A gallon of milk and a gallon of gas are both $6 each.
My job has not given me a raise since I started in early 2021.
I was once able to save some money each month. With the cost of necessities doubled and my paycheck stagnant, I can no longer put any money into my emergency savings at all.
And that’s fucking terrifying.
I see the inspiring “I hated my job and I quit without anything lined up, and now I am happier than ever” content all over LinkedIn and TikTok. I go to bed dreaming of having the same story. If I quit my job, maybe the next day I’ll wake up with an amazing job opportunity in my email inbox, or I’ll wake up a successful writer, or something I cannot imagine right now. But I can’t guarantee this.
If I quit, I’ll have the time and energy to search for a job, but I’ll run out of emergency funds quickly. If I stay, I’ll guarantee my bills are paid, but I’ll have the little mental capacity to engage in a successful job search.
Now maybe the worst possible time for me to want to leave. With recent hiring freezes and layoffs, the job market gets tighter as I type this sentence. But, no job is worth my mental health. I’m in a catch-22 situation that I am unable to balance.
So, why do I want to quit, and what can I do to deal with my work situation?
Multiple things:
- I am micromanaged.
- Upon meeting or exceeding expectations, I am given more expectations.
- I am not given respect or recognition for any work that I do accomplish.
With this treatment, I have come to my wit’s end, and to the last stages of burnout (mental exhaustion). So, what’s the conclusion of all this?
There isn’t one. However, I do think I am in a situation that many others are in right now, and I hope someone out there can relate.
In the meantime, I’ll be googling “how to deal with a micromanaging boss” and “how to deal with burnout at work”.