Uneasiness at work: Here's why you need a career change

Ma qualité de vie
Aug 15
5 min read

Updated: Oct 16

Are you on the verge of loosing it? We spend a large part of our lives at work. When this part becomes a source of stress, fatigue or frustration, it affects all areas of our lives. So how can we avoid getting stuck in an unsatisfying work life and dare to make a career change? Here are some tips on how to do just that.

Femme découragée avec les mains sur le visage. — Credit: Canva

Feeling good and fulfilled professionally is important for maintaining harmony in your life. Many women hesitate to take the plunge and remain in a professional situation that does not suit them. I discussed this on my podcast (in French only) with Vanessa Marguerite, a life coach specializing in professional fulfilment. In this episode, Vanessa shares her experience and advice on how to find meaning in your career. She explains what prevents so many working women from reaching their potential and reveals what it takes to be happy in your career. Here are the highlights of our conversation.

Professional dissatisfaction that spills over into personal life

Vanessa spent 20 years as a nurse and healthcare manager. In this environment, she saw many people suffering from unhappiness at work. Chronic fatigue, loss of motivation, burnout, and even depression... She noticed that these situations often had deep roots, linked to a misalignment between the person and their daily work experience.

As she explains, our work takes up a third of our time. If this time is spent in a toxic or unsatisfying environment, it has a direct impact on our mood, our reactions and our personal relationships. What we experience professionally does not stay at the office: we bring these emotions home with us.

What is career alignment?

For Vanessa, professional fulfilment comes from inner alignment. This means being in harmony with your body, heart and mind. She emphasizes that it is by loving who you are, what you do and how you do it that you can achieve alignment with your professional life.

“Alignment is having harmony between what you do, what you love to do, knowing why you do it, and loving how you do it.”

Vanessa Marguerite

It may seem simple, but it can sometimes be difficult to know if you are aligned. However, there are signs that can alert us.

Signs that something is wrong

Vanessa identifies four key signs to watch out for:

Frequent questioning: You wonder why you are doing this job, whether you are really in the right place.
Physical tension: Back or neck pain can be linked to chronic stress.
Irritability: You become hypersensitive and overreact to minor events.
Depression: A knot in your stomach in the morning, constant fatigue, lack of motivation... At this stage, it is urgent to take action.

According to her, it is important not to wait until you fall into depression to make a change. It is important to listen to the early signs to avoid sinking further.

What prevents people from embracing change?

Despite these signs, many people remain in situations that do not suit them. Vanessa identifies several obstacles:

Fear: fear of not having enough money, fear of the unknown, fear of making mistakes or failing.
Environment: those around us may be benevolent but misguided. They may project their own fears onto you.
Lack of confidence: when you have been doing the same job for years, you doubt your ability to do anything else.
Lack of clarity: when you have been on autopilot for too long, you no longer even know what would be good for you.

All these obstacles make change difficult. However, it is possible to overcome them.

A question to spark change

Vanessa asks a simple but powerful question:

If the week you just had were to repeat itself endlessly until the end of your life, would you be satisfied?

This question prompts self-reflection. Is this life right for me? Can I continue like this without betraying myself?

Where to start if you're ready to make a career change?

If the answer is no and you are ready to change, you still need to know how to go about it. Vanessa advises starting with some soul-searching. Too often, people look outside themselves: a trendy job, a well-paid position... But without asking themselves what really suits them.

The real starting point, she says, is to reconnect with yourself. What makes me tick? What are my natural talents? What gives me energy? From there, you can build a career plan that is aligned with who you are.

Avoid repeating the same mistakes

Changing careers without really knowing yourself means running the risk of ending up in another dead end. Vanessa experienced this herself, changing jobs several times before finding her calling. That's why she insists: a successful career change starts with knowing yourself well.

The importance of making aligned choices

For Vanessa, it is essential that every woman finds her place in a professional life that suits her. Not only for her own well-being, but also to inspire others.

She shares an optimistic vision: if more women dared to reveal their potential, it would have a positive impact on the world. She believes in a counterbalance driven by benevolent intentions and often untapped skills.

What if we don't change anything?

Not taking action means risking sinking into a limited, joyless life marked by fatigue, frustration and sometimes illness. It also means passing on, sometimes unwittingly, a negative view of work to our children. We are role models. And our well-being influences that of those around us.

Conclusion

Changing your professional life takes courage. But it is also a wonderful opportunity to find yourself, take your place, and live a more aligned, joyful life. If this resonates with you, ask yourself this question: Do I really want my work week to repeat itself endlessly? And if the answer is no... maybe it's time to take the first step.

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