Anyone quit a job for mental health?

[drdeadringer]

Originally Posted by ebrillblaiddes

I just couldn't keep running on empty for that much longer.

This sounds similar to why I left my last job, except it was a set if different issues -- i.e. continual relocation and dreading the Final Destination.

[gemma-dahl]

I did. I quit a job once I was promoted, because as a "reward" for being a hard worker, I was expected to work at a pace that was not humanly possible, was subjected to random spying by my boss and other co-workers, and worked in an environment where everyone was the enemy of everyone else, and was consistently crass and unprofessional.

The better my work was, the nastier my boss got, accusing me of any and all mistakes. His management style was "management by inflammation," where he'd try to get our best work by yelling at us. Then, he asked me to ask my subordinate to work for an illegal wage. That pushed me over the edge, and I quit.

[PenforPrez]

That's the problem I have right now. I really need to find a way out of this job cause I'm so mad all the time that I want to start kicking things. But if I quit, I'd have to move back in with my parents. Which would be even worse.

Paul

[NeverSatisfied]

Originally Posted by PenforPrez

That's the problem I have right now. I really need to find a way out of this job cause I'm so mad all the time that I want to start kicking things. But if I quit, I'd have to move back in with my parents. Which would be even worse.

Same here. It's so bad, that despite my personal issues with leaving a job without having a job, I'm considering it as the rejection letters from the prospects I had continue to pour in. I know I can't take it much longer. Part of the problem is that a few months into the job, I was already letting the ridiculous antics, remarks, structure and poor leadership roll off my back, hoping things would get better. I was excited about stepping into a related but new industry. Now, it's time to bail, but I need a steady income.

[steph78]

I'm seriously considering it right now. It's come down to boundaries again. I have an incredible situation really, I feel kind of whiny to complain about it, but I am working so much that I am not spending as much time with my husband as I should. I work part-time from home which means that my hours are entirely flexible which is fantastic. However, I am only supposed to be working 10 hours a week and my boss keeps giving me projects that require much more time than that to complete by deadline, and they expect me to do what it takes to finish because there is no one else to do it (they laid off other less productive workers when the economy tanked). I am supposed to be able to fit this work into my kids' naptimes, instead I am finding myself working both more than I should during the day and also the entire evening which means that I barely see my husband. I keep saying "as soon as this deadline passes then I'll have more time to spend with my husband" but there will just be another deadline after that. I can bring up boundaries, but at the end of the day I can tell they'll just pile on the work anyway because I've always come through and done it before.

[PenforPrez]

Originally Posted by NeverSatisfied

Same here. It's so bad, that despite my personal issues with leaving a job without having a job, I'm considering it as the rejection letters from the prospects I had continue to pour in. I know I can't take it much longer. Part of the problem is that a few months into the job, I was already letting the ridiculous antics, remarks, structure and poor leadership roll off my back, hoping things would get better. I was excited about stepping into a related but new industry. Now, it's time to bail, but I need a steady income.

I keep telling myself I need to calm down. I usually manage, but then they'll blame me for something that wasn't my fault or they'll ignore something very obvious I tell them and it just sets me off.

My therapist told me this week I need to look at it as I'm staying at this job for me till I can find something else. She told me to look at jobs on Craigslist (I never had any luck with it before) for ideas. Problem is, there's nothing I'm qualified for there except office work, which is none too inspiring.

Paul

[gemma-dahl]

Originally Posted by PenforPrez

My therapist told me this week I need to look at it as I'm staying at this job for me till I can find something else. She told me to look at jobs on Craigslist (I never had any luck with it before) for ideas. Problem is, there's nothing I'm qualified for there except office work, which is none too inspiring.

Craigslist is pretty much a wasteland for anyone in a mid-sized city, especially nowadays, with the recession and the infinite list of spammers and scammers. I'd try a Google search of companies you'd like to work for instead, and then either applying on their sites or sending inquiry letters. For example, just typing in "St. Louis ad agencies" brought up this:

Ad Agency directory

which isn't even comprehensive ... and since you mentioned interest in healthcare, non-profit, and more (I know you weren't sure about advertising, but I'm just using it for example's sake), I bet you would find many more results than I would.

[PenforPrez]

Originally Posted by gemma-dahl

Craigslist is pretty much a wasteland for anyone in a mid-sized city, especially nowadays, with the recession and the infinite list of spammers and scammers.

Ironically, somebody actually posted an ad in the jobs section of St. Louis Craigslist yesterday saying, "Do any of these employers actually answer anybody who responds to these ads?"

My first thought was, "OK, you summed up my problem."

Paul

[winneythepooh7]

Originally Posted by PenforPrez

Problem is, there's nothing I'm qualified for there except office work, which is none too inspiring.

Paul

Paul, sometimes though beggars can't be choosers. If finding something like this is a means to get out of your current negative situation, you should look at this as a positive to move on to bigger and better. Especially where your own mental health is concerned.

[pisces2473]

Originally Posted by PenforPrez

I keep telling myself I need to calm down. I usually manage, but then they'll blame me for something that wasn't my fault or they'll ignore something very obvious I tell them and it just sets me off.

My therapist told me this week I need to look at it as I'm staying at this job for me till I can find something else. She told me to look at jobs on Craigslist (I never had any luck with it before) for ideas. Problem is, there's nothing I'm qualified for there except office work, which is none too inspiring.

Paul

Office work might not be inspiring, but it pays the bills. And like Winney said, you can't be choosy if you are so miserable at your current job. You need to just deal with the way things are and find something. Most people don't have "inspiring" jobs--they just use it to fuel what inspires them OUTSIDE of work.

[ash14vwb]

I haven't done it, but am looking to leave my current job primarily because of this reason - the mental health issue. The job makes me anxious, overwhelmed and overworked. I haven't had this issue at prior jobs, and I'm looking to get out ASAP. I just don't want to quit without a new job lined up, thus keeping me at this place (and feeling crazy) longer.

[NeverSatisfied]

PenforPrez and ash14vwb, I hope that you all have better luck than I'm having by staying. I'm so down right now, it's beginning to affect my physical health. I was just in a meeting, unable to concentrate and staring at a calendar, trying to figure out how I could pay my bills from the time I quit this job until my money runs out. I can no longer wait to secure another job. I have to get out of here. And it's not just the job, it's the city and state that I'm living in too. None of it is for me. I've given it more than 2 years of my life and I'm still waiting on something to change.

Oh, don't worry, I'll feel like a complete failure. It's no different than how I've been feeling for a long time now. But I'll make sure I never fix my mouth to regret the decision I'm making to go home. For my credit's sake, let's see if I can make it until the end of the month.

[wordsmith]

I wouldn't be so quick to give up on the concept of the "inspiring" job. Not everyone trudges through their existence doing shit they couldn't care less about. I'm of the opinion that most people don't, for the long term. Taking something mediocre temporarily is fine, if you need it to get out of an abusive workplace situation while you look for something that suits you, but there's no reason to buy into the viewpoint that most people don't enjoy their work. I've not found that to be true at all.

When I made up my mind to leave my previous abusive/dysfunctional workplace, I knew fully well that I'd take basically anything I was offered, even if it wasn't ideal, and live with it for the time being, because the alternative, staying where I was, was completely and totally unacceptable as an option. I was prepared to work motel night desks, cashier at convenience stores, really didn't care. But I also knew that I'd be continually pursuing options, even at that rate, that were positions that actually mattered to me beyond a paycheck. Just going into work for the paycheck isn't anything I could tolerate for more than the bare minimum time necessary...definitely wouldn't resign myself to it. Fortunately, it didn't come to that, I found something that's been ideal pretty much immediately. I doubt it's just luck...I think it has more to do with the fact that I'm a bloodhound at sniffing out positions that are really, really good matches for my wants and skills. This helps prevent me from having to settle.

[winneythepooh7]

I think the point is though, that if your mental health is at stake, you need to do what you need to do to get out of that situation and not be so choosy. No one is saying you need to stay there forever. This has been an ongoing issue with Paul for several years now, and why I get what you are saying Words, I think it tends to be a bit enabling for this particular poster.

[PenforPrez]

Originally Posted by wordsmith

I doubt it's just luck...I think it has more to do with the fact that I'm a bloodhound at sniffing out positions that are really, really good matches for my wants and skills. This helps prevent me from having to settle.

See, that's where I've been confused all along. I still have no clue what I want to do or can do or even how to figure it out. The hope was that this job would help me do that, but it didn't.

Paul