Some of the worst jobs you’ll ever work will try to tell you that “You’ve gotta be tough to work here!” They will make you think you’re too weak if you feel like you have to quit for your mental health. This is very rarely true.
Photo by Quinn Dombrowski.
As business site Inc. points out, unhealthy work environments have a negative effect on your mental health no matter who you are. While it’s true some jobs are tougher than others — and even that some jobs favour certain types of personalities — when you decide to quit, it’s always your choice. Quitting because the job is harming your mental health doesn’t mean you’re too weak:
If you wanted to be physically strong, working in a gym would likely inspire you to build muscle. Being surrounded by people lifting weights all day, may motivate you to get fitter. And if the gym offered access to personal trainers and opportunities to use the equipment whenever you wanted, you’d probably find it easy to build muscle.
If, however, you worked 14 hour days in an office setting, it would be tougher to get buff. It’d be especially tough if the workplace cafeteria only served junk food and the boss expected you to do hours of work from home each night. The workaholic mentality would lead to fewer opportunities to lift weights and you’d probably find it much harder to get physically strong in that environment, compared to a job working in a gym. Well, mental strength is much like physical strength. The environment plays a huge role in your ability to build mental muscle.
Of course, it’s easy to feel like a job with regular stress is toxic some days. You shouldn’t quit your job just because you have a bad day. However, if your work is trying to tell you that you’re not adequate just because you can’t meet unreasonable demands — even if other people do it anyway — you don’t have to accept that.
I Don’t Like My Job. Does Quitting Mean I’m Not Mentally Strong Enough to Hack It? [Inc.]
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