We all need money to survive, but a job is just a job. It shouldn’t become your life, and it definitely shouldn’t put your mental health at risk.
If you’re experiencing any of these 22 signs, it’s definitely time to update your resume and start looking for something that makes you feel better about yourself, not worse.
22. None of that is normal.
Used to cry before I started my shift and feel physically sick before I quit my job. I never cried so much before that.
21. It shouldn’t affect you once you go home.
I’ll give you my take because I’m at that point.
No motivation to do anything for anyone anymore. Absolutely no sense of urgency on things that are urgent. Thinking about literally everything else other than your work. Also when it affects your sleep schedule and you take your work anxiety/stress home. I stay up at night thinking of the next day, almost every single night. I’m probably going to stay here for another 2 months while I save money and then drop the 2 weeks on a date that I’ve decided on.
20. When you just don’t care anymore.
I’ve been thinking about this today.
Today is my first day back after 2 weeks off, and already I’ve spent more time on reddit this morning than I did in the prior 2 weeks sitting at home.
19. When you stop sleeping, it’s time to move on.
When it begins to effect your mental health.
Not just standard work stress, but losing sleep, becoming angry or depressed at the thought of going to work, complete apathy towards your performance, etc. This happened to me at my previous job. I couldn’t sleep anymore, I would go to bed and wake up with my stomach burning from nervousness, and it got to a point where I couldn’t even work anymore because of how much anxiety the job gave me. I would just sit there and stare at the screen, counting down the minutes.
My breaking point was sitting on my couch with my wife on a Sunday, and I just started crying, just at the simple thought of having to go in for a another week to that place.
18. That’s no way to live.
Ah, Monday through Thursday.
On Friday you think, I can do this, just one more day till weekend.
17. I’d say that’s a big red flag.
When you are in your car driving to work and you take your hands off the wheel and wonder if this will be it, are you going to die?
Then rationality sets in and you continue on as if you didn’t just almost die.
16. Your personality changes at home.
When it starts to affect your personal life.
I’ve gotten to the point I’m having nightmares about my boss and I’m snapping at people or stuff at home because I’m on edge. I’m cynical and don’t trust anyone at work.
15. How you know you did the right thing.
My last job gave me panic attacks.
The phone ringing made me jump and immediately go into panic mode, thinking that was a client calling to chew me out for breaking something. My phone light turning on was enough to get a reaction. I had to turn it away from me lest I jump constantly. That plus a handful of other problems with the company (like not cluing me in that the only other developer was going to be gone for two whole weeks the day before) and I noped out at the end of August. That first week of freedom tasted so good.
14. The writing was on the wall.
When I was really miserable at a job I had a boss tell me:
You have 10 points, and four buckets:
– What you do
– Where you are located geographically
– Who you work with
– How much you make
Now allot those 10 points according to how important each of these is to you. If your current job doesn’t fit any, make a change.
13. When you’d rather have a life threatening illness than go to work.
I was in the hospital recently with a fever of 104.5 and an antibiotic resistant infection in my leg. I was happier to be in the hospital than at my desk.
I feel like that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s time to look elsewhere.
12. They’re taking you for granted.
When you realize what you’re doing daily isn’t parallel to your job description. That means the company is putting more responsibilities on you instead of hiring the person that was meant to do them.
11. When you just can’t face another day.
I quit my last job of like 12 years after I slipped a disc in my back and couldn’t walk for a month. When I got better I fre*ked out and had a huge breakdown about going back to my old job. I never wanted to step foot in there again, I just couldn’t do it anymore.
I sent my boss an email saying I was never coming back, and he was surprisingly understanding. I ended up getting a rad job where the hours are flexible, I’m in control, and I get paid more for less time on the clock.
In the end f*cking up my back made a huge impact on my quality of life, and I would eat the hard boiled egg that set the whole thing into motion again a thousand times.
10. It totally ruins your Sunday.
When you wake up on Sunday and dread the next 5 days until you can relax again!
9. Or when you know it is.
When you start to think unemployment is the better option.
8. Family first.
When your main focus is work and not your family.
Left a well paying job of 6 years because I spent too much time working.
7. It sucks the joy out of everything.
It makes you miserable and sucks all the joy from your life, even when you’re NOT there.
6. When no one else is going to change, you should.
When your home life suffers.
I took a 10 day moto trip with my brother from Arizona to Seattle and back. Just cruised the back highways camping and visiting friends along the way. As we got closer to Phoenix I got more stressed about going back to work. I knew I hated the people I worked for and I just realized that it was never going to change, that they were never going to change. It was affecting my marriage and the person I was outside of work. I walked into work Monday morning and went low enough to text the owner my 2 weeks and when she called me to try and fix it I sent her another text that clearly stated if she bothered me about staying that would be my last minute with her company. She didn’t bother me again.
Only time I have ever quit a job without something else lined up.
Best decision I ever made.
5. A good way to get fired (and collect unemployment).
When you don’t give a f*ck anymore about what you’re doing there.
4. This is definitely an emergency situation.
When it’s hard to wake up in the morning and you frequently contemplate suicide.
3. It’s how you know it’s time.
If you decide to leave your job and feel an overwhelming sense of relief instead of anxiety, it’s time to leave.
2. When you’re aging in dog years.
I woke up 3 hours late once for work once after working long days for 16 days in a row including four flights between LA and London, and I’d literally slept through my alarm until it automatically switched off, which I’ve never done before, I’m normally a very light sleeper. My boss said, “Don’t worry about it, just get in as soon as you can, there’s still so much we need to do before the end of the week.” I worked another 4 days after that before a weekend off.
I felt like I’d aged years in that 3 weeks and I left a few months later when I found a new job with less rush time.
1. The anxiety is so real.
When the thought of work makes you cry or puts you in a panic.
Take care of yourselves out there, friends. Your happiness is worth more than a paycheck.
Have you ever left a job because of your mental health? We’d love to hear your story in the comments.