This article describes a number of people who left their jobs during the pandemic, but later realized that they did not feel better as a result. It turns out that quitting does not necessarily resolve one’s workplace blues.
“That ‘stuff’ we carry with us is one of the reasons experts advise hitting pause before quitting a job impulsively — whether because of burnout or frustration — and taking a closer look at what parts of your unhappiness are related to work and what parts aren’t.”
“‘Your feelings about a job build up over time until you have a narrative in your head based on the experience you’ve had,’ said J.T. O’Donnell, a career coach and chief executive of WorkItDaily, an online career support platform. ‘I see a lot of people that have reached a point where they are in pain and feel they just need to get out. But that winds up being out of the frying pan and into the fire.'”
“Before doing anything drastic, she said, write down the story about why you dislike your job — as completely as possible — and then read it over several times. ‘That process allows you to release a lot of your pent-up feelings and then say, ‘OK, I know my story now, and I realize I’m not going to stay, I need to make a change.’ And then you can decide what the change will be. It may be moving to a different department or to a different company entirely.'”
“Burnout is rarely just work-related, said Marsha Brown, a clinical psychologist who works with employees to help them mitigate stress. She suggests clients look at all the reasons they are unhappy, both at work and in their personal lives.”
“Dr. Brown said burnout is often related to an inability to set good professional and personal boundaries, so simply changing jobs will not solve the problems.”
Counseling with Elaine Korngold
In my private practice, we start by focusing on general Career Counseling issues, such as:
- Choosing a career path
- Changing careers
- Deciding whether to leave a company
- Managing office politics
- Dealing with layoffs and finding a new job
- Creating work and life balance
- Interacting with difficult colleagues
- Dealing with stress and emotions at work
In addition, I integrate elements of Brainspotting therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy to help people access their deeply held trauma, stress, or burnout, and heal within, so that they can evaluate their current opportunity and other career options from a place of inner strength and without fears. Quitting does not have to be done just to reduce workplace blues, it can be an empowering experience leading to positive changes. Contact me to learn more.