When Work Isn’t Working for You Anymore: Protecting Your Mental Health at Work
Work doesn’t have to be your passion to be meaningful — but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your mental health. Here’s how to recognize when work is taking too much, protect your well-being and think about what you really want from your working life.
By Aviva Boxer, Registered Psychotherapist
For years, I worked in a career I thought I loved. It felt aligned with my values, my interests, and the kind of person I wanted to be.
And then something changed.
The culture that had once felt like banter and camaraderie became increasingly toxic and defensive. Once I began to see my workplace differently, I couldn’t unsee it. It took me years to figure out what I wanted to do next and eventually make a change in my work that felt more aligned with my values.
And I know I am not alone.
I often hear from clients who reach a point in their careers where their work no longer feels nourishing. The job may have once been meaningful, interesting or even exciting, but somewhere along the way it became a paycheque — a means to an end.
And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. Work does not have to be your passion. Earning money allows us to provide for ourselves and our families, pay our mortgages, save for the future and enjoy the lives we have outside of work.
But what happens when the cost of earning that money begins to affect your mental health?
When work starts taking more than it gives
Work is a significant part of our lives, and the conditions in which we work can affect our overall well-being.
New data from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Survey on Working Conditions provides an interesting picture of the pressures and supports experienced by Canadian workers. In 2024–2025, 17% of workers reported doing unpaid work in their free time several times a month or more. Among workers in management occupations, that figure was 34.6%. Half of managers also reported frequently working to tight deadlines.
Burnout is also a significant concern. According to Mental Health Research Canada’s 2024 Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace study, one in four working Canadians — 24% — reported experiencing burnout most of the time or always. The study surveyed more than 3,200 employed Canadians in July 2024.
Sometimes workplace stress is obvious. You may dread Monday morning, feel constantly overwhelmed, or find yourself thinking about work long after the workday has ended.
Sometimes it is more subtle. You may notice that you are becoming increasingly irritable, exhausted, or disengaged. You may have less patience with the people you love. You may stop looking forward to things you used to enjoy.
And sometimes you simply realize: I don’t want to spend the next 10 years feeling like this.
That realization is worth paying attention to.
What can you control?
If your workplace is affecting your mental health, it can be tempting to think the only options are to tolerate it or quit.
But there is often some space between those two choices.
Start by asking yourself what is actually causing the stress.
Is it the workload? Your hours? A difficult relationship with your manager? Conflict with colleagues? A lack of flexibility? A workplace culture that doesn’t feel respectful or psychologically safe? Or have you simply outgrown the role?
Once you understand what is contributing to the problem, you can begin to think about what is within your control.
That might mean setting clearer boundaries around your working hours, taking your lunch break rather than working through it, turning off work notifications in the evening or becoming more comfortable saying no to tasks that aren’t yours to carry.
It might mean asking for greater flexibility or talking with your manager about workload.
And sometimes it may mean considering a different role, team or workplace.
Boundaries are important, but they are not a magic solution to every workplace problem. Sometimes the environment itself needs to change. If you are working in a chronically unhealthy or unsafe environment, it is important not to put the entire responsibility for your well-being on yourself.
Don’t underestimate the protective factors
When we talk about workplace mental health, we often focus on what is going wrong. But it is equally important to think about what is going right.
Statistics Canada’s recent working-conditions survey found that 79.5% of Canadian employees said their colleagues usually supported them, while 73.6% said their manager usually supported them.
Those relationships matter.
A supportive manager can make a difficult day feel manageable. Helpful colleagues can provide connection, perspective, and practical support. A workplace that allows some flexibility can make it easier to balance work with the rest of your life.
Other factors matter too: a reasonable commute, control over your schedule, opportunities to use your skills, enough time to complete your work, and the ability to disconnect when the workday is over.
Even small changes in working conditions can affect how work feels.
So rather than asking only, “Do I like my job?”, consider asking: What about this job supports my mental health? And then: What is missing?
What are you actually working for?
This may be the most important question of all. Your job does not have to fulfil every part of you. Maybe you work because you need the income. Maybe you are supporting your children. Maybe you are paying down debt or saving for retirement. Maybe your job gives you the financial freedom to travel, pursue hobbies, or spend time with the people you love.
There is nothing wrong with working primarily for money. But it can be useful to ask yourself whether the job is fulfilling the purpose you need it to fulfil. If you are working for the money, is the money worth the stress you are experiencing? If you are working for flexibility, are you actually getting it? If you are working to build financial security, does the job provide enough stability to accomplish that? If you are working because you believe in what you do, do you still feel connected to that sense of meaning?
And if the answer to some of these questions is no, what options do you have?
You may not be able to leave your job tomorrow. You may have financial responsibilities, limited opportunities, or other reasons that make a career change unrealistic right now.
But recognizing that something isn’t working is still useful information. It allows you to start thinking about what you want your working life — and your life outside of work — to look like.
Meaning matters too
There is another side to this conversation: sometimes work becomes more sustainable when we reconnect with why we are doing it.
Statistics Canada’s survey found that 81.9% of Canadian workers reported feeling that they were doing useful work most of the time or always.
That sense of usefulness can be an important source of meaning.
Your work may not be your dream job, but perhaps you know that you are helping people. Perhaps you are learning something valuable. Perhaps you are supporting your family in a way that matters deeply to you. Perhaps your job is allowing you to build toward something you want in the future.
Sometimes changing how we understand our work can change how we experience it.
And sometimes it doesn’t.
If you continue to feel depleted, disconnected or unhappy despite making reasonable changes, that is important information too.
You don’t have to figure it all out at once
Workplace mental health isn’t about finding the perfect job or creating a life without stress.
It is about paying attention to the relationship between your work and your well-being.
If work is affecting your sleep, your relationships, your mood, or your ability to enjoy the rest of your life, take that seriously.
Ask yourself what you can change. Look for the people and circumstances that support you. Set boundaries where you can. Reconnect with the reasons you are working. And give yourself permission to consider whether your current situation still fits the life you want to build.
You don’t have to know exactly what comes next.
Sometimes the first step is simply acknowledging that something needs to change.
When therapy can help
If work has become a significant source of stress, anxiety, burnout, or dissatisfaction, you don’t have to figure out what comes next on your own.
Therapy can provide a space to step back from the day-to-day pressures of work, understand what is affecting your mental health, clarify your needs and values, strengthen boundaries, and explore what changes might help you feel more grounded and supported.
Our therapists can help you work through workplace stress, burnout, boundaries, and major life or career transitions.
If you’re ready to talk, connect with us to learn more about therapy and how we can support you.
