I have spent the last decade and a half working forty plus hours a week and I have nothing left to give. My health, my hobbies, my relationships, they have all taken a backseat to just surviving work. And I have several decades of this left. Is life really supposed to be like this?
13 replies (most recent on top)
who isnt
Do what everyone else is doing and quiet quit. Yes, we all feel the total dread of going into these cr-ppy offices a s talking corporate speak. Don’t count how many days til u retire or else you will start to cry. Take comfort in knowing everyone else is miserable too and we all hate the cheerleading all hands meetings where kiss ups try to earn brownie
points. Personally I’m hoping for a mental breakdown so I can go on leave. Yeah- we all hate it.
Save your money, stop spending on stupid things, retire early.
@ak "...what made you continue to do it?"
What do you think? He has to pay the fnocking rent! Were you born yesterday? What do you mean what made you do it? Sheesh!
Wow. Awfully abrasive for a bootlicker. They are usually meek and mild little lapdogs. Not you. You are a bonafide hardass. Mad props.
@OP
"dreading the rest of my working life"
Oh the drama.
15 years in an you are just now find out that you are working your a** off for little gain? What were your expectations going in? Everything would be cake all of your working career? Is that what they told you?
You should have been asking these questions oh, I dunno, at most, maybe at 5 years in?
If so, maybe you would have been at a different company with a better work/life balance if in fact, that is the real problem here.
At 15 years in, you would have had a handle on things here at WF. Yeah, it su-ks right now but it sounds like you want a pity party so stop b8tching about it and start acting on changing up your situation.
Sounds like deep burnout. I'm right there with you. Personally I'm saving for a sabbatical, I don't want to wait until retirement, if I even make it there in good health, to go travel and do some fun stuff. I have enough to go now (on a very tight budget) but I'm holding out, I think my chances of getting laid off by Wells in the next few years is pretty good. Given Charlie's bullsh-t, there's a decent chance of being terminated instead of laid off, but it's worth rolling the dice and continuing to save until that time comes.
Best advice I can give, get yourself in a financial position where losing your job would be a welcome signal to change pace for awhile, instead of being devastating. Much easier said than done, obviously. Having some financial backstop REALLY turns down the volume on how work stress affects you.
"The Let Them Theory"
Is life really supposed to be like this?
Absolutely! Yes, if you let something, someone. anything, anyone take your control away, especially in areas of what you do for a living then no matter how many hours a week you spend at it your time is wasted as you can clearly see now realizing with this post just how fruitless it all has been.
You spent the last 15 years working more than the typical 40 hour work week. Why? Did you have a choice? Since health, hobbies, relationships (odd sequence) all suffered in your effort to survive work what made you continue to do it?
We are all responsible for the choices we make over our lifetime. We can never change anyone else, ever. It is all on us!
Good luck to you!
Have you considered Wellness®? Go for a jog! Do some yoga! Think good thoughts!
Talk to a therapist to help you review your life goals. If you are not happy where you are start taking steps to change it. No one but you have the power to change your circumstances.
Jordan Peterson: Life is inherently suffering and difficult. However, instead of despairing, you must voluntarily accept this hardship, take radical responsibility, and seek meaning by overcoming challenges.
Get a therapist. They could also help with a work from home accommodation for a couple of weeks so you can reset.
Sounds like you have hit a mid life crisis