Balance with stressful job?

Emilie04444

Yesterday I was told by a coworkers young friend that I should consider a different job and that I am too young for the job I have. I work 10 hour days mostly working in a medical office. I kind of see what she is saying and we have talked about starting a business together.

With my job there is no work/life balance and the job is fast paced and constant. And I never leave on time. I feel like I am doing so much to make these people money but I don't really see the benefits from it. My salary doesn't increase with the more work I put out, I just keep my job.

I keep thinking that the better I get at my job, the more I can achieve a balance, go to the gym after work, go out after work, etc. But I find that the better I get, the more work I just end up doing with multitasking which makes me exhausted at the end of the day. Literally crashing when I get home on some days. And the office is just getting busier and busier. I am planning to apply to grad school but I need to volunteer to kind of get more exposure in my field, but I don't have the energy after work to do much, so I usually go home, cook dinner, prep lunch and talk on the phone.

I have lost a few more pounds since starting (8lbs), but nothing like my last job where I lost 45 lbs. But it was less stressful and I had a lot of ppl supporting my efforts. I don't know I guess I just needed to write this out. I like my job, but maybe it's not the right type of work. Anyway, I'm going to start looking for something else and prepping my resume. I may consider requesting every other Friday off. I think I have more pull then I am using. I think they would rather keep me there and sane, than quit. Because they would have to hire someone else and that is more work for them.

If you have a stressful job, can you let me know how you balance it???

egrusy

I like that you are taking charge of things! Good for you!

I have a stressful job and also work long hours a lot of the time. The one thing I do to try to balance it is take time on my lunch hour to go for a long walk. Some of my co-workers bike to and from work; unfortunately I live too far away for that to be an option for me. Not sure what else to tell you but that I understand about your being too tired at the end of the day to do much. When I am on the workout wagon I always will get in my exercise BEFORE work, though I do hate having to get up earlier :yawn:

thepetiterunner

A couple of years ago I had a mini-breakdown. I sat down and really evaluated what my life looked like versus what I wanted it to look like and I made changes.

I am not someone who is in love with their job. It isn't my passion in life. I happen to be good at it and I enjoy the people I work with, but I don't see it as an all-fulfilling-purpose to my days. My job allows me to pursue the lifestyle and hobbies that I truly enjoy. And once I had that mindset, it was much, much easier to put my life on the front burner and work on the back burner.

Have an honest conversation with yourself. You can say "no" to people at work when they keep giving you more. You don't HAVE to work 10 hour days. Be honest with yourself about why you're doing it. It seems as though it's not making you happy.

As far as how I balance it, it's easy: I maintain boundaries between my personal and professional life. Lack of planning on my coworker's part does not constitute an emergency in my life. Meaning, I'm not going to work extra OT every single time someone else eff's up just to make them look good. I don't get paid any more for doing that work (other than the OT) and honestly, I'd rather be cooking dinner for my partner and friends or running. It's just not worth it to me.