Those of you who HATE their jobs - how do you cope?

[tigerbear]

This is me at the moment.
I hate what I do, and the worst thing is, it’s my own business. I’m finding every day a struggle to keep motivated, and prob have low level depression (I’ve had depression in the past, always linked to work).

The industry I work in is notoriously tough, cut throat and competitive, so I’m finding that side difficult, and my clients are a nightmare.

Anyone else in this situation / anyone have any coping tips or advice? Thank you

I just look at my pay each week and that somehow gets me through. It's the only thing I go to work for at the moment!

I looked for the few things I didn't hate and concentrated on those: the nice clients, the few and far between interesting projects, the new places I occasionally got to see. But ultimately the only thing that made me feel properly better was handing in my notice - I didn't even realise how ground down I was by that job until I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sorry, I know it's not that easy when it's your own business but do you really really have to stick with it if it's that awful?

@Minkies11 - another issue is that it’s really difficult to plan how much salary we can take, it’s very up and down. Last month we took £1k each, in (very) good months it’s been £6k each, and everything in between.

@Moosesormeese - I try to do this too, as o get to meet some interesting people.
I’m in such a state at the moment and feeling so low that i can’t see another option. There are other jobs I’d like to retrain for, but I don’t have the money for courses or to live on while building up a new career.
I’m trying to sell my house atm in order to release equity and move to a slightly cheaper area, but no offers yet.

Running a business is beyond stressful at times and you often question if it is all worth it.
Perhaps think back to why you set up in the first place.. you must have enjoyed it at some point or enjoy one particular part?

@Maltedmilk88 - I love working from home and having no commute, I love not having to answer to someone else, and being able to do drop off and pick up at school with DD. When the money is good, its v good.

I guess there are big big highs, and then huge lows due to the nature of the work (headhunting - ironically, i try to get other people their dream job! )

I quit the job I hated. I literally told the boss where to stick his job, grabbed my stuff and walked out. I then took a new job at a lower level in a different industry on a significantly reduced salary.

It was 100% the right thing to do and I have never regretted it.

I guess you just need to weigh up whether the benefits in terms of flexibility outweigh the nightmare clients and the typical business struggles - what I would say is unless you were to take a much lower unskilled job then most other senior positions come with equally some frustrating and demanding clients and pressures of targets etc.

On the other hand I have also worked in a job previously I hated and did the same as Jsmith99, told my boss to shove it - within a week I had another job which set me onto the right career path so I never regretted it.

The job itself isn’t horrible just some of the people and I’ve seen it all before, no real career path and terrible pay. It is just getting dull. but the perks of the job are great. And that what’s get me out of bed on those cold dark winter mornings.

Try to focus on the bits I like and make life outside work as interesting as possible. Also job hunting is keeping a good reality check on what else is about. I work in a niche industry but I may leave it. I can get back in later.

I am still miserable though because I am so so so bored at work.

I guess my biggest worry is leaving this profession, starting or retraining in another, then having issues of a different kind, like worrying about money as anything else I’ve been interested in is on a much lower salary,
V ironically, the job I’ve loved most has been as a careers mentor to young people/grads in a specialist subject. The money is pretty low, but I think I’m tempted to give my current job another 6 months (to try to save money), then go back to doing this.

Literally counting down the months to when I can take my pension. I need to stop doing it though. It feels like I'm serving prison sentence.

Truthfully? I like food and having a roof over my head.