I Am Miserable at Work: 3 Surprising Ways to See Things + Feel Better

Inside: Has, “I am miserable at work,” become your daily mantra? Discover 3 unusual new perspectives to conquer your misery and create lasting satisfaction. They’ll help turn your dissatisfaction and misery into a powerful tool for change.

My eyes were still closed as I surfaced through the last layers of sleep into awareness. I could hear the world waking up outside my window, and I sensed soft sunlight on my eyelids.

It was morning.

I made a quick mental check of what day it was. My alarm hadn’t woken me so it must not be a workday. I sighed in relief at the thought.

I didn’t give a hoot anymore what day it was, as long as it wasn’t a workday.

Another sigh slipped out. I was relieved at not having to fortify myself mentally and emotionally to tackle the mere thought of going to work.

Then I rolled my now-open eyes at myself. My attitude seemed ungrateful since I knew lots of people would die to be in my position, earning what I was. Plus, it never used to be this way—I used to enjoy my job.

To be honest, I was kinda sick of myself for going around and around with my thoughts about work. At first, I’d figured it was just a phase but it had lasted way too long.

And I was starting to panic.

If I didn’t it figure out soon, my boss and colleagues would soon be on to me.

I was miserable at work, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

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I Am Miserable at Work…and I Shouldn’t Be

A few years ago, that was my daily existence. I hated my job but it paid well and I didn’t see how it made sense to leave the money, perks, and position behind.

I felt stuck and trapped, and I couldn’t see a viable way out.

And now, this is your new normal—hating even the thought of going to your job because you’re so miserable at work.

This is especially galling because you’ve always been a committed, hard worker. You’re a woman who crushes deadlines and beats goals. Well, you were, until recently. These days, you phone it in while pretending you’re all there.

And you feel awful about all of it.

On the one hand, you’re part of a high-achieving team and you’re pulling down the big bucks. So you’re pretty sure you should be happy in your job.

In lots of other people’s eyes, you’re living the dream. And you know you should be miserable at work. Instead, your heart should be overflowing with gratitude.

As far as any reasonable person can see, you don’t have a real reason to be thinking, “I am miserable at work,” on repeat. Plus, your colleagues seem perfectly happy in their careers so the problem must be you.

This means not only are you miserable at work, but you’re also ashamed of it. Plus, you feel ungrateful for being unhappy despite your blessings and selfish for wanting something more.

But Here’s the Other Problem

Your tangled emotions—misery, ingratitude, shame, selfishness—are the reason why you go to work under a dark cloud every day.

You feel unfulfilled with your work and your cushy salary. But at the same time, you’re putting on an act, like everything is rainbows and unicorns since you think you shouldn’t feel miserable at work.

Plus, you think you can’t afford to stop pretending to be happy because others would judge and shame you for your misery if they knew about it.

Of course, you’ve tried all the things to solve the problem. You even tried job hunting. But you abandoned the job search when you realized you’d simply be taking your unhappiness with you

In desperation, maybe you shared with a friend or 2, “I feel miserable at work,” hoping for advice to make you feel better.

Instead, they told you not to look for your life’s meaning and fulfillment at work. Find passion and fulfillment in your hobbies, they told you, and let your work just be about money and achievement.

On the surface, it sounds like sensible advice. After all, millions of people are also miserable at the jobs they go to every day but they’re happy with their lives in general. And they credit this to the happiness they feel with their outside interests.

So you took up charitable volunteering, you tried new hobbies, and you explored new interests. You even started a gratitude practice. Yet, no matter what you try, it all feels hollow and inadequate.

And you’re right, it is.

Because, you see, you’re trying to put a Band-Aid on a broken leg.

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3 New Perspectives to Help You Feel Better

You’re miserable at work for a great reason you don’t know about. And no amount of volunteering, new hobbies, or gratitude practices will change it.

You see, the truth is hiding in your heart. And when you see this whole situation through new lenses, you give yourself the power to make new decisions.

You give yourself the power to explode your life with joy and fulfillment.

1. I feel like this because I’m after the wrong dream.

Your friends were half right. Despite the status and accolades, you’re not going to find meaning in your current job.

This is because everyone else’s opinions and approval can’t silence the small, insistent voice in your heart saying this isn’t what you’re meant to be doing with your life.

The truth is, you had different dreams, God-given dreams. You may not even remember these dreams now because of the way others belittled and ridiculed them.

So eventually, you abandoned the dreams God meant to lead you into walking in your purpose. Instead, you’ve been chasing other people’s goals and dreams.

And sure, you may have reaped great financial rewards from it. But you’ve also reaped the reward of being miserable at work.

2. I am miserable at work, and it’s a gift.

If you’re like I was, you’ve followed a profitable career path and it’s brought you lots of gains in money and in other ways. And there’s no denying you’ve been blessed because of your hard work.

Still, this misery you feel at work won’t go away. This isn’t only because you’re chasing the wrong dream. It’s also because your misery is a gift from God.

Yeah, I said it. Your dissatisfaction is God’s gift meant to prod you back towards what He wants you to do with your life. Your misery is a sign God wants to push you into something better.

You see, God has something for you to do. In this world of 8 billion people, He’s assigned you something only you can do in your wonderful, unique way.

Only you and He know what your assignment is. Sure, you may be clueless about it right now because you buried it deep and now it’s barely a wisp of a memory. Still, you can resurrect it.

Here’s the bottom line. You’ll never be truly fulfilled and happy in your deepest heart until you get on board with God’s plan for you.

3. I am miserable at work, and I have a choice.

Having said all this, here’s great news: You don’t have to settle for finding meaning in your life through hobbies and side projects.

I don’t know your friends and I’m sure they’re lovely people. But they’re dead wrong on this one.

Not to knock hobbies and side projects either—they’re great. In fact, they’re fine for some people who are miserable at work. But those people aren’t purpose-driven like you are.

Besides, if those solutions were the answer to your problems, they wouldn’t have failed to silence the small, insistent, purpose-filled voice in your heart.

But don’t despair, because as long as you’re alive, you can make a new decision that can turn things around for you.

You can choose to:

Stop chasing other people’s dreams.
Discover your purpose.
Start pursuing your purpose with commitment, courage, and passion.

Don’t get me wrong—this isn’t easy.

But if you choose to go with God’s plan—instead of yours or the world’s—you open up the possibility of creating for yourself a fulfilling working life that overflows with purpose.

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
Luke 1:37 (AMPC)

Your job when it gets hard is to not give up on yourself or on what God has for you. It’s to keep choosing God’s way over what others say you should do.

Your Next Steps to Stop Feeling Miserable at Work

Back when I was miserable at work, I became a champion at sighing and staying in bed until the last possible moment.

I wasn’t eager to meet a new workday and my fervent wish was for the next one to never come.

Back then, I didn’t understand why I felt so miserable with my well-paying job. So I shamed myself by dismissing my misery and telling myself I was ungrateful for feeling it in the first place.

And because I kept myself blind to what God was trying to do in my life, I felt stuck and trapped in my job and in my misery.

If only I’d known then what I know now! And if only I’d had the courage and faith to take the hand or rescue God was extending to me.

But you don’t have to spend another moment feeling miserable at work.

You don’t have to keep feeling trapped in misery at your job because of old decisions. You can make new decisions and create a life where you bound out of bed because you empowered yourself with the truth:

You were chasing the wrong dream.
Your misery at work was a gift from God meant to get you back on His track for you.
You were free to choose God’s way and pursue your purpose with passion, commitment, and courage.

The power to choose joy instead of misery at work is in your hands.

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].
Philippians 4:13 (AMPC)

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