‘Hate My Job, But Can’t Quit!’ – Here’s What You Can Do

You feel Monday blues every morning,
You find excuses to either skip work or delay your arrival at the office,
Your day goes by clock watching, counting the time to punch out,
Daydreaming, extra coffee trips, overstaying in the cafeteria over lunch, there is no trick left in your hat to use,
Every day, every moment you dread for the last moment, the last time you’d come to this office, or sit on this chair or see these faces,
And then you think of the reality,
Mutter ‘Hate my job but can’t quit’,
And come back to the loop, the next day

Does this feel relatable?

What do you do when you are in a job that feels like a burden and drains your energy and happiness? What if you hate it but push your feelings down after looking at the pile of bills and responsibilities that won’t just go away sitting idle? What do you do when you feel that quitting your job isn’t even an option, no matter how miserable you are because you can’t afford to take a break to hunt for a new job?

Saying ‘I will quit’ and doing it are two different things. In today’s time, when inflation is high, market volatility is at an all-time low, and the unemployment rate skyrockets, having any job is a blessing. You might be thinking this and feeling lucky, despite that unfulfillment that is eating you up. Whether it’s an undervaluing job role or an arrogant boss, taking the risk of quitting seems unaffordable. Hence, every day you wake yourself up, take some motivation dose and get yourself to work.

We hear you and are here to your rescue.

Things To Do When You Hate Your Job But Can’t Afford To Quit:

Short Term Fixes:

1. Find The Root Cause and Keep That At Bay

Find out what is it that one single reason that troubles you the most and makes you hate your job. It could be your boss, your colleagues, your current project, or maybe your desk. Once you pinpoint that reason, try to avoid it, pass it on, delegate it and make a way to live your life with the least possible interaction with that reason.

2. Buddy Up At The Office

The more you sit around thinking about the fact you hate your job, the more it will sadden you and drain you out. Instead, mingle, talk to other departments or your team members, go out with them, share office jokes, laugh out, and play games in the zone room. Sync your time with them and not talk about work, just take a break. You will realize how great of a survival kit that will turn out to be. These friends can come in handy to guard you when you are napping in your safe zone.

3. Delegate or Team Up For Work

When you buddy up or team up at the office, it’s easier to ask for help, especially at a job that is becoming intolerable. Whenever you feel everything seems to be piling up and you can’t pull yourself back from it, find a way out and delegate. You can be nice and ask yourself or seek help from your manager, stating it would help you complete this faster.

4. Make Some Decor Changes Around Your Cubicle 

You need some vibe shift. Begin with pinning some post-it notes, some quotes, or maybe your favorite posters. You can add some plants around and cheer up the aura. Positivity begins from where you sit and you will be amazed to see how these tiniest of changes could have a major impact.

5. Do Journalling 

Do not bottle your emotions. Write your feelings down or have a vocal journaling experience and share it all with your outside work circle, your friends, or your family. Try to take it all out each day and not think about the same things the next day. Having a glass half full attitude comes with such small steps.

Long Term Fixes:

1. Zoom Out

One of the things to try when you hate your job but can’t quit is to zoom out of the situation altogether and look at life from a macroscopic view. This will help you discover the bigger meaning of life, get in touch with enlightenment and seek calm. Free your mind off the clutter, that will help you to be able to clean the slate too. This way you don’t feel stuck, get a sense of fulfillment and have hope for a lookout in the future.

2. Take a Side Project 

There are so many options today to get a side hustle, find the one that is a perfect distraction for you and aligns with your interests and values. You’d have to keep a balance so it doesn’t overburden you. You can always try a couple of these hacks together, for example, try delegation in your current role to grab some time for that side hustle.

This can be good for you financially too since you can save enough to quit your current job while having the mental and emotional breathers in between.

3. Focus on the Pursuit Instead of Your Escape

If not a side hustle, pursue a hobby, something that you above always wanted to do but never got time for. Search for it, and push yourself hard to pursue it. It can be something to study for higher education or learn a new skill to get into another field or maybe a hobby long-left in the childhood days.

If your focus is on pursuit instead of escape, you will attract good vibes and a better future. Follow your curiosity, take time off from work and you will always have something to look forward to then.

Instead of looking at the trap that holds you, look out for the myriad opportunities available to pursue that could give you purpose.

4. Accept, Actualize and Act

Ok this is a shitty job, does that mean you will let it take a toll on you, without acting for something you deserve? Accept your current situation, and envision a better future starting with what you want to do next and then acting on it by shining your resume and updating your LinkedIn profile. Look through the listings, and start sending applications. It’s when you move, that you will be able to move out.

5. Embrace It

For as long as you are in your current job, bear it for the projects you get that you can write in your resume about and the salary you make, helping you to pay off your bills. For now, you are stuck in the job but can’t quit, have a grin, embrace the pain and let it live in you but not overpower you, instead let it shape you into a better version of yourself.

As MoneyGrower says:

Tough times present you with an opportunity to grow stronger. Each day you slog it out and don’t crumble, you become more resilient. And resilience is a super skill that will allow you to keep pushing and working hard through the challenges, which is what’s required to achieve greatness in anything.

Let the waves of boredom and monotony not drown you with them but learn to surf through them and enjoy. And till the time you can not quit your job, try these fixes to help you get through the time.