Feeling trapped in a job you hate can go two ways. You either get crushed, burn out and give up or you find a way out. In this article, I share 3 ways how to get out of a job you hate.
Isn’t it frustrating when you get to work and all you notice are your negative thoughts? The same thoughts you already had yesterday? You may dislike the environment, dread the tasks that await you or perhaps feel the dissonance between you and your colleagues. You know that being in this job is an entire mismatch to where you want to be in your career, but security and pay keeps you there.
In one of my previous roles, I experienced exactly that. There wasn’t enough work to keep me busy, my tasks were repetitive and I was watching the time, sometimes every 5 minutes, in the hope it would be nearer to the end of the day. I felt anger and rage towards the people around me, blaming them for my unfortunate situation. I turned into a complete stranger as I was so out of sync with my personal values. It was only when I almost suffocated in this environment that I found a way out.
In order to get out of a trap, we need to get a sense of happiness again. We need to pay attention to the other components of life that have probably been overshadowed by the negative feelings, but are likely to give us fulfilment and more of a purpose. Only from a more balanced mindset will we be able to make informed decisions about solving the problem at hand. Read on for some ideas on how to take initial steps to escape a trap.
3 ways to escape a trap
Find 3 things you forgot you love
Reflect on the past and think about what you loved doing as a 12 year old. What are you still excited about? What could you be doing right now to turn the excitement into action?
Finding elements of joy points us to where our values might be and getting in touch with values again is a great way of finding fulfilment.
Share your frustrations with someone you trust
Find an ally who has got your back without judgement. Make time in your diary to meet up with them and offload your frustrations. Seeking out a trustable relationship gives us security and offloading gives us space in our head; both key contributors to getting out of a trap.
Take the risk and quit
Job security and a monthly pay check often hold us back from quitting and they are legitimate reasons. Nevertheless, sometimes we need to remove ourselves from a job to open new doors. So what is it that you need in order to be able to create this new path for yourself?
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