5 Reasons You Are Stuck at Your Soul-Sucking Job

Everyone tells us to follow our dreams, but what happens when your soul-sucking job won’t let you? How are you supposed to pursue your passions if it leaves you with barely enough time or energy for yourself or your family? I get it and have been there—your toxic job feeds your mind, body, and soul with pain and despair. The lack of motivation, stress, anxiety, and depression that comes along with it are enough to make anyone sick.

But why is it so hard for us to quit these jobs that suck the life out of us? Here are 5 reasons why you are still stuck.

1. The Compensation Package is Great

Maybe you receive an amazing benefits package with free health insurance, subsidized gym memberships or massages, free meals in the company cafeteria, and days off during the week to use for traveling or chillout days. Often, your job benefits outweigh the nature of the environment you’re in.

You might also stay because you need that fat check every two weeks to pay your rent/mortgage, pay off your student loans or credit card debt, and maybe even fund a retirement account or savings goal. If you leave, your mind will continue to worry about the financial burden you’ve incurred. I have a friend that stays at her job solely for the medical benefits for her and her family.

2. You Don’t Know How To Market Yourself

You spend all day in your soul-sucking job, and it’s so easy to fall into a groove where you do the same tasks every day without thinking about how you can add value or get noticed. You might find yourself in a rut, unsure how to move up the ladder or even what your next steps should be.

The thought of looking for a new job fills you with anxiety, but it doesn’t need to. You have to accept that soul-sucking jobs might not always pay off in the end. Try writing down all the things you can do to sell yourself or your project, and start taking real steps towards making it happen.

3. You Are Used to a Familiar Routine

The routine at this job might be all you know or want to know. You are already used to what/who is good, what/who is bad, and how to deal with it. You’ve been there for what feels like forever – decades, even. This is where your money and livelihood come from; this is how you keep a roof over your head and support your family.

I know many people who let fear consume them and refuse to seek new opportunities, even within their organization. But if you never look, you will never know what different looks like. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, try switching things up. Take on a project that pushes you to learn new skills, acquire new experiences or acquire a brand new certification. You might find another calling that you never knew existed.

4. You Are Afraid of Failure

You might be too afraid to leave your soul-sucking job because other options out there might be the same as what you currently have. The change can be scary but necessary if you want to grow. You likely feel secure where you are now and have doubts that another job would be any better.

If you stay, you run the risk of plateauing, stagnating, and getting stuck. But if you change your surroundings, you can bring out new sides to yourself that never had a chance to grow.

One of the most important lessons to learn in life is that there is no such thing as certainty. Life is uncertain, but what will happen if you don’t take action? You could leave your soul-sucking job for a new one and get fired the next day, or you could lose your current job just as easily. Either way, you will never know if you don’t try. Fearing the unknown should not be what keeps you from making needed changes to your life.

5. You Have Forgotten Who You Are on the Inside

Your job has sucked the life out of you, along with all of your time and energy, and you have forgotten your passion and purpose. You’ve slowly begun to believe that this is all you deserve and can achieve.

If you’re stuck in a soul-sucking job, it’s time to get outside your comfort zone and do something that makes you feel alive. You need a change of scenery to help bring back the real you because your draining job can make everything and everyone else seem less important or fulfilling.

In a twisted way, your job can be addicting since it might be the only thing bringing in an income or the only thing you identify with. Leaving your soul-sucking job can feel like you’re leaving your comfort zone, but that’s the only way you will ever know what it feels like to be comfortable in your own skin.

Take a moment to visualize how life would look if you could walk away from this nasty job without feeling guilty or thinking something terrible would happen. It might feel liberating, and you might even be overcome with excitement.

Try writing down all the things you can do to sell yourself or your project, and start taking real steps towards making it happen. You are more capable than you know. Determine what skills you have that will make others want to hire you.

Remember, nothing will ever change for the better if you don’t take action. Do yourself a favor, and take the initiative to begin the steps towards finding fulfilling work that will help you grow. Discover your passions and know that your job does not define you and another opportunity has your name on it, whether it’s another job or turning your side hustle into your full-time thing!