I have to disagree with the idea that getting suspicious is just how it goes after a bad job. Sure, a rough boss can mess with your head, but feeling weird about a simple thank you is not something you should just shrug off. If a manager only ever says thanks right before dumping more work on you, that is a pattern, not a normal thing to expect from every job. I had a boss who did the same thing, always a compliment followed by a weekend shift, so I get the flinch. But the answer is not to accept that everyone gets suspicious. It is to notice when someone is actually being decent and let yourself believe it.

Why do we all do this though? I used to buy like five different kinds of fancy cheese and a bunch of kale every single week because I had this idea in my head that I was gonna start making these elaborate salads and charcuterie plates. Then most of it would rot in the fridge while I ate frozen pizza. What finally worked for me was just shopping for three days at a time and only buying stuff I actually ate last week, not stuff I wished I ate. Like if I didn't touch the lettuce last time, I don't buy lettuce this time, simple as that. It saves so much money and I stopped feeling guilty about throwing food away. The fantasy version of you isn't gonna show up just because you bought the stuff for them.