-
healthy sense of detach-
able, so I don’t feel com-
ment — an umbrella to
fortable talking to him
keep you dry no matter
directly any more than I ANNIE LANE your boss’s emotional
Creators
already have. (I once let
weather. I also recom-
Syndicate Inc.
mend seeing a therapist
him know that his blunt-
ness was stressing me
regularly, if you’re not
out, but he just brushed me off.) already, and talking through this
I’ve also let his boss know that with him or her. He or she could
he causes me a lot of anxiety. help you erect healthy boundar-
After I told his boss that, things ies and manage your anxiety.
Lastly, if your boss’s moodi-
got better for a while. But lately,
my boss is as passive-aggressive ness escalates and he lashes out
as ever. I truly don’t know how to at you or behaves in any way that
navigate his moods. I hate hav- would constitute harassment,
ing to play this guessing game. document the incidents and go to
I love everything about my job human resources.
except working for him. He’s the
Dear Annie: I’d like to
head of my department. I don’t respond to the letter from “Not
foresee him leaving that position Inviting Singles Ever Again.”
any time soon. What do I do? — I am one of the singles invited
Managing a Moody Manager
to join families for Christmas
Dear Managing a Moody Day dinners. I’m not single by
Manager: It’s a well-kept choice, but I’ve adjusted. My
wife died several years ago, and
my children live far away. I have
often been invited by people
with “a big heart” to join them.
The people have been very cor-
dial and kind, but I still have
felt strongly like a fifth wheel.
I would much rather be alone
and open a can of soup than sit
there with a fake smile on my
face, pretending I am enjoying
myself. If I politely decline an
invitation, I get the third degree,
and it might be more unkind to
truthfully say I’d rather be alone
than with the hosts. So I think I
am speaking for many singles
who were happy when “Not
Inviting Singles Ever Again”
said she is not going to invite
singles again because of a lack
of RSVPs. There are two sides to
everything. Please, just leave me
alone. — Anonymous
Dear Anonymous: I am
sorry for the loss of your wife.
I appreciate your speaking from
the heart. You’re absolutely
right that there are two sides to
every story, and your honesty
about your feelings here may
help give “Not Inviting Singles
Ever Again” and anyone else
in her shoes a more complete
perspective.
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). As for this environ-
ment you’ve landed in, you’ve seen so much of
it that you no longer really notice what’s really
there. Something will happen to wake you up
though, and all of this will look different to you.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your responsibili-
ties are many today. Still, it’s nothing you can’t
handle. You’ve worked up to this. And though
it’s not exactly what you had in mind, it’s pre-
paring you for exactly what you have in mind.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Life has officially
gotten too predictable. That ends now. When
things don’t go your way, you’ll be glad for the
surprise — if not immediately, then eventually.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). It’s not working for
you. You agreed to this though. Sure, it was a
long time ago. You were a different person then.
Still, a deal is a deal. The good news is that new
arrangements can be made. Talk things over.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Maybe the fixes won’t
be easy, but they will be fixes, and you really
need for this situation to work a little while
longer. So go ahead and make them. Bonus:
They won’t be too expensive.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Most people don’t
believe that others have as complicated an
inner life as their own. And yet, of course, they
do. There will be luck for those who anticipate
the complexity of others and really try to
understand it.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Resolve to be
welcoming to new people coming into your life,
even though you have no idea how long they’ll
stay and what the stay will be like. Regardless
of what happens, you’ll never regret making a
warm first impression.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). This choice before
you is more significant than what you’re used
to. Wisely, you understand that your truth may
be different from the truth of others around
you. Still, you can only go with yours and hope
for the best.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). People assess
things incorrectly. For instance, what one calls
excellent chemistry, another considers just
the baseline, status quo of getting along. You
assume nothing and are luckier because of this.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). That vaguely
restless feeling sets in again. You’d like to blame
it on something, but it seems to be a function of
life itself. Don’t worry; it will go away right after
you consciously coerce yourself to jump into a
new experience.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The lines will be
blurred between necessary and unnecessary. Of
course, what’s fun seems much more necessary
than it is. On the other hand, fun itself is actually
necessary, so factor that in, too.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You get the feeling
that an entire arena is either no longer for you
anymore or never really was. That’s OK. What is
living if not experimenting to see what works?
Don’t waste a minute more on what doesn’t.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 27). Your birth
was a gift to the planet. If you knew how your
actions affected the timeline of this reality, you
might be too self-conscious to do your thing.
Anyway, it works beautifully when you assume
your actions matter, and do your best. Music
and love go together this year, as do business
and physical health. Scorpio and Libra adore
you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 4, 42, 19 and 38.