Does this sound familiar? You started your job with super energy and drive, but now you find yourself among the 75% of Canadians who are fatigued on the job, dreading Monday morning. Is it the mind-numbing work that can be accomplished with your Instagram page open? Or are you feeling way over your head and no one to turn to for help?
Or maybe you’re afraid to quit?
While lots of people experience these five signs of a career rut (feeling fatigued, stuck, bored, unskilled, or fearful), you can take steps to turn it around.
- Network. Reach out to women who love their jobs, especially if their jobs are outside your field. Enthusiasm can be contagious—and networking out of the box can spark a vision for where you want to end up.
- Do the unexpected. If you’re bored, maybe it’s time for you to initiate the change. Are you more of a go-it-aloner? Volunteer to work on a team project. It could cause others to look at you in a new way too.
- Find a mentor. If it’s new skills you need to move out of your comfort zone, finding a sponsor can help you master new technological skills and navigate the corporate ladder.
- Hire a coach. A professional can help you assess whether your job is worth salvaging or if it’s time to move on. She can hold your hand if you’re afraid to let go, and point you in the direction of exciting new opportunities and better times ahead.
- Get quality rest. New research from Sleep Medicine shows it’s not the amount of sleep—it’s when you get it. Going to bed earlier provides a deeper kind of rest—and if you wake up earlier you’ll have time to practise Transcendental Meditation in the morning. TM not only banishes fatigue, it sharpens thinking and uplifts mood—all great boosters for the workday.