You have a job you love. You pour hours and hours into it. And then BAM! One day you call in sick because you realize you HATE your job. How did that happen?
Scientific research has shown that job stress can impact your mental health; but really, you don't need science to prove that - just have a job, you'll see for yourself. So how did you go from loving your job, spending countless hours doing what you love for people who recognize that you're doing a good job, to hating your job that you're so good at? The answer is right there in the question.
You probably didn't have good boundaries. (Or maybe the people you worked with were toxic - but you can't change them, so lets focus on the boundary issues.)
How can you put your best self forward and keep good boundaries?
1. Get enough sleep. Your brain dumps toxins at night while you sleep. If you don't dump these toxins, they'll build up and you'll be living in a fog, which doesn't help you put your best self forward. If you're spending countless hours at work, how many hours are you taking for yourself...and how many of those hours are spent sleeping?
2. Prioritize your time. Unless you're self-employed with free reign to work as much as you want, you're probably only being paid for 40 hours a week (if you're full time). So, what if you're spending 60 hours a week at work? YOU ARE WORKING 20 HOURS FOR FREE. Read that last sentence again. And again. Does that bother you? It should. Prioritize your time so that you're spending your PAID 40 hours a week as productively as possible so that the rest of the hours of your week are devoted to things that help you be your best self.
3. Stay out of the drama. Drama is exhausting. Drama is also really hard to leave at the office, because you'll spend your free time with it stuck in your head. Do yourself a favor, stay away from the water cooler gossip; you'll thank yourself, especially when you're able to sleep.
4. Get organized. Structure your life so you are able to leave on time in the morning so that you aren't rushing. Break projects and tasks up into steps, and ask for help when you need it. If you're overwhelmed by a particular task, try to break it up into manageable steps. Then you are able to focus on one aspect at a time rather than tackling the whole task. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
No one wants to spend their time doing things they hate. Love what you do; your mental health will thank you.
Until next time,
Laura