Top 10 Ways to Survive a Soul-Sucking Job

Top 10 Ways to Survive a Soul-Sucking Job Many of my clients have been there. Honestly, I’ve been there. You go to work Monday through Friday to a job that feels like it is slowly sucking the life out of you. It is negatively impacting you at work and worse it is having a negative impact on you outside of work. You dread Sunday evenings. I called it “the blue flu.” I felt sick on Sunday nights with the thought of having to go in the next day. So what can you do? Quit? Yes, of course. However, for most people, quitting without another job lined up isn’t a financial option. What can you do in the meantime to survive this soul-sucking job? Here are some tips that can help ease the pain until you find that next position. 1. Remember the Bigger Goal First thing in the morning, remind yourself of your bigger goal: to find the job that fulfills you. Start the day by writing, reading or stating your goal out loud. Post your goal in places you will see it right when you wake up and throughout your day. 2. Password Power! Use your computer password to your advantage. Choose a short phrase that reminds you of your goal. We typically type in our passwords several times throughout the day. Use your password to remind yourself of the bigger goal. YouareAWESOME88 TodayIStheDay1 3. You Have a Choice Your perspective or approach to the day can be the key to surviving even the worst situations. While it doesn’t always seem apparent, you have a choice about how you want to approach the day. Set an intention of how you want to approach your day and how you want to show up at work. 4. Meditation Station When your day feels overwhelming or at its worst, take a 5 minute meditation break. There are great phone apps you can use. Calming your mind can help you when the situation at work seems bleakest. 5. Attitude of Gratitude To contrast the soul-sucking nature of the job, be sure to keep a gratitude list or journal. Remind yourself of those things in life you are grateful for. This list can go a long way in making your day seem more bearable. 6. Show Me the Good Find the good in your day. It may just be a quick conversation with a colleague or the ability to answer a client’s question quickly. Recognize and savor those good moments, however few and far between they might be. 7. Add Whats Meaningful Identify activities you can add into your work day that might be meaningful. For example, perhaps mentoring others is a meaningful activity for you. Find out if you could add in a 30-minute mentoring session for a younger colleague once a week. This one activity could provide you with a sense of fulfillment that is lacking. 8. Tap into Your Values Our values give us purpose and meaning in our lives. Spend some time identifying your values and defining them. In evaluating your next job, make sure your values are aligned with that job. It can make a huge difference in whether the job feels fulfilling to you. 9. Use Your Support Network Identify a “cheerleader” in your life and put her or him to work. Give your cheerleader specific ideas of how they can help you. For example, emailing you a bad joke every Tuesday morning, or sending you funny YouTube clips 3 times a week could be just what you need to bring some levity to your day. 10. Partner Up! We all need help when we are making a big change. We are not alone! Find an accountability partner in your support network to help you through the process of getting a new job. Tell that accountability partner how you want them to hold you accountable and how they should approach you if you miss deadlines. They can partner with you to complete your career transition, especially when the process gets overwhelming and difficult. While none of these tips can instantly make a soul-sucking job seem fulfilling, they are small steps that can really make a big difference in how you feel about your day, how you approach others and how you approach your life. I welcome you to share other tips, in the comments below, that you have found successful!