Having worked in the industry, I know Blue Monday is PR BS, AND I also know it can be a particularly depressing time of year for you if you’re in the wrong job (a fact I also discovered in my previous career!)
So what can you do if your work is making you blue?
1) Stop blaming yourself (or others). I used to think I had an attitude problem, that I was just a grumpy person who was destined to never be happy in my work. Turns out I was just in the wrong job. It can also be tempting to take out your unhappiness on those around you. Maybe it’s your boss’s fault or your annoying colleagues. The thing is, if you start resenting those around you, it’s you that ultimately suffers, and means your energies aren’t being focused in a productive direction. The first step, if work is making you miserable and burnt out, is ALWAYS self-care, so make sure you do whatever it takes to look after your emotional wellbeing before you try and tackle anything else.
2) Start taking small, meaningful, regular steps towards a change. I’m NOT talking here about endless scrolling through job sites or googling “I hate my job”. I’m talking positive real-world action that will open your mind to new career possibilities: volunteering, having conversations with people who do interesting work, taking short courses in subjects that fascinate you… Not only will these actions move you forward in your career clarity, but they’ll also hopefully make you feel a whole lot less blue.
3) Give your current job a New Year makeover. Even if you’re planning a full-on career change (like most of the people I work with), this process can take time and so it makes sense to make your existing role more palatable – and productive – in the meantime. Is there a skill you enjoy using but don’t get to use much at work? Can you find a way to do it MORE (like I did when I realised that I enjoyed writing the most in my previous job, so offered to produce a weekly newsletter)? Is there one colleague that never fails to make you smile and can you set up a regular coffee date with them, so your encounters aren’t being left to chance? Are there other departments or colleagues that do work that seems more interesting or enjoyable than yours, and can you ask to work shadow or even help them out on a project?
If you’re feeling particularly blue today about your work situation, I’m sending you so much love right now. I’ve been there (full-on blubbing in the toilets), it’s awful, and I really hope for you that 2024 is the year you can start to move things in a different direction.
Get in touch if you want a chat about what your first steps could be…