My job makes me feel anxious, exhausted and burnt out. Anyone else?

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I work in higher education. My job is fairly well paid, fairly flexible and on good days I can tell myself I'm doing good (we train people to do an important role in society, won't say any more than that because it's outing).

I'm good at my job (I think) and I've worked my way up quickly to a senior role. I like most of my colleagues, but I am so exhausted and work emails make me anxious.

I've taken a sick day today because I was awake half the night feeling stressed about work and this morning I couldn't function and couldn't get out of bed. I'm actually still working though, and I've just checked my emails because I feel guilty and now I feel anxious all over again because of what's there.

I don't know what to do. I know I should probably look for something else but a) I feel I'd be letting people down and b) the thought of having to start over somewhere new seems overwhelming.

I don't think I'm depressed, I'm just so done with it all and find now enjoyment from work anymore.

I'm not even sure what I want from this thread! Anyone else feel like me?

I'm sorry there are so many of us who feel this way. Can't help noticing that the majority of us have public sector / 'caring profession' type jobs, either

I really doubt it’s your job. Unless you’re watching people dying or similar it’s most likely something else and the feeling will just reappear when you move into a new job. Maybe you find life unfulfilling? Are you financially dependent on your job and feeling trapped and under pressure as a result? Do you have imposter syndrome? Are you not sufficiently resilient? Do you rely on your job for your self esteem and find that it isn’t fulfilling that need? It’s really common for people to get to a point where their job isn’t enough to make them happy anymore but it’s usually because their needs have changed or been unmet for too long. You need to figure out exactly what aspect of your job is making you unhappy and in what way. You then need to ask yourself whether a different job will be able to deal with that issue or whether it is something that you need to work on outside of work.

I work have recently handed in my notice. I don't have a plan but I know I cannot carry on in my job for the rest of my working life.

The people in my department are lovely but I spend so much of my home life worrying about work I have made myself ill at times with periods of bad anxiety.

DH and both of our families have been wonderful support so I'm very fortunate to be able to take this step.

This is exactly why there are so many programmes about escaping. Ben Fogle's New Lives in the Wild. Win the Wilderness. Escape to the Chateau. etc etc. And also why so many people are on anti-depressants - actually, a change in lifestyle would probably be the answer, but Britain doesn't make it easy to have a more relaxed lifestyle. If you look at Ben Fogle's programme, for example, the people who have managed new lives are not doing it in the UK. We don't allow people to easily live off grid or outside a brick box. Actually it makes me cross. People are taking anti-depressants in order to cope with a life that is not suitable for them because they have no other option - no way to live more quietly, more peacefully. Grrrrrrr.

I work in child / adult protection in an inner city. It’s relentless.
I don’t mind the work but it never stops, there aren’t enough of us. Doesn’t help that senior officers aren’t interested and don’t care.

What a fascinating bit of armchair psychobollocks, regina.

Most people are 'financially dependent' on their jobs, fyi. And I can't even be bothered with the rest of your post.

Higher Ed? Are you a lecturer? You call it training rather than education. I'm a lecturer in HE and I find it less stressful than Further Ed. I was there for 9 years.

Financial dependence on ones job...who would have thought

I love my actual role but my god, my business manager makes me dread going to work. The way he speaks to people is absolutely vile and he's made me cry with it very recently. ☹️ As soon as he starts I feel like telling him to shove it but I have bills to pay so need the damn job.

Just made a formal complaint about his behaviour and I'm dreading going in even more.

I'm trying to fudge the details so as not to out myself, casino

I'm in HE, fairly senior Faculty role.

Ex teacher. Totally get this. In fact I started a thread about work last week that was paranoid and anxious and that I KNOW is a hangover from 15yrs in teaching and the back-biting, sniping and having to watch your back. I now work for the education department of the local council and even though it’s quite a different work environment, a very friendly and supportive one, i still live on my nerves and don’t trust my ability. I’ve decided I’m going to get some counselling (work do it for free, ironically) to talk about this because it’s not normal. Can you access anything similar?

Imagine telling someone that you know nothing about that their stress isn't work related. Baffling

Same but I work in telly. I finally got up the courage to quit, in spite of it being an industry that's so competitive and brutal you get brow beaten into thinking you'll never get another job. Have worked three months notice and directors all treating me like a leper. Am going to Australia to decompress. 14 days left then I'm free.

I’m a dentist in general practice and I feel like this. I do a day Clinical teaching and that’s very relaxed. Maybe I should stick to one day judging by your post!

Teresajune - I love those programmes. Sad, innit?

@Reginabambina what a load of bollocks. It's really not helpful to tell someone who is struggling that 'perhaps they are not sufficiently resilient' or have imposter syndrome.

The rest of my life is actually pretty fulfilling, it just the work part causing me to feel like this.

Are you financially dependent on your job and feeling trapped and under pressure as a result?
Of course I'm financially dependant on my job, who isn't?

What an insulting post.

Yes, public sector here too. I could work 24 hours a day and I still would have a backlog. Unfortunately it's knocked my confidence and I'm not brave enough to look for a new job.

I am HE too. Signed myself off before Christmas for four days. I have never done that before but was at breaking point. Admin, email etc. I totally get the email comment. I still did research whilst off, could not stop everything.

No magic words but much solidarity.

OP, are you in the UK? The HE sector here is so screwed, it is unbelievable. I think it combines all the negatives of British society (e.g. hierarchy, arrogance, racism...) and all this in a setting of a badly-run business. A very strange environment, I really sympathise with the difficulties you are facing. I think UK HE is basically the worst of both worlds between public and private sector. If I were you, I would change sector.

Regina it's definitely my job. I have PTSD from two situations from work (watching a colleague get stabbed when I worked in a prison and having to put out a patient who set themself in fire). And what I am being asked to do every day is simply not achievable. I don't think that any improvement to my life outside work will help.

I am financially dependant on my job (who works if they don't need to?) I have to keep working to support my family. I can't easily leave nursing as I would take a drop in earnings. That's pretty common too I think.

And it is also common to base some (not all) your self esteem on a sense of doing your job well.

I think you might be the unusual one in your job where you feel happy but don't need to work for money, where you do a bad job but feel ok about it.

My research is in resilience and well-being - couldn't make it up, could you?

I think its obvious that regina vagina or whatever their name is has never worked in the public sector!

Monmonga - yep, I'm in the UK and I have definitely come to the conclusion that I need to leave HE. Quite what I'm going to do instead though, I have no idea!

I just assumed you were a social worker like me from the thread title.

I'm a practice educator so I teach and practice at the same time. I feel constantly on the edge of a breakdown

Totally relate to your experiences....I was a FE lecturer for 17 years...well paid and mostly nice students but too many vicious hopeless managers who were just vile and incompetent....I knew I had to go when I would approach the car park....drive on and phone in sick with a tissue over the mouth piece to make me sound all blocked up etc...Luckily I got offered a good redundancy deal a few years ago so am living off that and renting out spare rooms to students until I decide what to do next..!!..Doubt I will go back to teaching...always tired and irritable and far too much nonsense paperwork to do etc..