Picture this, it’s Monday morning and the thought of going to work makes you feel sick to your stomach. You drag yourself out of bed (after staying up way too late last night, desperately clinging to the remaining moments of the weekend) and mope around the house getting ready. On the way to work you update your Facebook status to something along the lines of hating Monday or share a meme (see above), get into work and whinge to your colleagues about this, that, or the other – getting more frustrated, cranky, or despondent as the day goes on – only to head home and slump on the couch, dreading Tuesday (the worst day of the week, let’s face it).

Okay, so this is worst case scenario and – come to think of it now – probably not the first thing you want to read on Monday morning (my sincere apologies if this is the first thing you read. Don’t worry, it gets better if you can bring yourself to keep reading).

But have you ever felt sick the night before going into work? Or had that adrenalin shot through the heart when your boss walks into your office, knowing that no good is going to come of it? Or do you ever have days where you catch yourself whinging (for the 20th time) about some idiot who should do their job better, or a situation that has made your life more difficult?

I know that I’ve certainly been there a few times.

I worked at a very small production company in Brisbane years ago where the two owners of the company involved me in their personal conflicts only to then freeze me out and not speak to me for about a month before I left the job. I’m sure you can imagine the knots in my stomach on the way to work every day, worried that I might lose my job and the pay check that came with it.

And the consequence of that? Emotional stress, physical illness, anxiety, taking my awful day out on my boyfriend, getting caught up in gossiping with other staff, constantly panicking about money and my reputation, my career, and whatever nastiness that was inevitably heading my way.

It’s no wonder getting out of bed in the morning was such a struggle.

Sometimes we’re lucky enough to have the option to get the hell out. Other times, we have to be more cautious about our next move.

I’ve spent far too long working in jobs I didn’t like and I let them affect the rest of my life as well. Ever feel so bummed about your life after a bad week at work that you laze around all weekend doing nothing? Or you get totally hammered at Friday night drinks and spend two days recovering?

[divider style=’double’ mb=’25’]

There are so many hating your job consequences that I could probably go on about it forever. And back it up with personal experience too.

But we don’t have all day AND I don’t want to leave you out here on Monday morning wondering how you could potentially turn this all around, so here are some of my best suggestions:

+ The hate/anger/frustration towards your job/boss/colleague is 100% your choice (you know it’s true). If you could try to feel differently in any given situation, what would you do/say/think instead?

+ What are you doing to change your circumstances? It’s easy to blame external factors but, guess what, you can’t change them. You can change you though. Whether this means getting moved to another department, going for a role that suits your skills better, or looking for employment elsewhere, it is in the DOING that will make the difference.

+ If you’re building your own business on the side, a totally legitimate outside-of-work-activity these days, could you consider your current job its primary investor? If you make that slight shift in your thinking, does it allow you to head to work each day knowing that your job is assisting your business? 

+ Remove yourself from situations that make you think, act, or speak negatively. So often we can get caught up in the negative energy of others and let that impact our own emotions and, ultimately, the rest of our day in and out of work. Just walk away. 

+ Make the effort to leave any work ‘stuff’ at work as you walk out the doors and continue on with your life. This is a tough one but dragging your problems home is a huge contributor to the impact it has on your day outside of work.

+ Bring the fun back. To work or to your life outside of work. Because that’s a real thing (life is more than just work and dreading going to work). What can you do today to create a great work atmosphere? And what can you do when you get home to feel like you’re living and not just preparing for work tomorrow? 

Basically, is there ANYTHING you can do right now to enjoy your job?  And, if not, it might be time to start taking steps towards a new plan cos, let’s face it, this plan just isn’t working. (And if you don’t have a plan, we need to talk. Now.)

[divider style=’double’ mb=’25’]

Tell me – in the comments – what have you done to make a job more bearable? And if you know someone suffering through work, share this post! Who knows, it might help them get through the day or get started on their new plan.

 

[ninja-inline id=717]