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Why do I feel so empty and unfulfilled in my profession? How do I overcome this?

106 Answers
Last Updated: 06/08/2022 at 7:15pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Penny Dahlen, Ed.D., LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

I am committed to helping you find your passion, heal old wounds, and flow smoother in all aspects of your life path! I use a compassionate listening approach.

Top Rated Answers
AndresHelp
June 24th, 2021 11:57am
One thing you can ask yourself is what it is about your profession that makes you feel unfulfilled, what does is lack, once you have that answer think about what would be a small step that you can take to change your situation. Sadly, there can be times on where you cant change your situation easily or at all, but you still may be able to feel content about your profession, maybe you can find a way to make your peers job easier, or form some kind or group/ community that engages your coworkers and create a great teamwork environment for everyone
CassieF2005
July 15th, 2021 8:12pm
I have struggled with this question quite a bit and have felt this way in various professions. I have done a lot of "jobs" stopping just short of making them careers. The truth is - I cannot answer this question for someone else. We can only answer it for ourselves. Sometimes feeling empty means you are suffering from chemical depression or anxiety, sometimes emptiness or boredom are signs that you must pay attention to - they tell you what you are missing. And sometimes they are passing storms that will fade. I suspect almost everyone who has been in a career for a long time has probably felt this way at some point. It's up to you to decide what it is that you are experiencing.
Blink182andNirvana
July 18th, 2021 8:50pm
In all honesty, it could be for a few reasons. The most common reason is that you're not doing something that makes you feel fullfilled. Ask yourself, are you passionate about your work? Does it feel like you're making a difference in the world, even in a small way? If no, you may need a new professional. We don't need to feel that we are changing the world, but we should feel that we are doing something that provides value. Another reason could be that your work is not sustainable for your lifestyle. Even if you enjoy your profession, it can feel empty if you aren't making enough money to support yourself/family and/or don't have the benefits you need. This can be rectified by negotiating with your employer or finding a new one. Finally, your feelings could be the result of a toxic work environment where someone or something is making you feel undervalued. Communication is important. If things don't change, find a new work environment.
Anonymous
July 23rd, 2021 3:29am
How do you measure fulfillment? Are your career goals centered on your own ambitions or the wishes of others? Living life doing what you feel you are supposed to do, or expected to do, may not actually align with the things you need to satisfy your own personal growth. Pursue opportunities and advancements that you enjoy, that bring you one step closer to your ideal self. We often get so caught up in measurable achievements that we forget about why we chose our paths, and how we got here in the first place. Take some time to reset and reevaluate your priorities and needs, and try again :)
royalRiver7128
July 29th, 2021 5:49pm
You need to identify what is causing the emptiness. For example, is it the day-to-day responsibilities of the job? Is it the lack of recognition? Or is it that you do not care much about the overall mission of the company you work for? Once you have pinpointed exactly what is causing the emptiness, you can proceed from there. If lack of recognition is your problem, you can address this with your supervisor/boss and explain how you feel. If the daily responsibilities are causing the emptiness, you can speak to your boss about changing these responsibilities (for example, if you want more client interaction, you can explain this and ask to be given cases where you work directly with clients). However, if you are feeling empty due to lack of caring about the overall mission/goal of the company or profession, you need to decide for yourself if the career is right for you and if it's worthwhile to explore different options.
Anonymous
August 21st, 2021 10:02pm
I'm sorry to answer your question with a barrage of more questions, but I think it would be rather difficult to answer this question for you. 1. What brought you to your profession in the first place? Do you feel like you can reconnect with that reason? 2. Do you feel that you have lost the passion for what brought you to the profession? Or do you think it's something else that is making you lose your interest? 3. What are you looking for in your profession that you think it's no longer providing you? Is there a way to obtain those things you're looking for? Sometimes we simply have different views and perspectives of how we live at different stages of our lives. I think a person can never really stop growing, and as we grow and change, sometimes what we value changes as well.
kindZebra4867
September 3rd, 2021 3:03am
It could be a number of reasons. I can answer based on my own personal experience, and maybe some of it will resonate with you. Whenever I've felt empty and unfulfilled at work, it was due to several reasons. One - I wasn't feeling like my work had value, causing the company to lose money and have an unprofitable business. Two - I wasn't being recognized enough for my work. Three - I was working hard, trying to keep up with tasks, but my best wasn't good enough and I ended up falling behind without having any sort of strategic way to catch up. Four - I didn't have a strong enough motivation to go to work. To overcome the feeling of unfulfillment, there are several things you could do. Once you know, at least partially, what causes you to feel empty and unfulfilled, you could find a mentor to speak with or talk to your boss, if possible, about different ways to grow yourself professionally. It could be a sign, too, that you need some sort of change, whether that's a slight change in career, change in companies, or gaining new responsibilities or projects at work. That may or may not help your situation. Good luck, and I hope you find more fulfillment in your profession!
SayHi
September 18th, 2021 7:08pm
Many of us go through this in our careers. Many a times the problem is with us not knowing what we want and anyways going ahead and choosing a profession for the wrong reasons. I feel if you start looking inwards and identify what is that you really want then you'll know why you feel the way you feel now. Many of us choose professions for the money, but such professions often leave is craving for more because, though we need money running behind it is not something most of us generally want to do. There are ppl who want to make lots of money in life, making money is their passion, these ppl will be happy with choosing a profession for the money. All the others should identify what they want out of Life and choose a profession that helps you get what you really want in life.
dademian
October 7th, 2021 2:54am
Hi! I understand how you are feeling, I have also experienced something similar. Have you thought maybe about what would make you feel otherwise? Like for example, what would your profession be like in order for you to feel happy and motivated. Maybe if you think about that, then it'll be easier for you to understand where those emotions are coming from. Regardless, admitting to yourself that you are feeling this way and reaching out for help it's already something increadibly positive and valuable. You are so strong for doing that, and that's an amazing quality. I hope some of this helped at least a little, and if you need to further talk I'm always here to help
Anonymous
November 3rd, 2021 3:48am
There are many reasons someone can feel empty and unfulfilled in their career. Maybe your job doesn’t align with your core values, maybe your work is to demanding of your time, or maybe you just feel like the type of work your doing is what you find passion in. Whatever the reason is you could research new careers or if you aren’t comfortable leaving your current job due to any number of reasons you could find fulfillment from other aspects of your life. If you are passionate about something you could begin doing it as a hobby, you could start volunteering, etc.
Anonymous
November 4th, 2021 1:34am
Sometimes we feel empty and unfilled in our profession, especially if we have been doing it for so long. Sometimes it is best to try something new. We learn something new every day, and everyone is entitled to learn a new skill. Sometimes when we've been working in a profession for too long, we get bored and tired of doing it. It is okay to try something new and find a place where we feel happy and enjoy what we do. For those that want to stay in their profession, try to keep an open mind and learn new skills within the profession.
Gemeri
December 18th, 2021 8:35pm
There could be many reasons why you may feel unfulfilled with your current profession, like a lack of versatility and/or change in your career and even you just simply just growing out of the profession you're in. As humans, our likes and interests change and that can cause us dissatisfaction with those previous likes and interests we used to have. The first thing I would say is to accept the fact that you may have to make changes in your career to gain the fulfillment you desire to have. There is a possibility that change may not have to occur and in this situation, I would suggest you list some career goals/challenges you would like to achieve over a 6 month time period. This can help you gain some motivation behind your work and potentially the fulfillment you wish to have. If you would like to have a more into depth conversation please message me!! I wish you nothing but the best :)
AvrilGraceofGale
January 1st, 2022 4:14pm
If you find yourself showing signs of burnout at work, you need to do something about it. Here are some tips to help you make a difference. • Sometimes people feel bad at work because they don't know how to ask others for help. Take some time today to think about it. Why is it difficult for you to ask for help? What scares you about asking for help? What do you think of other people when they ask for help? Have you had any experience in your life when you asked for help and it ended well? • Start keeping a list of your accomplishments. Remember what you did and write it down. When it seems to you that you have only failures, mistakes and problems - take a look at this list. This will help you remember successes and relieve guilt and feelings of incompetence. • It is important to have a long-term goal and remember why you go to work at all. Remember that work is one of the important areas of life, but not the only one. • Can be burned out by completely merging with work. To maintain balance, it is important to rely on other areas of life: close relationships and hobbies. • Remember that both quantity and sleep patterns are important. Getting lack of sleep on weekdays, but getting enough sleep on weekends is a bad idea. After a lack of sleep on weekdays, efficiency and well-being are drastically reduced, and weekend sleep breaks down. It is important to get as much sleep as you need all the time.
Anonymous
January 22nd, 2022 6:54am
Sometimes, especially after several years, our jobs can start to feel "stagnant." We might feel different ways like bored, complacent, "going through the motions", etc. I have felt this way as I have been at my job for almost 12 years. I try to find new challenges wherever I can. Sometimes the are small and may only be temporary, but it can help me to feel "re-energized" and motivated. Even something small like reorganizing the office, going through and storing or trashing outdated files and documents, "digitizing" and scanning in files and documents to create less clutter, reaching out to a supervisee to give an impromptu pep talk or performance review or asking a supervisor/boss for a project to take on. Any of these things could rustle loose that dormant enthusiasm I once had before I felt like I got into a rut. Constantly wanting to feel like we are relevant and that we matter is what helps us feel fulfilled in our careers. As we reach our goals that can be reason for celebration, but it can also mean we start to feel like we are running out of goals. As we progress it might mean we have to get a little more creative, but there is always room to learn, improve and create more goals.
rayofHope4278
March 10th, 2022 8:26am
I think if you are feeling unfulfilled in your profession, its time to rethink what you really want to do. This is not always constant as you move to different stages of life, what you want to do also keeps changing. It is never constant. So take this as a trigger to rethinking what do you want to do now in the present. Is it similar to what you are currently doing or completely different I think it is wise to quit what you are currently doing and do what you really like doing. There is only one life to live so we should always try our best to do what we really want to do. If you are not able to quit, atleast make a plan when you can start doing what you like.
Anonymous
June 8th, 2022 7:15pm
Reevaluate what you want from life. If your profession does not align with your goals I think it would be wise to think about what your interests are and look at those career paths. We only have one life; let's live it in the best way we can and enjoy every day. In saying that, the way you feel is very common and I empathize with you so much. Some times if it is possible for you, it helps to take a vacation and go abroad to clear your thoughts and think about what direction would be best for you to take in life. I wish you all the best