Dear Steemy,
I don't know how I got here, but I think my job is slowly killing me. I've been working in offices for years and never felt the way I feel now. I'm not exactly following a passion, but I used to always enjoy my environment and the people I worked with. Something has changed over the last year though. My sleep has been off, I've gotten more sick in the last year than really ever before and I noticed a definite change in my mood. I'm grumpier, always stretched for time, and I can't seem to find any contentment at work anymore. I know I should probably leave his job, but I'm just not sure what else I would do, offices are all I've ever known. I can feel myself losing all interest in my profession and I don't know how to stop it!
Complacent Cathy
Dear Complacent,
You can take comfort in the fact that you aren't alone in this feeling. Many people take and hold jobs that they don't find satisfying, it's almost like this is a rite of passage for some.
When we're disconnected from our passions, we run the risk of descending into depression. If one thing is certain, humans like to express themselves. Finding the balance between expressing yourself in a satisfying way and keeping food on the table can be the tricky part.
For a Waiting Room, it'll Do
As social creatures, we often find ourselves gravitating towards community and groups. This mentality extends into the office, as well. I have heard many anecdotes where people kept grinding away at their current position because they really loved their coworkers and environment. While this is valid reasoning for staying at a company, you have to be careful that you're not compromising your forward momentum for a comfortable chair. When you start to feel alone when surrounded by others in your office, you've received your first red flag. Listen to you intuition.
Two Birds, One Stone
It seems you have two issues. First, you know you aren't working in your passion. Second, you're not sure what that passion is, or how you can legitimately monetize it to be able to continue putting food on the table.
One way you could start to unravel this knot you find yourself in is to start figuring out what motivates your passion. Since it sounds like you have job security, this could a great time to spend some free time exploring what it is that might satisfy you in work. Taking the time to figure out the passion piece to your personal puzzle may help to solve both problems, but not overnight.
Utilize your resources to start the search for your passion and maybe you won't feel so hopeless at the office because you'll know you're on the hunt for something that excites and inspires you.
Passion is HARD
If you feel like you're just going round and round, look for the exit!
It takes a certain kind of person to persevere through the process of changing careers, especially to follow a career that may not have the same compensation structure. You may wind up a freelancer having to monitor your own taxes and provide your own insurance, so be certain you are ready to take the plunge.
Change takes time. Big change can take even longer. But if you feel that your job is taking you into a dark place, the wait for positive change could be worth your patience. Don't ever let your job become a sentence, and never risk your life for anything that isn't a passion.
Good luck Complacent,
Steemy