Hating your job is both the easiest thing and the hardest thing to do. You spend basically your whole life at your job, and if this is a depressing thought to you, I’m so sorry. It shouldn’t be. We’re here to tell you what to do if you hate your job. To ease the pain, or to make you realize that you need to run as fast as you can and just find another job. Sometimes it’s okay to be unhappy for a little while. But also realize that this is your life, and it’s up to you to make the best of it.

You can leave any time
If you remember one thing from this article, let it be this. You’re at your job out of your free will and you can leave at any time. Usually freeing yourself from the idea that you’re stuck somewhere can already help a lot. Of course, some people really need financial security and are, therefore, forced to stay in a job they don’t like. That sucks and takes us to point two.

Do things you love besides work
This is so super important. The rule of thumb is to have at least two social days a week. If you work full-time it can be especially hard to find time for your yourself, let alone for your friends. However, if you hate your job it becomes even more important to love your life outside of work. So go have a girls/boys night, go get a new haircut, or go to the gym. Besides this, it is also super important to create enough rest for yourself, when work is draining you. This means that if you want to come home every night and just watch Netflix in bed that this is completely fine, even highly recommended.

Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are the best invention since Nutella. It’s true. For those who have been living in the dark, let me tell you about podcasts. Listening to a podcast is basically like watching a show but without images, so it’s super under the radar. If you listen to podcasts during your workday, you will be instantly happy, and won’t have to think about work for a second. Not long-term effective, but entertaining. You have podcasts about true crime, dating, food, tv shows, and maybe even something about your work. Ieuw no, please do not go there. The best podcasts to distract you from work misery are: Private Parts, Scrubbing in and Views.

Make friends
By the time you googled: “what to do if you hate your job,” you probably already tried this. But let me tell you, people are sometimes different than you perceive them to be. Once you invite a colleague for drinks or just smile at that shy girl at the corner desk, you might find that you do share some common interests, and you can start your own in-office yoga club, pizza club or even on-Wednesdays-we-don’t-wear-pants-club. Okay maybe not that last one, we want to keep our job, remember?

Make the best of it
Now you tried everything to distract yourself, but it might just be easier to improve the situation for yourself. Let’s start with your desk. Put some chocolates on it, a photo of your loved ones (unless this makes you cry, then don’t) and maybe some nice memories from better times (same thing with the crying). Next up, it’s time to talk to your boss. Inform him about how you’re feeling, and together discuss ideas how you can make it better. However, if your boss was the problem, to begin with, you might find these tips helpful.

Last but not least…
Happiness comes from within they say. Supposedly, only 10 percent of your happiness depends on your circumstances. Now, if this true you should be able to turn that hate into happiness by just changing your mindset. One thing that you could try is thinking about your goals. If you have this job because you need money, think about the money and what you want to do with it. If you need to do an internship to finish your studies, think of throwing that cap in the air. And if you need the experience to land your dream job, think about being a background dancer for Jennifer Lopez.