Why does everyone around me seem so happy and OK

[RainbowChameleon]

Are you all happy with this? This working for years on end, only having evenings and weekends to yourself, 4 weeks off a year. The daily grind is honestly crushing my soul. I live for Fridays. I know we have to work to earn money to live but by christ it's dull. Do you all feel fulfilled and feel your lives have meaning? I feel like I'm just counting down the hours, days, weeks, years. I think I'm a nihilist. I don't know how to turn these thoughts off.

It shouldn't be a daily grind. You're obviously in the wrong job. What would you really like to do and enjoy doing? I changed careers mid life, and lots of people do.

I think the trick is to choose a job you actively enjoy.

I took a business degree but then focussed on marketing. I get to use my creative ideas, my ability to write good copy and to use my social skills at events. That, and keep moving until you find a company that treats employees decently.

I get tired, sometimes it's a bit of a slog but generally I enjoy my job and like my colleagues.

I love my job. And since meeting my husband my job is secondary, and just something I do in the day Until I get to come home and see him again.

I have never enjoyed any job. I can't imagine enjoying working.

Ive only ever seen people who love their jobs on mn. Where are all these people??

Yes op its a bloody grind.

I don't feel like that, no. Don't love my job either. I just know it's something I have to do to enjoy my leisure time so I've accepted it!

I don't quite enjoy my job, I would enjoy it if I worked for different people.
What keeps me going is my family, my home, and the time I spend with them.

@LittleBlackCat22 same! I loved my job, I worked late voluntarily and went above and beyond until I met DH. Now I do enough to scrape by.

I have never enjoyed any job. I can't imagine enjoying working.

Yep. Enjoying work is an oxymoron. May as well ask a canary if it enjoys its cage.

I felt like this and went self-employed. Life feels very different (better). I too couldn’t get my head round the idea of another 30-40 years of relentless drudgery. YANBU. I think some jobs are worse than others though.

I used to love my job but I really don’t want to go back now (currently on maternity leave with DD.)

Honestly, I enjoy my career too. I manage country estates so it’s lots of time out in the countryside and my dogs come too. That’s not to say I enjoy every day, but on balance I enjoy it more than I don’t.

Could you retrain in something you enjoy?

I took a business degree but then focussed on marketing

Just reading that sentence makes me want to weep..

Capitalism is utter shit.

Work is generally a grind. I’m counting down the years until I retire early (3.5 years) with enough money to enjoy myself.

I do love my job but it took me a long time to get here. 11 years from entering the country.

Reading the following helped enormously: how to do everything and be happy by peter jones.

rainbowchameleon you'd better find a rich man then - one who can support you in the manner to which you'd like to become accustomed!

I haven’t loved a job since becoming a parent tbh.
Not in the same way as before when I would work overtime for free just because, or go out after work for fun to discuss work.

I wouldnt say i love work but i like my work. Its interesting, i have an impact on others and for my level of intelligence they pay me to much lol. But i work flexibly and often take weeks off and then play catch up.

I think a lot of people feel like you but it doesn't necessarily have to be like this.

It took me about 20 years to find a job I loved, a relationship that was healthy and fun, and a great city to live in. So I would say don't give up, think about making some major changes if you can.

It shouldn't be a daily grind. You're obviously in the wrong job

Well yes you can advise people on an individual level to do that but on a societal level, if people didn't do the boring, daily grind stuff, the country would grind to a halt

Some workplaces are better than others. I’ve worked in toxic teams where I dreaded Monday mornings, but I’ve also worked in lovely teams where we were nice to each other and had little funny moments throughout the day, and that made all the difference, IMO.

I don’t feel like this. I love my job and also always have plenty of things going on outside work so there’s always something to look forward to. Look into changing your job and taking up some more outside interests.

I know exactly how you feel OP. I loathe everything about my job and live for the weekend. Hopefully, I'll be able to find something else before too much longer. Being unhappy at work eats away at your soul, or mine anyway

Well being miserable about everything and wallowing isn’t going to make it better is it?

You make your own happiness in this world.

Work is very often a grind. Not everyone can do a job they love, and even when you have a job you quite like, it can be tedious and dull and annoying some of the time.
So, if there is something else you'd like to do and could do, or if you can eg reduce to 4 days a week, try to achieve that. If not, and your job isn't actively awful, then you need to accept what it is and find joy in the evenings weekends and holidays.