It is Sunday evening. You are scrolling through your social media page indifferently, and the only thing you can think about is the next day at work. How do you feel? Overwhelmed? You already feel tired even though you had an excellent weekend? Are you feeling stressed? Do you find yourself complaining to your family or friends about your to-dos or about your co-workers?

Sometimes, it is normal to have the “Monday blues” syndrome. Nobody wants to be working, especially when they had a lovely and well-spent weekend. Most times, this unpleasant feeling passes when we start working and doesn’t bother us a lot. What happens, though, when this feeling never goes away? Maybe it’s time you changed your job.

We sure cannot deny that changing jobs is quite risky and dangerous, especially when you do not have an immediate alternative. However, mental health is, above all. Being obliged to work somewhere that you don’t enjoy is detrimental both for your mental health and your performance at work.

But, which are the signs that show whether it’s time you changed job?

You feel overwhelmed at the thought of getting up to go to work.

Some years ago, I was working in an office where I soon realized something was wrong. I couldn’t understand what it was, but I started to feel almost nauseous at the thought of going there. At first, I thought I was just tired (it was generally a very stressful period in my life, so I thought I was on the verge of having burnout); then, the days passed, and I didn’t even have the courage to wake up and get dressed. I caught myself crying while commuting to work. The strange part was that as soon as I got out of there, my mood was perfect.

You don’t feel valued.

Everyone works for different reasons. Some work for pleasure, some for the money, and some because they… just have to. However, when we work, we expect at least an appreciation for what we are doing. When you put effort into something, you sure want your effort to be acknowledged. If not, your job doesn’t seem that fulfilling. If your work is not appreciated, why have the motivation to continue doing what you do?

Your salary isn’t equal to your efforts.

Assuming you spend a lot of hours at work (8 or even more) and you do your best to make results and do whatever it takes to perform well. On the contrary, your salary does not seem to be in the same orbit. No matter how hard you try, you never get a bonus or a raise, and the money you take is not even equal to your performance. On the other hand, you may have a fair salary, but you still think you deserve more, and no salary can compensate you for what you do.

Your job is affecting your personal life.

There are times that our job may consume a lot of our time -and, usually- our free time. Still, when you feel permanently tired, cannot sleep, suffer from headaches or other physical symptoms, your body warns you that something is wrong. Also, all this stress is affecting your relationships with your friends and family? Have you continuously been irritated and nervous, and your close persons have mentioned that? If yes, then your work is making you an unhappy and cynical person.

You act with apathy and complacency.

We all have bad days at work. But, when you love your job, those days are not the rule; they are the exception. If you find yourself carrying out your tasks with difficulty or unable to focus and do your job, maybe this is a sign that something is wrong. It is normal to procrastinate from time to time; not every day is the same, but what happens when procrastination is the rule? Maybe you don’t like your job anymore.

And now? What to do?

As we said before, a job change is quite risky, and in matters of work, we shouldn’t make spontaneous decisions.

Find the actual reason why it is not working.

Sometimes, we tend to overreact to things, and we take them personally. We have all been there. Maybe it has been a stressful period, and giving all that energy to work may be overwhelming. You may also have a problem with one or some co-workers, which feels unpleasant and makes you think negatively about your job. Maybe some conflicts do not let you do your job correctly and distract you.

Identify the positive aspects of your job.

Think back to when you got that job. Were you motivated back then? What happened then? You thought that your career would progress, and now you are still doing the same things? Find the reason why you changed that job and keep them in mind.

Identify the place where you would fit best.

When we have a job that we like, we make a good fit there. Think of which kind of job you would see yourself working to and going happy. Maybe now you work somewhere where your skills and knowledge are not useful, and you need to be working somewhere where you can develop your skills differently.

Develop and execute your plan.

Don’t rush into quitting your job without a plan. You should be patient. After self-assessing yourself, your skills, motivations, competencies, focus on perfecting your personal brand and expanding your network. Keep developing your skills, or -even better- learn some new skills that would take you to the next level.

The most important thing is not to be scared in the search for your new career. Things won’t be perfect from the beginning but remember it’s never too late to start again and find the job of your dreams.

Need some more motivation for a career change? Read this