When you don’t enjoy your job - What can you do? When you have to get up every morning and spend your day doing something you don’t enjoy and working with people you don’t like it takes its toll mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
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It’s more common than you might think. You need money to survive and to pay the bills, and very often that’s the only reason you might stay in a job.
Is there a way to make things better? Is it possible to feel better about where you are and the work that you’re doing without having to leave and find another position? Maybe.
Here are some strategies that may help:
Accept – when you fight against your situation you’ll feel even worse. So if you’re staying in a job that you don’t enjoy because you need the money, then you must accept that is the choice you are making. If the money you make there is allowing you to live the lifestyle you want, then that job is providing something of great value. Yes, it’s true that there are things you don’t like about it, and you must accept that too. But if you’re choosing to stay, for whatever reason, accept it.
Examine your choices – you might feel as though you don’t have any choice but to stay where you are, but there are always choices. You may not like the alternative choices, but there are always different options. For example, you could find another job – it may not pay as well, but it is an option. You could do something completely different – yes it might mean that you need to do some training or do something you hadn’t thought of before, but it’s an option. If your living expenses are so high that you’re forced to stay in a job you don’t enjoy, an option may be to find a job somewhere else and move somewhere that’s cheaper. Again, you may not want to do that, but it is another choice you could make. Brainstorm a list of possible choices and you might be surprised to find that there’s something you’d be willing to pursue. If not, it might help you to accept your current situation a little more easily.
Look for positive aspects – can you find one thing that you do like about your job? Can you find more than one? For example, there may be just one thing that you don’t like about your job and many that you do like. Or it might be that the only thing good about it is the regular pay. Whatever it is, remind yourself of the positive aspects and focus on them as much as you can. Look for anything that is good about your current situation.
Find ways to make it even a little better – if the environment is awful and chaotic could you bring something into your workspace that lifts your spirits and helps you feel good. Could you wear headphones and play soothing or inspiring music to help you tune out the chaos around you? Perhaps you could take a break at lunch time and leave the building to re-group, or take regular bathroom breaks to re-balance your energy and breathe. Look for any little things you can possibly do to help you have a better experience at work.
What sometimes happens when someone hates their job is that they will leave and find a new position thinking that will make everything better. Only to find that they are just as unhappy in their new job as they were in the old one. This means that the issue is not with the job – it’s about your expectations and the experience you are allowing yourself to have. The book “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” by Jon Kabat-Zin explains this very well.
Take a look within and see what you can do to change yourself – and then your experiences at work will also change.
Action Step: Write down the aspects of your job that you love and those that you dislike. Focus more on the ones that you love, and ask yourself how you might be able to improve (even a little bit) your experience of those you dislike.
This affirmation will help:
I now allow myself to be paid well, and have positive experiences in my professional life. I deserve the best.
Be Unstoppable!
Linda
P.S. It can be even more difficult for those who are highly sensitive and/or empathic to find a job that is meaningful and fulfilling and where they feel they can thrive. Many HSPs struggle to survive in jobs they don't enjoy. If this applies to you, CLICK HERE to read my recent article with strategies for HSPs to thrive at work.
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It’s more common than you might think. You need money to survive and to pay the bills, and very often that’s the only reason you might stay in a job.
Is there a way to make things better? Is it possible to feel better about where you are and the work that you’re doing without having to leave and find another position? Maybe.
Here are some strategies that may help:
Accept – when you fight against your situation you’ll feel even worse. So if you’re staying in a job that you don’t enjoy because you need the money, then you must accept that is the choice you are making. If the money you make there is allowing you to live the lifestyle you want, then that job is providing something of great value. Yes, it’s true that there are things you don’t like about it, and you must accept that too. But if you’re choosing to stay, for whatever reason, accept it.
Examine your choices – you might feel as though you don’t have any choice but to stay where you are, but there are always choices. You may not like the alternative choices, but there are always different options. For example, you could find another job – it may not pay as well, but it is an option. You could do something completely different – yes it might mean that you need to do some training or do something you hadn’t thought of before, but it’s an option. If your living expenses are so high that you’re forced to stay in a job you don’t enjoy, an option may be to find a job somewhere else and move somewhere that’s cheaper. Again, you may not want to do that, but it is another choice you could make. Brainstorm a list of possible choices and you might be surprised to find that there’s something you’d be willing to pursue. If not, it might help you to accept your current situation a little more easily.
Look for positive aspects – can you find one thing that you do like about your job? Can you find more than one? For example, there may be just one thing that you don’t like about your job and many that you do like. Or it might be that the only thing good about it is the regular pay. Whatever it is, remind yourself of the positive aspects and focus on them as much as you can. Look for anything that is good about your current situation.
Find ways to make it even a little better – if the environment is awful and chaotic could you bring something into your workspace that lifts your spirits and helps you feel good. Could you wear headphones and play soothing or inspiring music to help you tune out the chaos around you? Perhaps you could take a break at lunch time and leave the building to re-group, or take regular bathroom breaks to re-balance your energy and breathe. Look for any little things you can possibly do to help you have a better experience at work.
What sometimes happens when someone hates their job is that they will leave and find a new position thinking that will make everything better. Only to find that they are just as unhappy in their new job as they were in the old one. This means that the issue is not with the job – it’s about your expectations and the experience you are allowing yourself to have. The book “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” by Jon Kabat-Zin explains this very well.
Take a look within and see what you can do to change yourself – and then your experiences at work will also change.
Action Step: Write down the aspects of your job that you love and those that you dislike. Focus more on the ones that you love, and ask yourself how you might be able to improve (even a little bit) your experience of those you dislike.
This affirmation will help:
I now allow myself to be paid well, and have positive experiences in my professional life. I deserve the best.
Be Unstoppable!
Linda
P.S. It can be even more difficult for those who are highly sensitive and/or empathic to find a job that is meaningful and fulfilling and where they feel they can thrive. Many HSPs struggle to survive in jobs they don't enjoy. If this applies to you, CLICK HERE to read my recent article with strategies for HSPs to thrive at work.
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