Work is work. But work doesn’t need to be miserable. If you feel lethargic the day you’re supposed to go back to work after a long weekend, or get anxious about the thought of encountering a specific team member, this post may be for you. Professionalism is key when getting through the workday, but while you’re trudging through a job you may not favor, don’t forget to be real with yourself. Here are some signs that it might be time to be on the job prowl.
1. You dread showing up to your shift
It’s the night before work and it almost feels unreal that tomorrow you need to get up, begrudgingly pull on some slacks, and mechanically drive to sit through an 8-hour shift. This feeling isn’t far fetched — except you feel like this every single day. You think about your least favorite part of your shift and mentally prepare for how you’re going to get through it. As you arrive to your shift, a feeling of dread follows. A job shouldn’t make you feel like you’ve stepped on the set of a horror movie. Evaluate why your job makes you feel like that, and start planning on how to ditch it.
2. You always feel burnt out
By the end of the day, you don’t feel like talking to anyone, including your friends. After you’ve just sat through a shift that made you feel like your mind was jello, things like homework or chores feel like a burden. As days pass and you find yourself having to get up for work 5 days a week, you find that you have less and less energy to do the small things before your shift. Like eating a bagel, or brushing your teeth. You also force yourself to stay up late at night because it’s the only time you have away from work — and synonymously — you dread waking up the next day to show up to work. Keep up with your mental health and tend to it the best way you can while you’re on the job hunt.
Related: 4 Easy Ways to Practice Self-Care Right Now
3. Your coworkers make you feel anxious
Coworkers who make you feel like you’re never doing your job right. Coworkers who make you paranoid to the point that every time they talk in hushed tones you assume they’re talking about you. Coworkers with attitudes so intense that they make you feel like you’re having an out-of-body experience. Coworkers can make or break your work experience. You know it’s time to surround yourself with different energy if you’re dealing with coworkers like the ones that have been described. Let how you feel about your coworkers motivate you to eventually work in a more positive work environment.
It’s not easy to just up and leave a job, but allow these things to marinate in your mind as you realize how much you need a new job. This is the swift kick in the butt you needed to say “bye Felicia” to your nightmarish work situation.
