If You Do These 6 'Normal' Things At Work, You Might Be In The Wrong Career
Andrii Zastrozhnov | Canva By Tylia Flores
Realizing the "normal things" are wrong for you in your current career and choosing a new career option can be stressful. But when you start to notice these signs that your career doesn’t make you happy, you’ll find you have a whole world of much better possibilities to choose from.
For Americans, a study showed that being in the workforce can feel amazing when you have a career you’re really passionate about. But if you’re thinking about changing your career, pay attention to these signs that your current job may not be right for you, and you should start looking in a different direction.
If you do these 6 'normal' things at work, you might be in the wrong career:
1. You no longer feel motivated
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Psychologist Sharon Saline explained, "While procrastination can be debilitating, the negative self-talk about your lack of motivation, disorganization, and overwhelm can be downright toxic. When your inner critic rages at you for all of the things you aren’t doing, and all of the ways that you don’t measure up, gathering up whatever strength you have to initiate anything seems impossible. You may feel hopeless and stuck."
No matter what field you’re in, motivation will always be the key to success. If you find yourself slacking off on work tasks, then you should start looking for something new.
2. You feel uncertain about your current career
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"We weren't offered Learning How To Use Your Intuition as an elective in high school, though it would be great if we were!" added intuitive life coach Ronnie Ann Ryan. "Many people end up ignoring their gut feelings completely, primarily because they feel they cannot trust themselves. This is not about overthinking, being in your head about an issue, or feeling stuck about knowing what to do. Those are all completely different from a gut reaction."
If you're constantly wondering whether or not you should have majored in something else, or if what you're doing is really your dream job, then listen to your gut. You’re questioning yourself for a reason, so listen to yourself and start looking for some new job options.
3. You always complain about your job
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Complaining about your job is a clear sign that your current job may not be working for you anymore. If you find yourself talking more about what you hate about your job than you do actually working, then it’s time for you to reconsider your career options.
Maintaining professional relationships is crucial, said career coach Jeff Saperstein. "Your active cultivation of those relationships through your career may be the most important strategy. It ensures that you can thrive through the uncertainty of fluctuating organizational work structures and changing circumstances."
4. You never look forward to going to work
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If you wake up every morning and you're dreading the day ahead, then maybe you should start looking for a new job or even switch your career field entirely. When you find a job you love, your mornings before work will be a whole lot happier.
Career counselor Patricia Bonnard was clear that you must "Define work boundaries. Set unbreakable start and quiet times so you can get more out of your life outside work. Protect your lunch hour, using that time for what you want to do. Sure, you'll undoubtedly be asked to break these boundaries. That's OK sometimes. Just don't make it a regular work habit."
5. You think negatively about your job skills
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If you’re great at your job, but you're always doubting your abilities, then maybe your current job’s environment isn’t right for you. Once you find a job where your supervisors and coworkers encourage you to do your best, that's when you’ll start seeing how great your skills really are, and you'll hand in better work, too.
"The sense of accomplishment from your job is a vital sign of its positive impact on your mental health," career coach Lena Hardy advised. "When you've completed a project, solved a complex problem, or helped a colleague. These moments, big or small, contribute to a feeling of achievement. When your work allows you to experience these victories regularly, it's not just a career highlight; it's a boost to your mental health."
6. Your current career negatively affects your mental health
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Life coach Roland Legge emphasized the importance of prioritizing your mental health to "help you become more productive, creative, and collaborative. A good manager or boss will always recognize the importance of having a team of mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy employees. Happy employees do better work."
If you find yourself feeling anxious about work or frustrated every day when you leave the office, then you should begin to look for a career that doesn’t negatively affect your mental health. Give yourself the time and space to start working on yourself and figure out which career or careers might help you stay healthier. Your mental health is worth the change!
Tylia Flores is an author and a writer for Unwritten and Digital Fox. She writes primarily on topics of relationships and lifestyle.
