Workplace Soul-Suck
It’s August, 2000. I’m under my desk in the space where my feet should go.
I’m under the desk with the door shut to my office and tears are streaming down my face.
I’m choking as I try to keep the tears back.
I hear one of my colleagues call my name and knock on my door.
“Bridget?” He opens the door and I hold my breath. I hold completely still. Another colleague says, ‘Huh, she’s not here.”
The door closes again. I wait and then when I’m sure that I’m really alone, I start to sob.
The worst part: I have no idea why I am crying.
This post is for you…
This post is for those of you who are hiding under your desk crying and not sure why. This post is for those of you who are suffering from workplace soul-suck.
You started your job with enthusiasm. Maybe you’re in a field you actually like. And every morning you wake up and you feel like you are dying inside.
You Are
You are dying inside. When you do work that does not sustain you, it slowly erodes your mind, body and soul.
If you have nothing outside your career to sustain you, this erosion occurs more quickly.
And then you kick yourself, right?
You say, What’s wrong with me?
There’s people out there who would kill for my job.
Why am I so sensitive?
Why can’t I just get up and do this?
So, let’s start with stopping our guilt and anger towards ourselves.
It doesn’t help to beat yourself up when something doesn’t sing to you.
That’s a learned reaction, the beating up. That’s your mother or your teacher or someone yelling at you to be grateful. Life could be worse.
And where does beating yourself up get you? You feel terribly sad and guilty and alone and you don’t want to do your job anymore.
Let’s stop killing ourselves.
This is a week of stopping the soul suck. This is the week of nonjudgmental love.
We’re going to start with strengthening ourselves, so that it doesn’t hurt so much to go to our jobs.
We’re going to confront the workplace energy vampires.
We”ll bring clarity to our workplace.
Then we’ll make work our bitch. Okay, we’ll make it our own.
And then we’ll spread our wings and fly.
All in a Week?
Let’s get the ideas out there, and see where it goes.
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Blocking those energy vampires is a wonderful thing. Let me tell you it works too! I’ve had a few myself. Moving into a place where you love your work is definitely a very big blessing! Looking foward to what more you’ll share! That poor turtle, let’s move him right side up!!
Thank you. Really, I mean it from my heart.
Ah Ming! I am really excited to see where this next year takes you!
And Juanita- you are so very welcome.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by intuitivebridge: Bur- before I scoot for the day- check out The Workplace Soul Suck http://bit.ly/8nHg1D…
Wow…considering all the things that have happened recently, this is just *another* sign for me, seeing this post. Thank you for this one…I’m going to be working on those energy vampires and getting some clarity! And on a side note, I’m excited to see where this next year takes all of us! =)
Amazing post! It is uncanny, as I just got the piece on Saturday that I’m going to be making a major shift in my work situation.
haven’t been under the desk, but have shared the crying time in the toilets with 2 workmates on many occasion. We’ve all moved on from that soul sucking job & all having 2nd thoughts about current ones. But they’re all steps to get you where you need to be even if you don’t realise it at the time.
Caz- I think we all have days even with awesome jobs, where we question whether we should be there. Thanks for the reminder that it’s steps on a journey!
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