*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Let's face it unless you get paid to do what you love, most jobs are stressful.
And as much as we'd like to walk away from jobs that take up too much of our time and take a toll on our bodies, we toil away because it pays the bills.
Most people are very lucky to have a job, even if they complain about the long hours. But is there a breaking point when a person decides it's time to walk away?
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor r4y4d0 asked:
"Would you quit a job for mental health? Why or why not?"
For these Redditors the decision to quit is better than the alternative.
No-Brainer
"Buddy, people quit life over mental health. Of course I’d quit a job for it."
– Catburglar1987
"I've quit jobs because of mental health twice. The second time was after a very close call on the quitting life front (close enough to involve psych emergency services)."
"2 years later I still don't feel safe returning to office work (certain personal factors and the fact that it happened in 2 out of the 2 full time jobs I've ever had make me worried I'm at too high a risk of it happening again for my comfort). Luckily I have a good remote work option now due to contacts and goodwill made at job #2. I know at one stage I'm going to have to up the therapy and bite the bullet but now ain't it."
– Aenthralled
Beware The Burnout
"You can quit to get ahead of the burnout. I've burnt out before and it sucks. I recently found myself going down the same path so I dropped a uni course and asked my boss to move me to less emotionally stressful work. It worked! So I would say it is not 'the same picture' because quitting for mental health might save you from a lot of misery."
– Cytokine_storm
Workplace anxiety raised blood pressure to dangerous levels.
But Before Quitting...
"I DID quit a job for my mental health. They replaced me with three people. My blood pressure dropped 10 points in a week."
"Find another job before you quit if you can, though."
– deagh
Diet And Excercise Can Only Do So Much
"Yep. My partner was flagged with alarmingly high blood pressure by the doc recently. We went scorched earth and cut out almost all sodium, ate 90% vegetables, worked out every day."
"Blood pressure didnt start dropping until after they got laid off and lost their stressful job 🥴"
"Take care of yourselves, guys."
– sardine7129
"It's 100% My Job"
"My doc recently tripled my BP med dose, added another BP med, and talked to me about a low sodium diet."
"I lost a kidney 22 yrs ago. The Nephrologist was VERY clear that I needed to watch my salt intake and keep it low. Which I have been since then. I've been in the hospital before because it was so low, lol."
"Just started BP meds this year. It's 100% my job. Healthcare workers are quitting left and right. We've lost 16 people in my department because they got tired of administration BS. Work is a garbage fire right now. I'm jumping this ship as soon as I find another job."
– Tiny_Teach_5466
People continued strongly advising others to put their mental and physical well-being first.
"My wife quit her job over mental health...and the job paid about CDN$160k."
"It saved our marriage, her relationship with our kids, her friendships, and herself."
"So ya...people do it."
– Marlowebabe
Damaging Consequences
"I didn’t do this and faced the consequences. Worked till the lights went out, even though I had serious anxiety and depression because of my job."
"When the lights finally went out, I’ve spent 2.5 years at home with a severe burn out and a depression."
"I urge everyone to put their mental and physical health above their work. It isn’t worth it. Don’t be like me."
– Daanvann
"Don't Be Miserable"
"F'k yes I've done it so many times in my life! The whole point of living is to find happiness and purposes that make you happy. Don't be miserable and end up like the managers of the places you've worked in. That sh*t follows you home even if you try to bury it. Everyone is affected by it especially family members they notice your tone change."
– meatusdeletus91
Triggering Trauma
"I quit the best paying job I’ve ever had for mental health reasons. I was getting paid about $600 every payday (not much, but it was decent for a part time job), but that money didn’t prevent me from having full on breakdowns in the bathroom after my bosses/managers screamed at me in front of the customers. It was so intense that it reminded me of my abusive childhood."
– Toasty825
"Best Decision Ever Made"
"I did it once. Best decision I ever made. Once I realised I was dreading going to work each day, i realised it was time to go. I had been looking around and got a different job, same role in a different company (bonus: for more money!) and put in my notice that day. My life transformed overnight. I literally thought there was something wrong with me and I just wasn’t adjusting to ‘life at work’ after uni and was depressed. Turns out, no, the company I worked for was just f'king depressing. Turns out it’s possible for companies to be nice to work for and are filled with nice people who nice to each other. Crazy!
"Since then, I would ALWAYS tell somebody to ditch a job for their mental health. Just get online and see what’s out there. Only ever leave a job for a job though, I think. Financial instability won’t help your mental state."
– Ilovecheesenwine
Redditors were pretty much unanimous in strongly suggesting people leave their stressful jobs before it's too late.
While the decision to quit is not easy one to make, it's worth looking into other jobs in the meantime that won't cause as much emotional distress.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit