I’ve been working in the same office with this coworker for over a year. We’re in different departments, and our interactions have always been cordial and respectful. We’re both women. Things got complicated when we tried to get to know each other better.
At one point, she mentioned wanting to end her life, and I realized our interactions were very one-sided—I was always the one initiating conversations. Because of that, I started setting some distance. Later, she tried reaching out to me again, but she often framed herself as a victim in conversations, which made me reinforce my boundaries.
Now, she avoids me, and when she’s near me she puts on headphones and isolates herself. This makes me feel rejected, so I also don’t approach her anymore. At the same time, I’ve noticed something strange: she’s been imitating aspects of my personality. For example, she suddenly picked up reading as a hobby when I’ve been reading for a while, and she even told me she started eating like I do. It might sound paranoid, but it feels noticeable and odd, especially since we barely talk anymore.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How should I interpret this kind of behavior?