Five approaches for dealing with a job you hate

By Jeffrey Hoyle

An old adage says, “work isn’t supposed to be fun — that is why it is called work.” In some ways this is true, but if your job is turning every day into a Monday and leaving you physically and emotionally drained, it may be time to reconsider your options. Here are five tips that can help make your days on the job more bearable.

#1 Remember, nothing is forever. As awful as your job may seem today, tomorrow may be different. In a challenging job market, it may be best to stick it out until another option presents itself. It also is not uncommon to have multiple career changes in your life. Keep your eye on the prize and try to power through until you can make a positive change to a better situation.

#2 Add some fun to the mix. Who says a workday can’t be fun? Listening to music (if you are allowed to), taking a moment to check out the latest online news, even taking your lunch offsite can help break up the doldrums and make the day go by faster. Sharing a few laughs with co-workers can also help make the day lighter.

#3 Set some specific job hunting goals and stick to them. To make a change, you have to be the change. Consider your options, weigh the pros and cons of leaving your current job, and if everything lines up start planning an exit strategy. Start sprucing up your resume, peruse the classifieds and online job stores, or enlist the help of a professional headhunter to help get the balls rolling.

#4 Explore interests outside work. There are 24 hours in a day; on average you spend eight of those hours at work and eight hours asleep. That leaves you eight hours for enjoying yourself! Exercising, joining in an organized sports league, reading, even playing video games can take your mind off your job and help recharge your body and your mind for the next day ahead.

#5 Allow yourself time to vent.
It is probably best to take this option outside of the workplace, but it is okay to vent about what is wrong with your job and how it makes you feel. Friends or family make great sounding boards; co-workers not so much as you run the risk of your feelings getting back to the higher-ups of the organization. Choose what you say as carefully as you do who you say it to. The trick to staying positive in the workplace is to turn negatives into positives until you can find a better position. Keeping your eyes on the prize, your future can be bigger and brighter than you ever dreamed.

Jeffery Hoyle is a Marketing and Public Relations Professional in Denver. Learn more at emphasismc.com.