I've seen a lot of articles about cutting toxic people out of your life. It does wonders for your mental health, as well as helping you move forward in life. You can breathe a sigh of relief and healing when you cut someone out that has been poison. I've never had a big problem with holding onto people in my life that weigh me down, but I have dealt with this same type of relationship in a job. I didn't know how much it was affecting me until after I quit but here is what happened when I quit my toxic job.
Immediately
The second I put in my two weeks I felt my world open up. I was no longer confined to the world my old job made me believe I needed. I gained confidence and realized that the sky is the limit. I could do anything I worked at and I stopped taking things so seriously.
After My 2 Weeks
When my remaining time at my old job was over I stopped having nightmares several times a week (who knew this wasn't normal). I could sleep though the entire night without any stress (even with starting a new job the next day) or laying there trying to stay calm. I stopped having pain in my jaw from keeping it so tight all of the time, which is another thing I didn't realize was not normal, until it stopped.
1 Month Later
After being at my new job for one month I started to realize how to take care of myself again. I don't need to do other people's work every day, when I have plenty of my own. I shouldn't be asked to do more than is humanly possible in a week. I don’t need to be yelled at multiple times a day. I don't need to work every holiday, or 5am or 12am. I don't need to be at work when there is a snow storm coming. I don't need to come in if I've had a fever all weekend. These are all things my other job expected of me, but they are too much. You need to take care of yourself first.
6 Months Later
Half a year after quitting my old job (at a retail location), I was able to go to the same type of store with minimal anxiety. Yes, it took 6 months to *almost* have no reaction to hearing the buzz words, walkie sounds, and other alarms at those stores without it causing me to feel uneasy.​​​​​​​
I will be the first to tell you not to quit your job before you have another job lined up, but it's also important to not let a harmful mindset take over your life. I always knew I didn't like my job, but I couldn't see how harmful it was to me (even when those around me could see all the signs. Shout out to my husband for being amazing while I was blind to this self torture and helping me see what I couldn't.) If you experience this type of neglect it is time to find a way out.
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