I Hate My Job! 7 Tips to Help You Deal With the Stresses of Being in a Job You Hate

Ok, let's start with a frightening fact...

If you work full time for 45 years you will clock up around 10,500 days at work and I bet you don't want to spend those 10,500 days in a job you hate. But what can you do? There are lots of ideas and strategies and in this article I will share with you my top 7 Tips on how to get more enjoyment from your current job and to love it more. Because let's face it, life is way to short to spend hours, days, months and years in a job which gives you little satisfaction.

These 7 Tips are based on my own experience of time spent in jobs I didn't particularly like, and also the advice and guidance I've shared with people I have met, coached and trained over the last few years. Hindsight is always a beautiful thing, and I want to share things which will help you avoid some of the mistakes myself and others have made.

Tip #1-What does your current job give you?

The bottom line is it pays your bills, your mortgage, your gym membership etc. And for many people their job is also the core of their social life. My experience is that many people forget about the benefits of being in their current job and get lost in all the things they really don't like about it. Focusing on what's good can make a real difference to your working life.

Tip #2-Value the bits of the job you like

Within the benefits of the job there are almost certainly some aspects of it you like... perhaps many of these things are the benefits... holidays, flexible hours etc. I've also found that when people dig a bit deeper they find other things they enjoy too....for example working with latest technology, their immediate colleagues, the fact that it's an easy journey to work or there's a great gym on site. The challenge is to see through all the stuff which annoys you to the richness that is on offer.

Tip #3-Know what you don't like - but don't get hung up on it

I would be a fool to say 'every job is wonderful'. It's not. Many jobs are hard, tiring, dull and bring you to face to face with people you don't like and it can be exhausting. The question is what can you change? What can you focus on at work which does bring you some joy and perhaps even a little laughter and fun?

Tip #4-You are only human

It's very easy to get stuck into moaning and whining about things in your job you don't like; the boss, the pay, the office... whatever, I'm sure the list is endless. Do you know how much time you spend doing this? And how much energy you expend on it? Not only is it draining on those around you it's also enormously draining on your own energy - wouldn't you rather use that energy on something you really wanted to do or achieve; either inside or outside work?

Tip #5-Change you

There is only one person you are in charge of and that's you. You can influence others, you can encourage them, but you can't change them. The only thing you can change is you and how you view the world. I can remember going into work some days and just feeling 'I don't want to be here, it's so awful'... and you know what... it was awful! However, I realised after a while that view was seriously damaging to my mental health... circumstances meant I couldn't change jobs, but I could change my attitude.

Tip #6-Know what you want

Why do you do your job? Aside from the pay and benefits I've already mentioned. What else can your job give you? Is it a dead-end or does it offer a stepping stone to something else? Where do you want to go? Many people have found that the biggest danger of hating their job is that when they leave it they find they are just in another job they hate. If you don't know what you want and don't know how your job can help you achieve that then you will be stuck in a spiral of jobs you hate. You have a choice to take action!

Tip #7-Take action

As I mentioned earlier, it's only human to have a moan and a whinge. But think about when that needs to stop. If you really don't like what you do, you have a choice. You might not think you do, but trust me... you do; no one is pointing a gun at your head as you walk into work (I hope!) You can choose to be held back in a job you hate or to invest time working out what you truly want and going out to find a job you love.

searchjob