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It’s a sad day when you’re no longer as enthusiastic about your work as you used to be. When doing what you used to love becomes a job instead of your dream career. But the reality is that it happens. Whether it’s from workload abuse, a change in interests, burnout or just a long time doing the same thing with no recognition. It’s awful.
The following can be classified as “symptoms” you experienced when you start hating your job.
Constant dread and venting
After a weekend of relaxing and winding down, if your complaints on Sunday night’s go from “I could do with one more day in a weekend” to “I really wish I didn’t have to go to work this week”, then you aren’t the biggest fan of your job.
And if 99% of your conversations over this, supposedly restful weekend, consist of you complaining about your job, you (and everyone you keep venting to) are over it. That’s not a good sign.
Physical effect
Every job has its stress and physical toll but if you’re dipping into your leave days because your sick leave has run out (possibly exaggerating here) and you’re experiencing pains and other symptoms of depression, it may be time to point a finger at your job. Obviously, it’s not the only contributor to you feeling this way, but if everything else in your life has remained constant with your workload or new job as the odd one out, it’s understandable that you’re maybe not enjoying it as much.
Vices
Following physical effects of being unhappy in the workforce, comes newfound addictions and vices that weren’t there before. Your healthy diet and exercise habits have gone out of the window and just like you can’t motivate yourself at work – you can’t motivate yourself to care about your wellbeing.
It also becomes a likelihood of adopting addictions like smoking or drinking as a means of getting through the day or putting the day behind you. But that’s both unhealthy and a fast track to being stuck hating your job and not finding it in you to get yourself out and back on track.
Indifferent
Not being excited about work moves you to the other side of the pendulum where indifference and brewing hatred rise to the surface. You need that excitement to remain productive, be innovative and feel good about the work you are doing for clients and your community.
You need to find a job connection that goes deeper than “it pays the bills”. That may be a job you suffer through for the short term, but in the long run, it’s important to be passionate about what you’re doing. Even if it’s just a little bit. Find something that will put your marketing courses to good use and challenge you to be innovative.
Underperforming
When there’s no real motivation or excitement to work, you’re less productive and your quality of work suffers. So, if you’ve noticed a decrease in your performance at work, chances are you aren’t invested in your job and don’t like it all that much.
Even though you know you can do a great job and you’re capable of impressing your superiors, if you dislike your job, you’re not going to care and it could lead to a demotion or dismissal which could hurt your chances of landing a job you do love.
On a similar note, even when you are performing, despite your strong feelings against what you’re doing, you aren’t being recognised for it. That probably makes you hate your boss more than just your job but it’s all the same thing. When you’ve been doing well in this position for years, there’s a problem. You need to find something that’s going to promise growth in the long term. Otherwise, you’ll never be truly motivated or able to reignite a love for your job.
Drained
When work is unwillingly the centre of your life and all you seem to do during and after work hours, you’re completely drained. Drained of energy, excitement and love for your job. And that affects every other aspect of your life because there’s nothing left of yourself to take home and enjoy family time, do those dancing classes you used to enjoy or take some much needed “me time”.
Your life should be more than work and sleep with snacks in between, if you find the time.
What to do about it
Okay, so hate is a pretty strong feeling, but it’s time to think with your mind and not your emotions.
Think about your work situation. What exactly is it about your job that you hate or that makes you unhappy? Once you’ve figured it out, it’s time to grow a pair and confront the problems. Set up a meeting with your manager and present your issues and solutions on how you suggest will make life better for you – in a more professional manner than that, of course. Chances are, they don’t want you to leave and will do what they can to help you out.
It’s okay to vent a little, emphasis on a little. And if you choose to have a more positive attitude about work, you’ll more than likely feel better about work. But, if after everything, you decide that staying isn’t in your best interest, don’t feel obligated to stay. Send in a letter of resignation and move on to better things.