7 Tips for Surviving a Job You Hate – When Quitting Isn’t an Option

Today’s post was written by Natalie Peterson, trainer, speaker and coach at DonBrown.org

We spend so much of our waking life at work. If you are stuck in a job you hate, those feelings about the job spill over. For some, hating a job becomes a life. Some are able to transition out of a position that brings them down, but for many quitting is not an option.

When quitting is not an option, finding another solution is critical. Where should you focus? Well, the one thing you can control is yourself, and here’s a starter kit. Pick one strategy of the 7 suggestions below to work on changing over the next 30 days. They can add a positive boost to your whole life, not just your feelings about your job.

  1. Change it or own it
    If you absolutely cannot change it, or you are unwilling, then change ownership. Don’t let another own your life. Sometimes you can’t control much, but you can take control of your choice to leave or stay. Decide to stay. Decide how to frame each day in your mind. And, start by taking control of the physical self – the things you say and do. Take control of how you take care of yourself physiologically. Nothing can pile onto a negative outlook than lack of exercise, eating poorly or lousy sleep habits (or all 3). Take ownership, takes steps, take your life back.
  2. Stop talking about it so much
    If all you talk about is how miserable your job is making you, you will become more miserable. The laws of attraction…what we focus on expands! For the same reason that positive affirmations work, constant negative self-talk will have the same effect. Our brains process what we think, what we say and what we hear. An endless cycle of talking about how much you don’t like something inherently limits your ability to think positively about it. So, bite your tongue. Simply change the subject.
  3. Remind yourself of the things you do like
    Chances are, when you first took the job that you now dislike, there were things that you liked (and even loved) about the work. What were they? Those aspects of your day or week still exist, so seek them out. Take inventory of them, and discuss them out loud with someone you know. Purposely engage in an aspect of your job that you like at least once a day.
  4. Go say hello to people you like
    Strike up daily conversations with the people that make you smile. These are the people that you get along with, that you have things in common with, and usually have something positive to say about. And on the contrary – stay away from energy vampires. Seek out those with positive expectations of life.
  5. Stop caring so much – establish boundaries between your ‘self’ and your work
    Easier said than done, but with practice we can master any obstacle. If you are currently stuck in a job that you do not like, stop allowing it to take over your every waking moment and thought. Decide what you are going to do less of going forward, what will you stop doing. What can you begin to say ‘no’ to?
  6. Work on life outside of work to improve your work life
    Work on your ‘outside of work’ life. What do you do for fun? Or what did you used to do for fun? How can you integrate more of that into your life? Your lifeline is life outside of work. Revisit an old hobby, or take on something new that you’ve always wanted to learn.
  7. Practice gratitude (the grass is rarely greener)
    Even when it is a job that you hate, is it just possible you’re lucky to be employed? You can put food on the table, a roof over your head and clothes on your back with the money you earn from your job. Have you considered what life would be like if you were unemployed? Try giving thanks. Most often, jumping into another career (or someone else’s shoes) won’t cause problems to disappear. They have a knack for staying with you. Practice gratitude daily and you will be one step closer to finding happiness, even in a job you ‘hate’.

Give these tips a double coat of consideration. Re-evaluate the way you think about your work. It may not be time to leave, but it can be time for a change.

-Natalie Peterson MS, CSCS, RYT

Natalie is an impactful facilitator, speaker and coach on a wide variety of topics from leadership and personal development to strength and conditioning, lifestyle change and Yoga. Her background includes over 10 years’ experience deploying leadership training to organizations throughout the United States and Latin America.

In addition to her skill-set in leadership development she holds a Master’s in Exercise Physiology which allows her to train participants to be better leaders from the inside out based on personal and individual need.

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