A Tough Few Weeks

I’ve been unhappy in my job for a very long time. I work in a very busy office and there’s a horrendous amount of work that needs to be completed on a daily basis. I come home every day tired, stressed and dreading the next day. The weekends pass by in a haze of tiredness and catching up on housework; then before you know it it’s Monday again! In a job such as this you end up wishing away whole chunks of your life waiting for your leave. It’s been having quite a bad effect on my health.

I had a very bad week a few weeks ago and Alex and I decided that it was time for me to resign. It hasn’t been possible before now, because, since we married, Alex has either being working part time or not at all. My salary has been essential for us and I’m reasonably well paid in my job. I find it incredibly hard to make these decisions even when I know I’m definitely doing the right thing and, after all this time being the main bread winner for us, I found it difficult to decide to turn my back on that income.

However, for the last few months Alex has been working in a new job with full time hours and good pay. After talking about the possibility of me resigning, I had a good look at our finances and realised that we could cope for a few months on just Alex’s income. I built up the courage over that weekend and handed in my resignation on the Monday; it was an enormous relief. I was very happy that evening, I went over to see my sister-in-law and have a cup of tea with her, and then I received a text from Alex, to say that he’d lost his job! Perfect timing! The cut the end of the long story short, I’ve extended my notice by a few months, so I’ll work until the end of February. I’ll then take a few months off to have a rest; spend some time with family and pursue my hobbies.

I know I’ll need to get back into work pretty sharpish, and I’m prepared for that. Some may say it’s reckless to abandon my job at all, but I’ve worked solidly since I was at school. I’ve had no break or period of a relaxed lifestyle to speak of; I never went to University and I didn’t take a gap year. I went straight from full time education into full time work, and it’s taken its toll. I know I’m doing the right thing, I’m just terrified that I’ve ruined us in the process.