2 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Being grateful for your job
I'm rereading OP's post trying to find where they said you should suppress your awareness of things about your job that suck, or that you shouldn't vent. Or that you should stay in a draining, awful job pretending that everything is sunshine and roses.
Acknowledging the good aspects of your situation isn't toxic positivity. Nothing is ever all good or all bad, and it's everyone's choice where you put your attention. You can feel like a victim in your shitty job, or you can be proud of your resilience and perseverance, and also realize that looking for a better job while being on a regular income is way better than being jobless and desperately trying to find a job without having an income at all.
Comment by thecourageofstars at 01/03/2025 at 16:41 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I disagree, but that's fine. Again, this is black and white thinking - there's so many more possibilities than feeling like a victim or feeling proud.
I've been at shitty jobs where I brought up the issues, suggested changes, and offered to actively be a part of it. I've been at shitty jobs where my suggestions for change were dismissed, and so I decided it was time to start looking for a healthier environment. I wouldn't have known I needed to bring things up or pivot somewhere else if it weren't for the negative feelings that let me know that something wasn't okay.
There's also the possibility that people *can* truly be victims and it isn't just their perception. My partner has been part of large layoffs that affected thousands of people without cause, and it was the experience of trying to find a job desperately without income. But he overcame it, and processed and felt his feelings without fear. I have been an actual victim to a boss who was physically abusive, and while I did make an active plan to leave ASAP, it doesn't change the fact that it wasn't just my mentality nor that me just "changing my outlook" wouldn't have fixed that. I think the idea that it's all mentality ignores the possibility of active participation in our realities, and the fact that there are other people involved in our relationships at work, and it's important to be okay with recognizing a less than ideal reality so that we can be active about changing it instead of being in our heads trying to change our feelings in isolation.