Careers Clinic: How Do You Know It’s Time To Leave Your Job?

Just like any bad personal relationship negatively affects your confidence, self-esteem and ability to manage stress, so too does a bad relationship with your job. So how do you know if it is time to break up with your job? These five signs are a good place to start the process:

You can’t think of five good reasons to stay in your job

Sit down with a blank sheet of paper and list everything that you genuinely love about your job. What might initially seem like a very simple exercise is in fact telling. If it’s easier to think of five reasons to leave your job than five reasons to stay in your job it is time to consider your options seriously.

Sunday is your new Monday

Even in the perfect job, there are days you want to stay in bed, other days you don’t feel challenged, or you hit the 3pm slump at 10am. The difference between a bad day and a bad relationship with your job is simple – on Sunday your thoughts are invaded with dread about work the following day. You also have nerves in the pit of your stomach, you can’t sleep, and you are unusually tearful, tense and irritable.

Your health is declining

You can’t quite put a finger on what is wrong, but you know something is. You get every bug going, and your energy levels are at an all-time low. Watch out for back pain, headaches or tension in your shoulders as they are often the first signs of cracks in the relationship between you and your job.

You’re gradually losing interest in your hobbies

Whatever the form, your hobbies take they help you relax, unwind and regenerate. It might be going to the gym, running, baking, knitting, five-a-side soccer, cooking, reading, cycling, your book club or painting. If you find that you don’t have the energy, interest or time for your hobbies anymore, you need to evaluate why seriously. If you find that work is the reason, you need to consider your priorities.

You take stress home

Constant 24/7 easy access to work means you are on call around the clock. Are you checking your phone as you watch T.V, responding to just ?one? email or just one more call, spending time on work projects, consistently coming home late or constantly talking about work despite finding this stressful? If this sounds familiar, start by asking yourself why you are doing this, how does it make you feel and what impact is it having on your personal relationships?

Everyone knows you are unhappy in your job

The first thing you talk about every evening is how much you hate your job; repeatedly replaying the conversation about how much you hate your job to EVERYONE you know. You are struggling to take the plunge and break up with your job because you just don’t know what to do.

If you find that you are nodding your head while reading this piece, you need to get advice, get support, and begin to make a plan to break up with your job!

By Sinead Brady

@CareertoLove