Should You Quit Your Job for Mental Health and Happiness? – “I don’t regret it at all”

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Have you ever quit a job or considered it for your mental well-being? Someone recently took to Reddit asking, “What do you think of quitting your job for mental health and happiness?” The internet responded by delivering this authentic list of advice.

1. Best Decision Ever

One shared, “The best decision you will ever make if lack of finances doesn’t make things worse than the job did. I did it, my back pain (from stress) disappeared, I moved into my dream job, and I wish I had done it sooner. Protect your mental health if you can afford it. It is precious.”

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2. It Makes the News

“It was on the news the other day how a teacher quit her job after 21 years and now works at Costco, and she’s happier. It’s a good idea but ensure you have enough funds to support you if your backup plan fails,” answered another.

3. Mental Health Is Precious

“Yes! Mental health is so precious. What’s the point of living if we are in a perpetual state of misery? Being drained also limits you from realizing what you can do and your potential. So even if it means less pay, as long as a livable wage that will not compromise my mental health, it’s a go,” one suggested.

4. Check In With Yourself First

Another replied, “Check in with yourself what quitting would change and if any other options are viable. For example, do you have the financial safety net and company understanding to negotiate a sabbatical or extended leave if you are looking for time to sort out what you want?

Are there other roles in the company that better align with what you need to be happy, and are you willing to take a pay cut to make that happen? So you want to leave for a more fulfilling job.

Is there anything at your company you could leverage to give you a better launch – subsidized Coursera certification? If you call it a day, make sure to have some game plan, even if it is “one month getting myself sorted and then into job hunting.”

5. It’s Vital

“It’s vital to know that your job contributes to poor mental health and impacts your happiness. Before I quit, though, I’d tried to reflect on whether I would feel this way in whatever circumstance and if it was internal or external unhappiness.

More often than not, it is an external influence like a job. Still, there’s been times when I blame work when I’m just going through a challenging period mentally. Any job, person, and situation would impact it.”

6. Determine Your Mental State

As somebody who struggles with mental health, sometimes it blinds us from recognizing that our job is significant (not saying this is the situation.) It’s essential to determine whether looking for another job and quitting would worsen your mental state or improve it. Unfortunately, I can’t answer this for you.

7. Sometimes, It’s a No-Go

One woman confessed, “I’m going against the grain here. I’m a single parent, the only income, and I have a child to support and bills to pay. I can’t just quit my job and find another one making the same money. Making less money means the bills would not get paid. So it’s a no-go.”

8. Better Sleep

Another admitted, “I did it. The night I gave my two weeks’ notice, I slept all night instead of waking up at 4 am anxious for the first time in months. I spent hours in bed awake, unable to sleep after waking up at 4 am.

Then when I left bed (even if it was the afternoon because sometimes I worked in the evening), I was exhausted. The day I went to work after my notice, I woke up at 8 am, completely rested, without needing any coffee. With the same energy, I had the first day I went to that toxic job. I don’t regret it at all. Worth it.”

9. Definitely, Do It

“Definitely do it. I struggled at my last employer due to terrible management and staff shortages, and I wasn’t coping. I had been there for eight years. I was overworked and stressed,” another Redditor replied.

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10. Have Something Else Lined Up

Finally, one advised, ‘If you have something else lined up to do and have enough savings to cover the dip in income, do it. It’s why I left working in a nursing home. I had a home health job lined up, and my goodness, it was great to be able to come home and not sob for an hour.

It took about a year before I stopped feeling terror whenever my phone rang. Without a plan, though, I can’t support it- I was used by someone who gave that reasoning.”

We hope you enjoyed this Reddit discussion about whether it’s good to quit your job for mental health reasons and overall happiness. This article is inspired by the internet and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Wealthy Nickel.

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