Relationship between job and existential crisis

[Anonymous]

I'm having a major existential/ midlife crisis that has been going on now for years. Therapy/ working out/ SSRI etc.
One major cause I feel like is my job. I often find it so dispiriting or boring or meaningless that it seems to supercharge these feelings of life is short, what am I doing, kids are getting older, anxiety etc.
Has anyone else had this experience? what did you do?

[Anonymous]

Dh had this. Changed jobs and it was life changing. It's the same kind of work but not nearly as soul sucking

[Anonymous]

You need to make a change. Get the resume updated and start looking. You are not fulfilled, your head and heart need a fresh start.

[Anonymous]

I changed my job! But only after substantial therapy and meds to rule out other issues.

[Anonymous]

Op - I have therapy and tried meds but they kind of made me feel nothing which I found unhelpful.

I’m so exhausted and overwhelmed at all times and get paralyzed

[Anonymous]

Work is boring but I plod along and don't really care. I get meaning and satisfaction from things outside of work. I also think the percentage of people that get meaning from work is very small, I'd rather focus on decent comp and job security.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Work is boring but I plod along and don't really care. I get meaning and satisfaction from things outside of work. I also think the percentage of people that get meaning from work is very small, I'd rather focus on decent comp and job security.

i cant seem to make this work. I can't just suck it up, sucking it up is giving me the crisis.

[Anonymous]

I feel that way. I've never had a job I actually liked though. I am not sure what would actually be good for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Work is boring but I plod along and don't really care. I get meaning and satisfaction from things outside of work. I also think the percentage of people that get meaning from work is very small, I'd rather focus on decent comp and job security.

i cant seem to make this work. I can't just suck it up, sucking it up is giving me the crisis.

PP here and are you sucking up being bored or are you sucking up a bad work environment (too much work, low pay, bad boss, no flexibility or job security)? Because if you're just sucking up being bored and the other portions of your job align just remember that the next job can always be worse. Maybe it is exciting but with little flexibility or exciting but an unrealistic workload. Or maybe it's an exciting job with a start up that could fail and you would be scrambling to replace the income. I'm just saying this might be a time to reflect on what you have and not what you don't and consider whether you really do have a decent situation.

[Anonymous]

OP. I’m exactly here with you. I’ve tried meds, therapy, and sucking it up. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that it’s not me, it’s you (job). People are nice, and pay is fine, but I have literally no connection with coworkers or the field more broadly that I’m working in. Every now and then, I get this glimpse of what it could feel like if I got some meaning or value out of the 40 hours a week I spend at work and it’s briefly exhilarating so I’m quite sure I need a new job. I’m trying. Applied to about 10 so far. The crazy part is how hopeless and depressed I became imagining myself here for the rest of my career.

[Anonymous]

I’ve reached a point where I’m not miserable but not really happy in my job. I work for a large org with money for training and room for growth. But I feel like I’ve peaked out at 50 and would love to just retire. I look at job ads in my field and im not interested in anything. I don’t want to go back an office full time nor do I want to start over somewhere else doing the same exact thing. Changing employers won’t change much.

So I'm trying to figure out what to do for the next 15-20 years as I expect to at least work part time after 65. A small business of my own would be great. It would be nice to sell something I like— books, good food, skincare products. I don’t know. Maybe tutor? I do know what I do now I’m doing for the money. And I need, and I like, the money for vacations and things my family needs and enjoys. It’s a job, not a calling. And I guess I need to get to a place where I’m more comfortable with that for at least a few more years.

[Anonymous]

Yes! I had a midlife crisis around my job/career, just feeling like I was turning 40 and my career was completely stagnant and underwhelming to me. There were some specific things that happened at work that threw it all into stark relief. I think also I felt like my home life was finally "in place" and now I wanted to recharge on the career front.

I changed jobs and it did completely change my outlook. Didn't solve all my problems but I absolutely needed a fresh start.

[Anonymous]

Get a new job.