Can i quit my job due to stress

How to Resign From a Job Due to Stress | Work

By Lisa McQuerrey Updated June 27, 2018

Whether you're in a naturally high-pressure, high-stress job, or you've simply become overwhelmed in a typical job, there may be a point where resignation is the best course of action for managing your stress. If you find yourself in this position, make sure you've looked at all of your options prior to tendering a resignation.

Don't Act in Haste

Keep in mind there's a difference between a high-stress project or a stressful work week, and an overall high-stress job. If you're going through a rough patch that has an end in sight, give pause to quitting – you could inadvertently line yourself up for additional stress if you don't have an income or another job to jump into. Also, make sure you've exhausted all of your options first, like talking to your boss or the human resources manager about altering your workload. Some other ways to combat stress in the workplace, short of resigning, include:

taking a leave of absence
moving to a different role in the company
cutting back to part-time hours
reducing workload
hiring additional staff to take on a portion of a stressful workload
attending stress management classes

You have nothing to lose by bringing your stressful situation to the attention of those in your company who can help you.

Talk to Your Boss About Your Stress

It can feel awkward and uncomfortable to talk to a supervisor or boss about work stress. But having a candid conversation may position you in such a way that you can both manage your stress and keep your job. At the very least, a conversation about your concerns should be the first step you take before quitting.

Examples:

I’m having a challenging time handling my workload, and it’s causing significant stress. I’d like to talk to you about some options.

Since the merger, I have been pulling double duty as a sales rep. It has become overwhelming, and I don’t feel I’m doing my job as well as I could be. Can we talk about a way to address this issue?

I feel an extreme degree of pressure hangs over my job, and I’m not able to work at optimum capacity in this type of high-pressure environment. I have some ideas for reducing stress levels I would like to discuss with you.

Making the Choice to Resign

If you reach a point where resignation is your best option, ask to speak to your boss or supervisor in private and have an official resignation letter on hand to deliver during your conversation.

Examples:

As we have discussed before, I’m having a difficult time handling the stress levels of this job. It’s starting to impact my health, and as such, I must tender my resignation.

As you know, this is an extremely high-stress environment. Despite my very best efforts, I am not able to continue with this degree of elevated anxiety any longer. As such, I’m giving you my two weeks notice.

After much careful thought, I have decided to resign my position. The stress of the work is having a negative impact on me and my family, and I now feel compelled to step back and reevaluate my long-term professional objectives.

Be prepared for a boss to try and keep you around – you’ll have to decide in advance if there are any incentives that will entice you to change your mind and stay. Regardless of your decision, take proactive steps to help you better manage your stress in the future. Your primary care physician is a good place to start.

References

Inc.: Five Reasons Why Quitting Your Job Is the Right Thing to Do
U.S. News & World Report: When It's OK to Quit Your Job Without Another Lined Up

Resources

Huffington Post: When Is Quitting Your Job The Answer To Workplace Stress?

Writer Bio

Lisa McQuerrey has been an award-winning writer and author for more than 25 years. She specializes in business, finance, workplace/career and education. Publications she’s written for include Southwest Exchange and InBusiness Las Vegas.

How to Leave a Job for a New Job When Treated Badly | Work

By Lisa McQuerrey Updated June 21, 2022

While it might give you great satisfaction to resign from a job where you were treated poorly, resist the urge to tell off your employer and colleagues on your way out the door. You never know when you might run into these people again, and behaving in an unprofessional manner can damage any potential for future relationships, should you need to nurture them.

Practice the talk you'll have with your boss, recommends Ramsey Solutions – this will help you avoid becoming reactive. Reviewing ideas for how to write a resignation letter due to toxic work environments will help you avoid burning bridges and getting badmouthed to the coworkers you leave behind.

Tell Your Boss First

Don't let your boss get wind of your resignation before you have a chance to talk to him personally. Make an appointment to meet one-on-one and give two weeks’ notice. Reiterate the terms of your resignation in a letter, and give it to your employer during the course of your conversation.

Depending on the relationship you have with your boss, you may or may not opt to address the issues that led to your decision. If the boss was your source of angst, the conversation may be fruitless, or even contentious.

If there was a problem with a colleague that your boss did not help you resolve, mention it as a key reason for leaving the company. It sometimes takes the loss of a good employee for a manager to address internal employee conflicts.

Complete Your Projects

Even if your first instinct is to leave as soon as possible, maintain your professionalism and offer to create a plan for tying up loose ends and completing projects in the works. This will make things easier on colleagues and establish you as a consummate professional, points out jobs website, Indeed.com.

Write a detailed report that outlines the status of projects and provides information that will be helpful to the person who takes over your position. If you know who is replacing you, offer to help train her, or at least have lunch with her to discuss how you handled your position.

Ask for an Exit Interview

If your employer offers an exit interview, take it. Either your supervisor or a human resources representative will ask you about your employment experience and question you about your reasons for leaving the company.

While it’s not wise to be vengeful in your explanation, by all means, provide a documented summary of the behavior and actions that led to your resignation. This will put the company on notice of potential workplace problems, and you might help create a better environment for future employees of the company.

Tamp Down Highly Contentious Situations

If your decision to leave your job is based on being harassed, discriminated against or threatened in any way at work, two weeks’ notice might not be prudent. You might want to get an employment attorney to help you review your exit strategy and the steps you need to take.

For example, you might want to talk to your boss or a human resources representative and tender your resignation on the spot, citing your safety and/or legal concerns. Make sure you get unused vacation, sick time or bonuses you're entitled to, and talk to the hiring manager or human resources rep about transferring your retirement plan or health insurance coverage to your new job.

References

Ramsey Solutions: How to Explain Your Reasons for Leaving a Job
Indeed: How To Gracefully Resign From a Toxic Job

Writer Bio

Why you can and should quit your job because of stress. 5 reasons!

Stressful work - what to do? If your job causes you chronic stress, you've come to the right place! This type of stress is different from normal stress, as it causes your brain to constantly release the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Your body responds appropriately to constant tension: you feel tired all the time, you constantly experience headaches, concentration drops, and you are much more tired than before you started working here. These are just some of the symptoms of chronic stress.

While you are doing a job that causes constant stress, solving a problem seems difficult. The most common advice for you is to use all sorts of tools and strategies, but you end up finding the simplest and least stressful solution: quit this job .

But while you're in doubt, "I'm quitting my job because of stress, is that bad?"

Not at all! After reading this article, you will understand exactly why leaving your job is a smart decision. Our culture promotes the idea of perseverance for success, but for a reason Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

"Stupid obstinacy is the superstition of narrow-minded minds."

Being stuck in a stressful situation like yours means working harder, not smarter. And don't be fooled. In fact, quitting a job means empowering, taking the first step towards a better life.

Keep looking for reasons to quit your job and leave chronic stress behind. I myself have not worked for more than 6 years, doing creative work and favorite things at home, which bring me more money than any job that I had in my life.

1. Your toxic job is making you sick

Chronic stress and constant unfavorable working conditions greatly affect your health. Compare your current state and how you feel about 6 months ago. How are you feeling?

It is worth thinking about the long term. Even if you haven't been sick lately, you can make the mistake of exhausting yourself for a long time. With this lifestyle, immunity is greatly weakened.

Poor health is your body's way of telling you that you are doing something wrong. When it comes to health, there are specific signs of problems caused by stress, in particular the following symptoms:

You suffer from insomnia or do not get enough sleep;
You experience significant weight loss or gain;
You lack energy and motivation, and often do not want to communicate with people;
You feel like you always have a cold, and in case of a real illness, you need more time than necessary to recover;
Your work invades your privacy so much that you don't have the time or desire to play sports.

Not a single job is worth losing health on it, and if you have not experienced serious disorders, then preventing them will be an excellent reason to quit.

If you wait until your health deteriorates completely, then you will not be able to look for another job, or it will be much more difficult.

2. Multitasking is a recipe for failure

Your job isn't stressful, but do you still experience insane stress? Perhaps you have taken on the burden of a daily workload and a host of other obligations?

For example, if you're an unusual student who went back to school because he couldn't get the job he wanted, you still have to work somewhere, and that creates stress.

You need to give up something. About 61% of multitasking people who seek counseling experience anxiety, and 49% are depressed.

Counseling helps, but it is not a cure for multitasking. Professor Gloria Mark of the University of California, Irvine says multitasking people are more prone to stress, neuroticism and impulsivity.

According to Mark, it takes your brain about 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain focus after switching tasks. This drains your energy reserves and if you continue, you can enter a state of chronic stress.

People who have two or three top priorities that weigh them down all the time are trapped in multitasking. Prioritize and evaluate your work. If your job is not your passion and it's not at the top of your priority list, leave it.

3. Employers who don't help relieve stress don't get the job done

The truth is, employment doesn't have to be one-sided.

You put your soul into your work, you are proud of it, and you are really interested in the result. An employer that doesn't remind you to take breaks and doesn't provide opportunities to relieve stress is an employer that doesn't deserve you to work for them.

You can offer what many employers are after: a work ethic and a high level of commitment. Good employers know that it is their responsibility not to clip people's wings. They also know that they have to pay attention to how much you work and how stressed you are.

Basically, you are dealing with a culture of stress. A study of organizational culture showed that a hierarchical bureaucratic culture, in which the organization showed little concern for the welfare of workers, created a state of low morale.

A negative, stress-based organizational culture leads to low productivity, high turnover and low levels of engagement.

The point is that when you're dealing with a stressful culture, your freedom from commitment is justified.

The culture of a company is its identity. Don't be in a culture - therefore, among individuals - that destroys rather than builds itself.

4. There is a job you will love more

Many people quit their jobs because of too much stress and can't get a job again because they feel stuck. They do not exercise free will and do not want to recognize the possibility of choice, which will allow them to go where they want and do what they want.

Philosopher Mitch Horowitz talks about this in his new book The Miracle Club: How Thoughts Become Reality. Although there are some circumstances that you cannot control, in your current position, you can choose the life you prefer.

To relate this to employment, you can describe the type of job you want and the type of company you would like to work for. You do not work elsewhere because you have chosen that occupation.

Choose another job and make arrangements to get it. You have the opportunity to focus all your efforts in a new direction.

Yes, there are practical considerations - including the fact that bills have to be paid. There are also practical solutions. Here are some of them:

List your resources. Do you have a car in good condition? Are you able-bodied? Do you have internet in your home or daily access to it elsewhere?
Look for part-time jobs where you can work as much as you can, such as stopping by a company along the way, or any other job you can handle;
Make a written list of your bills and calculate how much income you need to pay them while you look for another full-time job;
Do half-time work to pay bills;
Dedicate your free time to finding the desired position.

Many people try to find another full-time job while continuing to work in their current job, but this will not be as effective as a part-time strategy.

When you're looking for something new, don't just choose what suits you. After all, you are embarking on a new path from the many endless roads available to choose from. So why not choose the most desirable of the possible options? To correctly determine your path, find the answer to the most important question.

An important question to ask yourself is:

What do I like to do?

After you answer this question, all other actions should be focused on creating a life in which you will do nothing but love. This path may take time and effort, but the result will be that you become happy.

5. You are the driving force behind your success

You are currently working for someone who is holding you accountable and you are not in control. Your duties and tasks are chosen by other people.

Why were you given these goals and obligations? Because you have the necessary skills to perform them, and not only that.

In terms of your ability, these responsibilities represent a relatively small percentage of them. The corporate division of labor is such that most people only care about one or two types of tasks, with a bunch of related subtasks. The rest of your intellectual and physical abilities remain unused.

This does not mean that you are not doing anything - you are probably overloaded with tasks and bogged down in trifles. But you know that you are capable of something else.

In general, you are capable of a higher level of thinking. The reason why you haven't started your own business or gone into a freelance career yet is because you haven't chosen this type of employment yet.

It's time to use all your abilities. Your current job does not deserve stress, it is much better to do what you love.

Once you start doing what you love and find a way to integrate it into your life, stress becomes positive. It will no longer be chronic and unhealthy because you look at it differently. Not all stress is bad.

Psychologist Kelly McGonigal talks about how, in a broad study, people who viewed stress as a positive factor had no harmful physical reactions to it and actually lived longer than those who viewed it negatively.

Once you start doing what you love, the pressure of doing the tasks is akin to an increased heart rate from exercise. You are focused on what you love - just like a runner is focused on a run to completion - you manage stress by creating momentum.

You perceive problems as opportunities. Therefore, you are successful.

Stress is your spark

It's true that a toxic job full of chronic stress can make you sick, and a lifestyle that includes multitasking and lack of focus will contribute to a lack of well-being.

At the same time, it is true that you would not have come to this realization and would not have taken an important step in your life if it were not for the stress.

The level of stress you can't handle should act as a catalyst to do something new. You choose the right path and use all your possibilities to realize your full potential.

After all, stress was a good condition. He made you aware of your limit, and now you know it's time to move on.

Recommended to see:

What is stress and how to deal with it? A very useful video for those who feel that stress interferes in life and at work and wants to reduce its negative effects.

Five signs that you are stressed at work

In this article, we will tell you how to distinguish real stress at work from imaginary one using five sure signs. Abbott*, an international company that has been researching and manufacturing medicines since 1900, helped us prepare this material.

It may seem strange, but in science there is no single and generally accepted definition of stress. It is often said that stress is the body's reaction to irritating stimuli, and in a broad sense, a reaction to novelty in general.

At the same time, a certain level of stress is necessary for the body to maintain a comfortable psychological state. This can be seen from the so-called stress curve - it shows where the well-known "comfort zone" begins and ends. If the stress level is too high, the body has to overcome it, be it a human or a snail.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4383502/

It is customary to distinguish two forms of dealing with stress. The first is increasing predictability by changing the environment. If the level of stress in some situation goes off scale, then it is quite natural to want to get away from this situation. For example, lock yourself in a room and not come out until Monday. If you experience this desire every weekend, this is clear evidence that you are spending the rest of the week away from the psychological norm.

We inherited such reactions from our evolutionary ancestors. They experienced stress not when working with a broken printer, but rather when meeting someone like a leopard on a nearby branch. Therefore, the stress withdrawal reaction is not a sign of weakness, but rather an indication that the situation is already plunging you into too much stress - and you do not have the moral strength to fight it. Perhaps it is worth leaving not from a stressful situation, but from the reason that regularly causes it.

You can increase the level of predictability not only by passive withdrawal, but also by influencing the situation itself - this is called the struggle for control. In this way, you not only increase the predictability of events, but also take advantage of the situation by forcing circumstances to act according to your will. A successful struggle for control leads to an increase in social status not only in humans, but also in animals.

The problem is that there are many situations at work when it is impossible to increase the degree of control for objective reasons. What does our cunning brain suggest in this case? Increase control in a situation that has nothing to do with stress!

Some researchers believe that this is where the popularity of gyms or computer games as a means of dealing with stress, and even anti-stress toys, is growing. Banal manipulations with an “obedient” object (spinners, lickers, and so on) can actually serve as an effective tool for relieving stress.

This behavior has been well studied in animals in zoos - they, too, in a stressful situation, can perform meaningless repetitive actions. Constant brushing or walking from corner to corner can be a sign of stressed pets. Such actions are called stereotypy.

Sometimes stereotypy begins to show an unhealthy character not only in an animal, but also in a person. If your work involves constantly pushing the button on a fountain pen, tossing a pencil, or, worse, non-stop walking around the office, you should consider whether you feel comfortable enough on it.

hh.ru survey results in July 2017. The number of respondents is 11,545 people.

The state when novelty and stimuli are completely absent is also stressful. It's called "hypostress," as opposed to "distress," which happens with too much exposure. In the picture, this state is at the other end of the curve - from there it is as far from the optimum as it is with "classical" stress.

It is impossible to die from hypostress, but you can earn problems of a psychological and even physiological nature. Depression, lethargy, frustration, bad mood - all this can accompany hypostress. Some people think that a dream job is one where you can sit all day and do nothing. Obviously, this is a direct road to hypostress.

It is widely believed that stress is a purely psychological phenomenon and that it does not affect the incidence of a person in any way. It is not true. If short-term stress can be useful and motivate for active actions, then long-term and constant stress affects health in the most negative way.

Every experience has a physiological basis. In the case of stress, several specific hormones are usually released, the production of which increases during the corresponding experiences. The best known stress hormone is cortisol.

The bad news is that cortisol lowers a person's immune defenses, so when you're stressed, you're more likely to catch a cold or another viral illness. If you get sick more often than usual, it may not be a draft in the workplace at all, but an increased level of stress.

On the other hand, if you sneezed a couple of times and felt weak, you should not immediately think: “Well, that's it, now I'm definitely sick. No wonder my mother said, do not sit under the window. At this point, you yourself provoke stress by increasing the production of cortisol, which prevents your immune system from responding to an encounter with a pathogen. Do not worry about trifles until the symptoms become too pronounced or until the body can cope on its own.

Stress adversely affects not only the nervous system, but also the digestive system. The influence of stress on the occurrence of digestive problems was proved by Ivan Petrovich Pavlov in his famous experiments on dogs. In humans, stress can cause heartburn, gastritis, esophagitis, irritable bowel, and other digestive tract diseases.

Poor digestion threatens not only with “delicate problems”, but also with a bad mood, communication difficulties, problems with sleep, lack of sleep and, as a result, even more stress. Once in such a loop, it is important to seek medical attention in time and act on the symptoms by reducing the additional level of stress in order to return to normal.

It is helpful to have medicines on hand to help combat the negative effects of stress. Headache pills or heartburn remedies are well known and often found in folk medicine cabinets. Irritable bowel, another common occurrence in stress, is less well known.

If every morning starts with unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen, pains, spasms constantly appear, you want to go to the toilet, and during the day the attacks are replaced by only temporary relief - this indicates an irritated intestine.

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