August 30, 2018
Dear Liz,
I read your “unemployed” blog post and I’m feeling the same way.
How did you deal with the uncertainty and fear of leaving your job?
-Dr. Babe
Dear Dr. Babe,
You are totally right, when I was thinking about leaving my job I felt completely uncertain. This September will be the anniversary of leaving my job and it was the best decision I could have made.
I want to take you back to last year when I quit so you can understand what was going through my head. I had thought about quitting my job for several several months.
It wasn’t something that I thought about once or twice, the same thought occurred over an 8 month time period.
I wanted to make sure that my feelings of wanting to leave were valid and not something I was going through temporarily.
Quitting my job was not an over night decision that I made and when I finally did I was terrified of what would happen next.
My husband and prayer really helped me get through all the uncertainty. He was always there through all of my feelings and would just listen to me. He also reassured me that everything would be okay financially although things wouldn’t be completely different since we would have one income.
My advice to you:
1. Find someone you can really trust & talk to, whether it be a significant other, family member, or a friend.
It’s extremely healthy to talk through all of your feelings and of course hear them out loud. This can help you through the process of identifying what’s really wrong.
2. Give it plenty of time
I would really give it some thought over several weeks or even months to make sure it’s what you want to do. It would be bad if you quit and then you realize it was a mistake. Some people may not even need a lot of time but if you’re still contemplating it, this means you need time to think about it.
3. Write down Pro’s & Con’s. Ask yourself Why do I like to work there? What would I change if I could?
Sit down and really list all the good & bad things. Believe it or not but this may help really clear things up for you.
When you write down your list you maybe able to see that the con’s have everything to do with the intense schedule and how it clashes with your life priorities. This is a simple conversation you can have with your boss to adjust your schedule and you don’t have to quit!
4. Look at your reserves
How long will your savings last you? You need to know how many months you can live off with no income so you know exactly how much time you have!
5. Try to find a job that fits your needs before quitting
For me, it was different as I was in this weird part of my life where getting another job was not what I wanted. However, you may just want another job and it will be easier if you find it while you are still working at your current job. Of course you don’t have to but it’s always easier.
I know you will make the right decision Dr. Babe and be confident in your feelings.
Thank you for submitting your question and I hope I provided some insight/tips you can use.
xoxo,
Liz-Laugh-Love
If you are interested in the “unemployed” post mentioned I have linked it below:
