Help How do you deal with a job that makes your mental health worse?

[Hope;ess Fear]

I can;t give a lot of information about my job because it's a bit niche and I don't want to dox myself, but it's heavily related to immigration to the US,

I used to be happy with my job. We were helping people move to the US and helping them get licensed to stay in a job they worked hard to be licensed in in their home country, while also filling a worker shortage in the US. Sure, I sort of felt like we charged too much, but overall it was ok.

Now, I just feel like we're charging our clients hundreds of dollars to feed them to ICE.

I'm already terrified of life in this country. But now I also feel like a collaborator. I know our clients are adults and can read the news and make their own decisions, but I still don't feel good about helping them put themselves in harms way.

How do I deal with this? I want to die every day at work. I've been applying for other jobs but we all know how bad the market is now. And it's not like I can just be unemployed.

I have no faith future elections will fix anything and I have no faith in my ability to keep going until they happen anyway.

 

[ElTopo]

Honestly, what I do is just put up a facade and try to make my life the less about my job as possible, clock in clock out, it's harsh but you either stop caring or get dragged, someone else will take the spot you leave, it won't change anything, it's a wrong system, not your fault

 

[Hope;ess Fear]

Honestly, what I do is just put up a facade and try to make my life the less about my job as possible, clock in clock out, it's harsh but you either stop caring or get dragged, someone else will take the spot you leave, it won't change anything, it's a wrong system, not your fault

Thanks. I'm trying to do that as much as possible. I watch youtube videos or listen to podcasts while working, I forget every case as soon as I'm not actively working on it, and think about it as little as I can while not working. Still doesn't feel great.

 

[nocatwaslost]

Well, feeling this way shows that you are an empathetic and kind-hearted person, it would be wrong not to feel this way.

Anyways, are there any coworkers who feel the same way? Sharing the way you feel among them can maybe alleviate a bit of the burden. But otherwise I can just agree with what @ElTopo said.

But applying to different jobs is still something I would pursue, maybe you're lucky.

 

[SnowLeopard21]

I drink and I lie to my coworkers about who I am.

 

[INYGTRMTFMO]

What a heartbreaking situation to be in.

My job isn't in immigration, but we do work within an increasingly broken and resource-less system, and it's very emotionally draining to try to get supports for people who need them so badly and fail.

I am actively looking for a new job (insomuch as the demands of my current job and parenting and life with depression allows me). Which kills me in its own way -- this field is my passion, but the constant sadnesses and stress and guilt is breaking me down. In the meantime, I try to focus on the good that I can do, the small successes, the connections to services I can make. It helps that my coworkers are all really kind and pleasant people.

I hope you get to be in that new job soon.

 

[ElTopo]

I drink and I lie to my coworkers about who I am.

that's the pro stuff, I aspire to have a work ethic such as yours one day

 

[Hope;ess Fear]

Well, feeling this way shows that you are an empathetic and kind-hearted person, it would be wrong not to feel this way.

Anyways, are there any coworkers who feel the same way? Sharing the way you feel among them can maybe alleviate a bit of the burden. But otherwise I can just agree with what @ElTopo said.

But applying to different jobs is still something I would pursue, maybe you're lucky.

I work from home, and I don't feel like this is the kind of thing to use company-monitored chats to talk abour

What a heartbreaking situation to be in.

My job isn't in immigration, but we do work within an increasingly broken and resource-less system, and it's very emotionally draining to try to get supports for people who need them so badly and fail.

I am actively looking for a new job (insomuch as the demands of my current job and parenting and life with depression allows me). Which kills me in its own way -- this field is my passion, but the constant sadnesses and stress and guilt is breaking me down. In the meantime, I try to focus on the good that I can do, the small successes, the connections to services I can make. It helps that my coworkers are all really kind and pleasant people.

I hope you get to be in that new job soon.

Thank you. I hope you find a new job too.

I drink and I lie to my coworkers about who I am.

I can't drink and I work from home so no coworkers aside from the occasional work question over chat

 

[zoeTDavies98]

I hope you are applying to new jobs and find a new one soon, it's so hard to be working a job that makes you feel worse every day

My situation was a bit different but similar. I was working a job that I used to somewhat enjoy but slowly over time my responsibilities changed. I don't think the job was the primary reason for my mental health but it was making it worse. I had enough saved that I could leave everything behind and move away, so I did. I moved to the other side of my country and left everything behind. Well turns out it doesn't matter where I am or what I do daily, the feelings inside never change

For you it sounds like work has a deeper connection to your mental health. I hope it gets better for you