We have this misconception that once we land a job, all the hard work ends, thanks to the endless time it takes to actually get a job in today’s competitive job market. But, honestly, the hard work never really ends especially when we’re faced with the dilemma of figuring out if we still like our jobs. If you are like me, you’ll feel guilty just at the thought of quitting your current position for another one, but sometimes it just can’t be helped, despite all our perfect plans and dreams. Your health and life can actually be affected in more ways than you can imagine if you remain in a position that is making you very unhappy.
Here are some signs that would help you determine if your head is no longer in your job, if you recognize any of the signs, it might be time for you to hand in your two-week notice.
1. You Don’t Look Forward to Work Anymore
I’ll like to start by saying that we all have our off days and hey, that only makes us human; those days when we would prefer to at stay home curled up on the bed and go on a Series marathon rather than head to the office. But if you wake up every single morning wanting to cry, scream and pull out your hair at the thought of going to work, let be the first to tell you, you might be falling out of love with your current position and that simply means you need to quit. Life is too short to keep living a life of denial.
I mean, it’s time we came to the realization that we need to do meaningful work that satisfies us and that we look forward to because if we don’t, then what’s the point? We’ve got only one life to live and we should never spend even a day doing something we hate doing. Of course, there are days when we will hate some aspects of our jobs or even feel like stabbing that annoying boss. We really can’t love every single part of our jobs, trust me, there are always parts of a job that you won’t love, whether it’s organizing your thoughts and putting them in a spreadsheet form when you are a messy person or attending meetings when you’re a complete introvert. But completely hating your job is a no no. Do yourself a favor, make yourself happy and look for another position that you will love more.
2. Every Single Day stresses You Out
I can boldly say that work-related stress is today, the most common type of stress that there is. We hear daily news about people expiring as a result of heart attacks due to incredibly stressful jobs. Of course it is totally expected to we can to experience stress from time to time. Sometimes we make an innocent mistake like forgetting to do something and we end up scrambling to save a project, or we have one of those days when every little thing just goes incredibly wrong. But when you begin to feel like you’re in a constant state of stress every single day of the week, you tried every all the stress killers to no avail, then, it’s detrimental to your health, both in the long and short-term.
When we are tensed and under stress, we tackle challenges with a fight or flight approach and we experience this with anything from a beating heart, to having trouble breathing. Therefore, being in a state of stress regularly is incredibly dangerous for us. Even if you may never have a heart attack, you will still be unhealthy. Stress also leads to mental conditions such as depression and you might also notice yourself getting way too many colds. That’s because your immune system is affected too due to stress, which in turn, leads to frequent illnesses.
3. You Can Never Sleep
Insomnia is a sign of stress. You begin finding it difficult to fall asleep and it is becoming a regular occurrence, then you need to think about whether it’s your job that is causing this. It is very wrong to spend the entire night tossing and turning, unable to stop worrying about work. No job I repeat, no job is worth sacrificing your health, which includes getting enough rest every night. Without adequate sleep you won’t be able to think properly not to talk of concentrating, this will in turn, affect your job performance in negative ways.
The sad thing about insomnia is that it is a vicious cycle. You will start worrying over the fact that you can’t sleep, which will make it even harder for you to let go and slip into slumber, which will only make the same thing happen all over again the next night and the next. Even if you haven’t realized that job stress is getting to you, you’ll definitely notice when you are not getting enough sleep. Now if it is an isolated incident, then it’s okay to have a period of a month or so when we are focusing on something big at work and find ourselves less rested than usual, and it goes back to normal, then don’t worry about it. But if it’s happening all the time, it’s a surefire sign that your job has to go.
4. Calling in Sick When You’re Really Not
Do you have the slightest idea how many employees stay home from work every single day under the guise of sickness? According to the American Institute of Stress, a whooping figure of 1 million people call in sick or stressed on a daily basis. Surprised right? That’s a lot of stressed-out people if you ask me.
If you find yourself in that place where you are so unhappy at the thought of going to work that you start saying you’ve come down with a bug or something and start staying home a lot, you need to give your notice. Personally, I think psychologically draining to pretend to be sick in bed when you just can’t bring yourself to go to the office today. For someone like me, I will just spend the entire day feeling guilty for staying home, worrying about all the work that I am not getting done, and absolutely dreading having to go back the next day.
And in all fairness, no company benefits from an employee that hates their job so much they fake being sick. You will be much less productive if you tow this line, and the productivity of the entire office would gradually begin to suffer because you’re not there when people need you. Your boss and even co-workers will start to notice and catch on. So you might as well be honest with yourself: isn’t it time to leave?
5. You Can’t Stop Thinking About Quitting
Now this is a crucial part of the equation. Happy and satisfied employees hardly ever think about quitting their jobs. Okay, not so true, they probably do think about it after an irritating talk with their boss, but they’re not serious about it. If the thought of leaving crosses your mind whenever you think about work, it’s a sign that you should just do it already. You will only become unhappier if you know you want to leave but stay instead.
It’s totally normal if you hate your job sometimes (I do too, especially when I think of the traffic I face every day) or don’t feel like going to the office every once in a while. But it’s wrong and not normal if you completely dislike your position, fake sickness, and actually get sick and tired all the time.
Be honest with yourself and if you recognize any of these signs, I think you know when to quit your job, so don’t hesitate. Do the right thing for your career and your health and find another job that will keep you happy and healthy.
Do you recognize any of these signs? Do you think that it is time to quit your job? Do you want to nail that dream job? Or are you looking for a change in career?
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