I (30F) work in a mid-sized office where we all kind of know each other but aren’t super close. There’s this one coworker, let’s call her “Amanda” (33F), who started eating lunch with me a few months ago. At first, it was fine — just small talk and sharing food recs. But lately, every single lunch break has turned into a full-on therapy session.

She vents non-stop about her boyfriend, her mom, her manager, her neighbor’s barking dog — literally everything. And it’s always intense. I never really get a chance to eat in peace or talk about anything else. I tried dropping hints like putting in earbuds, eating in silence, or giving short responses, but she never gets it.

Last week, I finally told her (as gently as I could) that I needed my lunch break to recharge and that I wasn’t really in the right headspace to be anyone’s emotional sponge every day. She looked shocked and just said, “Wow, okay,” and left. Since then, she’s been cold and barely says hi to me.

Some coworkers think I was right to say something, but a couple said I could’ve just sucked it up — it’s only 30 minutes and she “probably doesn’t have anyone else to talk to.” Now I feel like the bad guy for setting a boundary.

AITA for wanting my lunch break to be a break?