- Job Got You Down? Maybe You Should Quit

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Job Got You Down? Maybe You Should Quit

The Stress May Mean You're In The Wrong Job -- But Do You Have What It Takes To Quit?

Jacqueline Tresl, R.N., gives tips on coping with stress
February 18, 2000, 4:10 p.m. EST

Do you like your job? Is your vocation also your avocation?

Or do you drag yourself out of bed on workday mornings and spend all week looking forward to Friday afternoons?

Do you while away the workweek evenings tranquilizing yourself with Coors Light or putting yourself to sleep with Vicks NyQuil?

If your job makes you miserable, you're subjecting yourself to intense and unrelenting stress, the kind of stress that eats away at your mental and physical health. According to Stanford University's Dr. Kenneth Pelletier, an expert on stress in the workplace, the most perilous time for a heart attack or a stroke is at 9 on a Monday morning.

The Job Will Kill Ya -- Really

Negative work emotions diminish self-esteem, wreck relationships and make life a never-ending cycle of anger and frustration. We can't seem to unwind even on weekends and vacations. Outwardly, we may appear successful, but inside, we're miserable.

So if you're in a job that's detrimental to your mental well-being, one that may ultimately result in your physical ill health -- what can you do?

How about quitting?

Follow your heart. Find the work you were born to do, and do it.

Look for a job that matches the Authentic You, a job in sync with your personality, your interests and your abilities. A profession that energizes you, not one that simply pays the bills.

As author Marshall Cook says, "Make a life instead of a fortune."

Changing Your Mind Over Time

For example, perhaps when you were 23, being a computer geek was fun. Thirty-six straight hours of hacking was a challenge. But ever since 40, you've got "code rage." The bracket keys on your keyboard are worn smooth, and the thousands of lines of code feel endless. You've got tension headaches and a pot belly and can't stand to be around your wife.

You want to quit, but hacking is all you know, and besides, you're earning six figures.

"Hey," you say to your wife after yelling at her for the third time in an hour, "if I had a choice, I'd quit geeking forever, open a quaint B&B. But then we'd have to sell our second Mercedes and cancel the addition to the kitchen."

What good are big kitchens and fancy cars if your high blood pressure causes you to stroke? It's pretty hard to drive and cook with left-sided paralysis.

If you long for a different profession because your current job keeps you in a constant state of angst and anger, pick a new vocation. Job security is worthless if the job is narrowing your arteries.

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Quitter?

Contrary to popular belief, quitting is not always easy. And it's not for everyone.

Switching gears in mid-career requires imagination, courage, resilience and, as great chess players say, "planning several moves ahead."

But before handing in your resignation, first dig deep within yourself. Understand who you are and what you really want.

Take an inventory of your pluckiness and resilience.

What personal baggage are you hauling around? When you evaluate your past, do you see only failures and weakness? Do you think Murphy's Law was invented to define your life?
If so, you may not possess the emotional strength necessary to make sweeping occupational transformations.
If, on the other hand, you look back at your past and see wisdom in the decisions you've made, if you understand that what didn't kill you made you stronger, then you are resilient.

Next, assess your self-image.

Do you avoid looking at your true self? Would you rather watch paint dry than take responsibility for who you are and how you act?
If so, switching careers -- making a life instead of a fortune -- may not be right for you.
But if self-reflection re-energizes you, if you can look inward and objectively evaluate who you are and willingly change the parts of yourself you don't like, then you probably have the personal stuff necessary to quit your stressful, unsatisfying job and choose an authentic career.

Finally, where are you headed and where do you want to be?

Is your self-esteem indestructible enough to withstand the everyday bumps and grinds of life? Do you have clarity of vision to keep you focused? Only you know how you measure up.

A great man once said, "Success is 90 percent attitude." If you've got the right stuff -- attitude, fortitude and resilience -- dare to quit. Follow your heart, and find the job you were born to do.

Then you can stop hating Monday mornings.

Next week: Plotting Your New Career