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Not a doctor, but If you aren’t working out, you should start working out. It’s pretty remarkable how much 30mins of exercise can improve your mental health. Other than that, I would focus on what larger purpose your work has - growing a company. Also, on that same vein, do everything with intention instead of passively doing it. You got this eaaaassssyyy.
Awesome! Good to hear. It may take some time, so don't rush yourself out of becoming the much better version of you. Overcoming the stigma of mental health, out of pocket expense, and time it takes from your schedule are all just part of the healing process.
I’m in a similar situation right now and trying out some advice my wife (who used to work in a soul sucking job) gave to me. I don’t know your exact situation, and I this will probably come across as oversimplifying, but simply detaching you’re emotion from your work the best you can is a good first step. Do the best bare minimum job you can and once you clock out (I know that time and day can vary greatly) leave it all at the door.
Is this a perfect solve? Probably not. Is this working for me? Well, kind of. I’m feeling less worried about projects, feedback from my stakeholders, etc. It’s helped me just go with the flow and turn out work that is good enough to pass muster.
In the meantime I’m working on my book, talking with recruiters and picking up a few new skills that I hope will make me more valuable once the world comes back. Think of it as your secret tunnel to get you under the wall and out of Shawshank.
Also, and I can’t stress this enough, if you can see a psychiatrist and/or therapist, do it. They can equip you with real coping mechanisms (both practical or pharmaceutical) to help you balance yourself out.
Finally, and I know this is tough given our the way the world is right now, connect to your family and friends the best you can. My wife, my immediate family and my close friends are my life preserver. They help me hold on even after the worst best downs.
I hope this helps even in a small way. Stay strong. You’ll make it through. We’ll all make it through.
This is great advise. I’m struggling in this pandemic to take care of my 4 month old. Work doesn’t care. They basically gave me a work load I can’t really do. But reading your post it all kind of clicked.
Not sure if it’s the work / your boss / the people, but SAD1 has a good suggestion about not “fighting” the job. Put your effort toward bettering your situation. Side note to the below story, I was also saving like mad to have enough money to support myself for a few months incase I needed to just walk out. And by the end I did have enough, but got another job and now keep that money for when I might need it.
My last job was the worst I’ve ever had. I knew day 1 that I’d been cat-fished and the environment and job wasn’t anything that was given in the interview (right down to the desk situation - I’d been walked through a new section of the building which was open and bright and was told our area would look like that. Not mentioning or walking through the 80s cubical farm that we’d be sitting in for the next 3 years because that’s how long before the remodel was going to take to get there).
For the first half of my time there I was a “fighter” wanting to prove that the place could be changed. But, after being beat down enough times by 30 some lazy creatives that only knew print and didn’t want to learn new things... and worse, they felt threatened so they buried me in trash work (though I grew to learn all of it was trash, just some of it was slightly better trash) I spent time just being angry and feeling trapped. When I got the mental courage to do interviews and try to leave, the manager I had was doing anything he could to catch me and interfere. He’d repeatedly call me on my days off, wouldn’t allow people to work from home, call or text whenever I left my desk for a meeting.
By the end of year 2, I was no longer going to fight it the way I had. The fight needed to be different, it had to be more thought out, political and conniving which I’d promised myself I’d never do because of morals and pride.... well I needed out before I jumped off the highest roof and I needed to pretend I liked vial people.
That took about a year, I saw some of the most toxic people get laid off and got my manager to feel comfortable.
So by the end of my plan I’d finally gotten the table set, I’d been put on high profile projects and gotten the manager to feel a sense of comradery. So I went full speed, updating my website but only keeping it live while doing interviews and this time I could focus on what I really wanted versus “I’ll take anything to get out”.
So, I wish you the best of luck during this time. It’s not easy right now in general and I don’t know your situation. But, don’t loose hope that things could change, you might just have to go about it a different way.
Wow are you me? I’ve been dealing with the exact same thing. I’ve been buried in trash work for a year and was told I’m not allowed to work on better projects because I haven’t “proved myself” that I could turn trash into gold lol.
Firstly, is it the job or is it the agency? If it’s the agency, see it as a stepping stone. Do their work. Bare minimum to get by. Take the pay check. See every pay check as a bonus. Save cash. Get in touch with recruiters. Let them know you’re up for a change. Put the feelers out. Take the pay checks. Then, when this shitty situation starts to improve, hunt for a new agency. Hard.
At the moment it feels like both. Taking a step back and looking at it without emotions, it’s the agency and the work.
Take your PTO. You have earned it. A friend WFH (pre pandemic) and is busier than ever. He took a day just to hike in the wilderness. The world didn't end. If you don't get some boundaries set, you will not be an asset to any employer.
When your job sucks they are paying you to interview.
Yes, it's very hard to do right now but so is staying in that job.
I understand, after almost 40 years in advertising I’ve had some jobs in the past that were pure hell.
Exercise is my key to staying mentally healthy.
You’ll need to determine if you need to change your career path or just who you’re working for.
Great q, SA, wondering the same thing! I’m like 4 years deep and losing it!
You should tell your boss how things are going and work out a plan so you can get whatever you need to improve your mental state.
I suspect you’re working a ton of hours. You’re not alone, and no normal manager would look down on you for asking for some help with carving out more free time to help yourself get through this.
At the very least it’ll make you happier until you find a new job.
I kind of complained to my boss already and she totally understands but it doesn’t look like there are going to be changes any time soon
I can relate to this as I’m going through the same thing (like so many others it seems!) so know that you aren’t alone! It sucks that it feels this way though - I’m sorry you’re going through this 😔
What I’ve found helpful is to start turning down projects unless it’s explicitly in my wheelhouse or excites me. It’s given me so much more free time during the day so that I’m not drowning in work - so I can use the extra time to do something I do actually like. Lately it’s designing memes for fun and playing animal crossing.
It’s hard to not feel guilty about saying no, especially right now, but it’s a muscle you should start to build. It’s also hard to rationalize being selfish sometimes but your mental health and protection comes first. So yes, take your PTO, talk to your manager about getting some things off your plate, say no to things don’t excite you, and like others have said, separate your emotions as much as possible.
All this will make time pass less painfully, but it won’t cure it. And it’s ok to feel this way too - your feelings are 100% valid! We are in unprecedented times. Just know you’ve got us Fishies to lean on. Hope that this all helps ❤️
Thank you ❤️❤️ I’ll find that motivation again. I’ll re-connect with some people as well
Right now is not the best time to look at switching jobs, unfortunately. It's not impossible, but you will never have less leverage. You could casually look, but while you do that, do what you can to improve your mental health outside of your job. If you don't already, see a therapist. Medication. Excercise. Yoga. Meditation.
Start networking and doing side work. For a while I had a solid freelance biz and I didn't even look for full time jobs
Yeah if I had hours to allow me to have a side job, I would.