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I Quit My Job and Ruined My Life – 6 Tips to Change That

Did you have your big liberating moment and quit your job? It was probably a dramatic scene like in a movie.

You quit your job because you know good things are coming and you will be happier.

However, that did not go as planned.

Do you feel like you’ve ruined your own life because you quit your job? We can tell you right away that it can be solved with persistence, good planning, and prioritizing goals in life.

Lost on sad thoughts lady at home feels emptiness by personal difficulties and unsolvable problems

No matter how much your decision seems like a mistake, know it was probably the right one.

In this article, we will try to better explain why people quit their jobs and give you some advice for your current situation. Keep on reading.

6 Reasons Why You Quit Your Job

It’s been a while since you quit your job, and you’re still questioning your decision.

To make sure your decision is correct or not, it would not be a bad idea to recall why you quit your job.

1. You Were Underpaid and Worked Overtime

These are certainly some of the most common reasons for quitting and are self-explanatory.

Unfortunately, we are often unsatisfied with our salary, we work overtime and are not paid for that, and we feel we deserve better treatment.

With the first better offer and conditions, everyone decides to run away from such jobs.

2. The Toxic Atmosphere at Work

Businesspeople arguing in meeting

In many jobs, there is a toxic atmosphere among employees or in the relationship between employers and employees.

Especially where extremely competitive behavior is present. In such an atmosphere, you feel that everyone would step over dead bodies just to get a promotion.

3. Your Former Job Made You Depressed

If the reasons mentioned above are in question, you may be exhausted at the end of the working day as if you had run a marathon.

And when you are at work, you are too lazy to do anything.

At your previous job, you felt drained and lifeless.

It’s even worse if you are depressed about your job but can’t quit.

Your day probably consisted of a 9-5 dead-end job that killed all motivation in you, coming home in the evening, and then watching Netflix, which was actually more of a nap.

4. Specific Reasons Why You Quit Your Job

man being depressed by working in office

Some other individual reasons can influence your decision to quit.

Let’s say the job you’re currently working is ok, but you hate the place you live in and feel trapped in it.

Due to the desire to change the environment, you had to quit your job.

Another specific reason for quitting your job is if your partner hates your job.

This may have led to arguments and damage to your relationship until, one day, you decided to put your relationship before work and quit your job.

5. You Quit Your Job to Chase Your Dreams

We also come to more profound reasons that are much more than material.

Maybe your previous job was excellent, but you simply wanted something more out of life.

Maybe you were inspired by all those motivational messages around us that encourage us to chase our dreams?

Do you know those inspiring stories about people who quit their jobs and now travel the world, posting beautiful pictures on social media, and someone is paying them for that?

Or those who make their first million before 30 because they invent some new cryptocurrency?

We’re not saying those stories aren’t true, and we don’t want to minimize anyone’s success, but it doesn’t always work out that way in reality.

6. You Quit Your Job During The Great Resignation

This may be a sublimation of all reasons mentioned above.

The Great Resignation is an elevated rate of workers quitting their jobs in search of a better life. It started in the spring of 2021, and it seems that it is still going on.

It mainly refers to US workers but covers the whole world.

This was primarily influenced by the pandemic and quarantine.

It influenced many to change their outlook on life, change their priorities and look for better jobs and future.

Add to that the massive increase in remote jobs due to the pandemic, creating a new wave of people who want to change careers.

Were you a part of The Great Resignation? We hope you did well.

Because The Great Resignation also led to great resentment. One in four Americans who quit their jobs during this period now regrets their decision.

3 Reasons Why You Now Regret Quitting Your Job

stresful young man

Things didn’t turn out as great as you hoped, and now you feel like you’ve lost everything.

You may even consider quitting your job as your biggest life-ruining mistake.

1. You Can’t Find a New Job

This often happens to people who think they will get a job quickly after resigning.

There is a considerable offer of jobs today, but getting the job you want is much more complicated than it initially seems.

Maybe you thought you would find a new job quickly, but the search took a long time.

Do you remember Jim Carrey in the movie “Fun with Dick and Jane?” He also thought he would quickly find a new job, but it didn’t quite happen that way.

If you haven’t seen that movie, you should, because it fits perfectly with this topic.

It is especially challenging to find a new job if you decide to change your career entirely.

Well, just look at that competition on LinkedIn. In addition to having perfect CVs, they also have professional photos where they look like models.

2. You Encountered The Same or Even Worse Problems at Your New Job

tired business woman

You hoped everything would be better this time, but it wasn’t.

Unfortunately, the same issues that bothered you at your previous job continued at your new job too.

Low salaries, nervous bosses, the bad atmosphere in the company, you already know all that well.

Compared to the new one, your old job seems much better now than before.

3. You Haven’t Found Yourself in a New Job and Career

Your new job is objectively awesome, but it’s not for you.

As much as you thought it would be, unfortunately, it wasn’t. You didn’t find yourself in it.

You left your old job, don’t like your new one, and probably wonder what’s wrong with you?

Examples of this could be a great job but far from your home or family, and you can’t stand that.

Or you’ve decided to become a freelancer, but you can’t stand the uncertainty and the constant search for clients that come with it.

You Made a Mistake Because You Quit Your Job? 6 Tips to Change That

It’s time to stop thinking that you ruined your life when you quit your job; these 5 tips will help you with that.

Take Another Look at The Reasons That Made You Quit

You are free to take and write down everything that bothered you about your previous job.

As it seems like a wrong decision to you from the current perspective, it was not for you as soon as you had to quit.

Going back to your old job? That’s usually not a good idea. 

Ex jobs are like ex-lovers. They rarely need to be revisited.

Think About What You Are Good at and What Would You Like to Do

Now that you have the opportunity to start something new from scratch, why not do it the right way?

You must be good at something, and “If you’re good at something, never do it for free,” as Joker would say.

Try to find the perfect combination of your qualities and interests and a job that would fit that.

That way, you will be motivated and enjoy your work.

Be Patient but Don’t Waste Time

Two slightly opposite statements, but let’s explain.

We usually don’t find a new job as quickly as we expect.

It is essential to remain patient and persistent.

The worst thing is to fall into apathy and think you will never find a job again.

Treat every unemployed day like a working day. Your new job is to find a job.

Educate Yourself and Improve Your Knowledge

woman working in office with documents

While looking for a new job, improving yourself further would be a good idea.

Especially if you’re chasing a new career, you must give yourself time to become good at it.

Education does not stop with the completion of university. It is a process that lasts a lifetime.

Especially in new careers, there is always something new happening, and you must stay up to date.

Just because you’re not working right now doesn’t mean you don’t need to educate yourself.

The greater the knowledge and the richer the CV, the greater the chances for a job. Simple as that.

Have at Least Some Stable Income

You quit your job, started a new career, and decided it wasn’t for you either.

Ok, you have the right to that, you can look for yourself as much as you want, but you must have some stable income.

Let’s say you want to change jobs again because you finally found something that fulfills you.

Start it as a side hustle if possible, and have some savings if things don’t go the way you planned.

Side hustles can become the primary job, and even if it doesn’t, at least you have savings to endure a period of unemployment.

Reconsider Your Priorities

If your priorities are purely materialistic, disappointment can quickly come.

You know how it is with material things, we always want more and better, and we have to work harder to keep up with that pace.

Instead of constantly chasing a better car and a bigger house and burning yourself out of work, maybe it’s better to do something you love and live a little more simply but more happily. 

Materialistic things are cool, but it’s not bad to tone down materialism a bit.

A simple life can be good, too, no matter how much every influencer tells us the opposite. 

All Things Considered,

Don’t think you’ve ruined your life because you quit your job.

Don’t quit because of status, ego, and greed, but always look at the bigger picture.

No matter how difficult the situation is, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you are persistent enough, you will remember when you quit your job and changed your life for the better.