We need to talk.

These are the worst words you see pull up on your phone screen. They can make your heart sink. If it’s from your parents, you may start contemplating every poor decision you have made in the past week. If it is from your boyfriend or girlfriend, you may start freaking out that a break-up is in the near future. For me, I got this text from my boss.

Obviously, her text to me was much nicer and more professional but the gist of it was still the same. Like everyone else, receiving this text was not fun. My heart sunk. I felt light-headed as I texted her back to set up a meeting time. On this particular Monday, we confirmed for Thursday. I had to wait three more days before I could learn my fate so here is exactly how I handled everything leading up to this moment.

Step One: Panic

Yes, I panicked profusely and thought of every recent mistake I had made in my head. Is she firing me for that one time I took too long of a break? Or was she upset that it takes me so long to like the company Instagram photos? I had no clue.

Step Two: Text all of your friends about the text message

“Oh my gosh Anna, I am about to get fired and I am so scared.”

Step Three: Forget about it for a little while

Yes, I have a very busy life so I had the chance to take my mind off of the incident for a little while.

Step Four: Have an awful nightmare

The night I received this text, I had the worst dream. I dreamt that when I got to my bosses office, the police were waiting in there for me with video evidence that I had been stealing. I was hysterical saying that I stole nothing from my boss but the evidence suggested otherwise. I still do not know how this video footage came to be but in my awakened state, I am convinced that the thief was one of my co-workers dressed exactly like me.

Step Five: Repeat steps one-four on Tuesday and Wednesday

Although these days were not as scary as that Monday, the thought of what I did wrong still lingered in the back of my mind.

Step Six: Avoid the thought

On Thursday, I pretended that I wasn’t about to have a potentially excruciatingly painful meeting with my boss in merely a few hours.

Step Seven: Hyperventilate on the drive up to the office

Maybe not the safest decision while driving.

Step Eight: Contemplate turning around and going home

Trust me, I thought long and hard about this step.

Step Nine: Walk in with pride and a smile

I approached my boss and she didn’t seem mad at me. In fact, she looked slightly happy to see me there. Still, my heart was pounding as we headed back to her office.

Step Ten: Breathe

It turned out she really just wanted to talk about when I could work in the fall. I had been sort of distant from work this summer (which I apologized for) because of the four hundred other commitments I had as well. Yes, she was not very impressed with my flakiness, but she did say she wanted to have me around more in the fall when school started up again.

I felt so relieved to get “the talk” over and done. I had never been so terrified, but it was not as bad as I had expected. So my advice is simple. First of all, schedule it for sooner rather than later. Even if “the talk” may seem scary, it is going to happen whether you have it that night or a week later. You will be much happier if you just let it happen. Second, do not jump to conclusions. There are many different reasons someone may say, “We need to talk.” Maybe they need a friend to listen to them. Maybe they want your advice on a personal issue. Or, maybe your boss wants to know how often you can actually work. Lastly, realize that whatever happens, life will go on. If your boyfriend breaks up with you, his loss. If you get fired, jokes on them, they have to find a replacement. No matter what, though, everything will end up all right despite the minimal, unreasonable fear.