On average, Americans spend 47 hours working each week. So, it is not surprising that our jobs can have a huge effect on our mental health. If our job is enjoyable and we feel valued, we are likely to have much better mental health than if we hate our job, feel underappreciated, and would rather be doing something else instead.

However, many people struggle to make the connection between poor mental health and their job. They do not realize that it is their career that is causing them to feel stressed out or depressed and so they are unable, to make a positive change for themselves.

That is why I have put together a lit of tell-tale signs that your job is destroying your mental health, which you can find below.

1. You don’t want to get out of bed in the morning

If you find yourself struggling to get up and out of bed in the morning, especially when it is a work day, this could be a sign that you do not want to go to work not because you are way but because you know your job will stress you out or make you feel down, and you are desperate to avoid feeling that way.

2. Your stomach is in knots as you enter work

If you're filled with anxiety every day as you approach work and enter the building, then that is a clear sign that something is not right. Not all of us are totally in love with our jobs, but nor do they make us feel sick with anxiety, If yours does, and it is not just a one-off due to a big project or an employee review, then you might want to consider that your job is not doing your mental health much good, and start looking at your options.

3. You hate socializing with colleagues

Your colleagues may not be as important to you ad your friends and family outside of work, but if you cannot bear the thought of socializing with them in any capacity ever, this could indicate that something about your work is making you deeply unhappy. When something harms our mental health, consciously or unconsciously we want to distance ourselves from it, so a lack of desire to hang out with our office co-workers could be a sign that all is not well.

4. You can never switch off

If, when you leave work in the evening, you are unable to switch off and you spend all of your free time agonizing about that project that is soon to be due or why the boss always overlooks you for promotion or how you are going to go back in after the weekend, then you need to make a change.
Work is an important part of life, but it is not the sole purpose of life, and if you are unable to switch off and relax, you will make yourself sick with stress and burnout, and your home life will suffer as a result.

5. Your moods are terrible at home

If you have noticed that your moods are awful when you get home from work. Maybe you are mean to your spouse or short with the kids and it only happens on days when you have been working, this could indicate that work is causing stress or anxiety to build up, which you are then bringing home with you, and allowing to affect your personal life. This is a huge problem because the last thing you want is for work to destroy your personal relationships, so if you spot this sign, please try to seek help, whether from a therapist, work coach, or friend, as soon as you possibly can.

If you spot any of these tell-tale signs, then it could be that your job is one you are not well-suited to, and taking an Interest Inventory test that will give you a better idea of the kinds of roles you might enjoy could be helpful. You may also, if you are able, want to think about taking some time out to reassess your life and what matters to you.

No one has to stay in a job they hate, and which is harming their mental health forever, and although it may not be easy, there is help out there to get you out of a bad job and into a career you truly enjoy; a career that boosts, rather than destroys, your mental health. Good luck.

Signs Your Job is Destroying Your Mental Health