Many employees work in toxic conditions that are unhealthy for their mental well-being, yet fear and excuses keep them from making a necessary job or career change. If this describes your situation, making the change you need requires taking an honest personal inventory.
If you no longer love your work the way you once did, if you feel like you are under unrelenting stress, and if all of this negativity is affecting other areas of your life, you are not alone. The two problems you are experiencing are common and surmountable:
- Strong dissatisfaction with your work environment
- Trouble finding the courage to make a necessary change
Often, workers who should make a job or career change are paralyzed into inaction because they believe they have done something to deserve the stress coming from their external work environments. If you are working your tail off, you deserve to be happy. Dovetailing with this conception are the limiting beliefs and fears in one’s internal environment that exacerbate the feeling of paralysis.
In this article, we’ll help you to align your thinking with the truth—that you may not be able to fix your work environment, but you can think realistically and free yourself from the shackles of your own mind.
Consider these statistics from a MentalHealthAmerica national worker survey:
63% say their workplace stress results in a significant impact on their mental health.
81% say the stress of their jobs always, often, or sometimes affects personal relationships.
71% spend time thinking about or actively looking for another job.
79% find it difficult to concentrate because of their work environment.
63% work alone always, often, or sometimes because their workplace is unhelpful or hostile.
83% say their company appropriately deals with coworkers who are not doing their jobs.
66% say they sometimes, rarely or never trust their coworkers to support their work activities.
64% say their boss sometimes, rarely, or never supports them when work gets hard.
45% say they rarely or never get the money they deserve.
These figures boil down to a large segment of the working population that would be well-advised to plan a job or career change, but isn’t doing so. What prevents people from improving their situations?
Four factors can hold us back from making a healthy change:
Negative or deluded internal monologues: Beliefs that we have about ourselves and our situations can play endlessly in our minds. Whenever we consider the possibility of change, the internal voice blares, “You’re not smart enough,” “You don’t have the right education or skills,” or “A job or career change won’t be successful.” You may also have deluded internal monologues and tell yourself things like “I’m happy enough where I am” or “This is just a temporary bout of dissatisfaction.”
Write your internal dialogues down and evaluate them on paper. This allows you to be more objective about your thinking. Then talk with family and friends who believe in your talents, who have seen you succeed, and who can tell when you’re being dishonest with yourself. This will rejuvenate your confidence and break you out of that endless self-feedback loop.
Inaccurate beliefs about others’ perceptions: Humans are social creatures. We naturally look for validation from others, and this sometimes works to our disadvantage when the ideas we have about others’ perceptions of us are untrue. We may believe that our family and friends won’t support our goals, or that we wouldn’t be desirable to other employers, or that people can tell our confidence has been shaken. What specific negative beliefs do you believe others hold about you? Write them down and talk with people who know you well and can invalidate these inaccurate ideas.
Erroneous thinking about how the world works: Often, we talk to employees who feel “trapped” in their current positions, and we probe to find out why. What we uncover are some misconceptions about how the world really works. Ideas like “I need to prove myself in this position before I can be a viable candidate for another position” or “I don’t have enough connections to move to another company or industry” are not necessarily based on a realistic understanding of how things work. Talk to an Imprimis Group recruiter who can help to dispel some of the ideas that may be holding you back.
FEARS: Nothing limits our potential like the fears lurking in our own minds. Fear of failure is especially common in this scenario. Things may not be great now, but the bottom could really fall out if I take a risk and try to make a change. This is closely tied to the fear of uncertainty, of not knowing everything that a job or career change entails, but this can be mitigated with research. Fear of rejection is just as common, especially when we are in a situation that is already shaking our confidence. As long as we are realistic about our knowledge and skill levels and what we have to do to bridge any gaps, this fear can be overcome. The challenges may be even greater if we remain in our current positions. Finally, fear of change prevents people from seeking change. Even when we’re not happy, we’re creatures of habit. We have a comfort level with our daily routines, the people we work with, and our daily duties. The mere thought of change can elevate our stress levels.
If you have had successes in the past, often these were related to a willingness to accept change, to deal with any potential rejection, and to face uncertainty. Reflecting on your past victories with people who have been there with you can inspire you to once again overcome the fears that hold you back today.
If you believe you have a crippling fear or an inordinate amount of fears, consider talking to a counselor or therapist who can help you sort through them. Often, the simple act of talking these ideas out with an experienced professional can help you to be mindful of your thought processes. This could be just the catalyst you need to move beyond fear.
Have you had to overcome limiting beliefs and fears to make a positive change in your career? Share your experience and inspire others in our community on Facebook!