you don’t have to live in daily dread. here’s how to cope
Coming back to work after having a full week off is one of the hardest things in the world to do.
I’ve enjoyed my freedom, not having to wake up at 4:30-5am every morning and not being glued to a computer all day.
I truly do not like working, but I know that it pays the bills, and there’s a good 20% of the time I like my job. It seems like a constant dread going in sometimes.
Having to fake niceness, not look annoyed when I’m assigned things and pretend I love it in the office is very hard.
At the same time, I know how bad the economy is right now and how hard it is to get a job, especially in my field.
Everyone’s telling you that you should be happy and you’re so fortunate to have a job and a steady paycheck. I completely agree, but what if I want and need more.
“Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.” — Les Brown
I’m so desperate and hungry to leave my job that I can’t get past the dread of dealing with it on the daily basis.
Now, if you’ve been keeping up with me, you know that I’ve had some recent job rejection I’ve been dealing with. It sucks, and it really takes a hammer to your motivation and excitement of potentially progressing.
It’s not fun to be told a company doesn’t want you. It’s not fun to feel stuck and like you might never leave where you are. I feel this on a daily basis, but it’s not healthy for me to be stuck in a cycle of dread.
I want to live my life happy most days. I don’t want to have to look forward to the few hours after work every day, and then to the never-long-enough weekend. Because it’s an endless cycle, and I don’t want to spend years like this.
How to cope with daily dread
I encourage you (and myself) to break free from the notion that you have to live your life in a cycle of daily dread. And here’s the steps we can take to overcome it.
Find one daily positive in your situation.
It can be small or large. For example, my job offers Bagel Wednesdays and sometimes Summer Fridays. That’s two days out of the week I can look out for a little treat.
Now I want to focus on the other few days and how I can find a positive on those days.
Maybe that looks like treating myself to a coffee on the way to work, or maybe it’s going out for lunch (can you tell I love food?) Maybe it’s setting some time aside to talk to my favorite coworker. Or maybe it’s taking a walk outside when I start to get overwhelmed.
Finding a daily positive or something to look forward to can help you distract yourself from feeling dread all day.
I truly do believe in the power of excitement, and that’s one way you can make a difference in how you’re feeling.
Lean into your emotions and don’t hide how you’re feeling.
It can be annoying to constantly complain about your situation. I often feel myself cringing about how often I rant to my friends and family about how much I can’t stand my job.
But hiding your feelings don’t make them go away. They’re still in the back of your mind. Have you fully faced how you’re feeling? Do you feel comfortable embracing them? Would it be okay to let them out once in a while?
I’m not saying let your feelings control you and be upset all the time about your situation. But I do think when you’re overwhelmed or upset, it’s more than okay (and encouraged!) to lean into your emotions.
Embarrassingly enough, I’ve cried in the office way more than I thought I would as a career woman.
Just yesterday, I had to step away for a few minutes to let it out in private. It’s not a daily (or even weekly) occurrence, but it does make me feel better when I let it all out.
Work on ways to get out of your situation
I know I mentioned how I’ve had job rejection (multiple times in the last few months) recently and how much it sucked.
But there’s nothing like the hope and thoughts of you getting out of your situation causing you dread.
Whether it’s due to work, family, life, health, etc. Try your best (if possible) to think of small steps to take to get out of your situation. Obviously, easier said than done. But the power of hope and excitement is so real.
I’m not going to stop looking and applying for more jobs because I know I can get out of here. It sucks in the meantime because I do feel so hopeless at my situation.
But once I get a little more motivation, I fully plan on getting back in the race for another opportunity.
