The luminescent blue clock on the night table says it's 4:15 a.m. You wake up peacefully for a moment, then remember that it's not Saturday. It's Thursday. Two more heavy days when you still have to get up and drive to work. It seems like you just lay your head on the pillow seconds ago...you were so tired after the third long day of the work week, and there are two more to go.

Dread sets in, and your innards rumble sympathetically. Sweaty hands...is this a hot flash, or just more anxiety? A tiny dull throbbing starts in your right temple.

If this sounds familiar, the day to start thinking about quitting your job is today.

Work is good for you, but work you dread is not. When you can't eat lunch without running to the bathroom 20 minutes later, when you can't enjoy quiet time with your partner because your mind can't shut out the looming deadlines, when you can't sleep for very long without waking up to symptoms of anxiety, when Sunday nights are sleep-deprived because you dread Monday morning...it's time to look for a change. It's time to get out from under the grindstone.

It may take 25 years to get to this point, or it may take only a year. It may be that you're caught up in political purgatory at your job, or it may be that the job is a mismatch for your interests and skills. Whatever the cause, your body will try to tell you that things are not harmonious, that you need to find a different path. You're swimming upstream.

Short-term stress at work, the occasional tense deadline, deeply odd people we occasionally have to work with, the need to work extra hours to meet an obligation-these all kick us into overdrive for awhile, and we can usually handle the increased pressure pretty well. If there is no end in sight, however, and bad things get worse, or just never go away, your mind and body start sending signals that you cannot ignore.

So...how to get out of the pattern of headaches, sleeplessness, constant irritability, indigestion, panic attacks?

Take a look at your interests. What do you really enjoy? Are you an outdoor person, or do you prefer cubicles and desks? Do you like people, or do you find them tiring? Do you like problem-solving, or would you prefer someone tell you exactly what needs to be done so you can "make it so"?

How does your job match up with your answers?

If you have a real mismatch, don't despair. You will feel better by simply making a plan to escape. Plans mean taking courses to learn a new skill or get a certificate: technical colleges are great places to start planning a new path for your future. Plans can also include volunteering to work for a non-profit organization you really like...sometimes volunteer work can become a new career. Think creatively, and aim above where you feel. You're growing. Look for opportunities, without regard to the dollars attached to them, where you can feel needed and interested.

The old adage, "do what you love, and the money will follow," is true. So is "do what you love, and you'll never have to work another day in your life." Work doesn't have to be a grindstone, and it can be what gets us up and going in the morning-without panic attacks.

Learn more about this author, Mara Shea.
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