I'm guilty of "quiet quitting" and have no motivation.

Sit down. Write down what’s bothering you. Think of ways to fix each problem. Make a list of ways to feel better. Start prioritizing your health. Make time each day to job hunt. Start small each day. You’ve got this.

I have never liked the term "quiet quitting." I think it is a misnomer and an insult to people who have been going above and beyond without appropriate, meaningful rewards for far too long.

I agree with what several others have said. The problem isn't only toxic organizations. Workers also have to say, "enough is enough. I am being paid to do X, and that is what I will do."

In the legal world, a contract is a contract. You're bound to the agreed-upon terms, and anything not included isn't supportable in court. You wouldn't get angry at a plumber for ignoring your clogged toilet if your agreement only specified he was to fix your leaky sink. If you did and tried to sue, the judge would laugh.

But somehow, we think of employment as different. There's some "hidden clause" that says, "If you do more than what's specified, you will advance." However, that's not what's been happening for the past 40 years or more. Maybe in isolated cases, but as a collective, wages have shrunk, benefits that already lagged behind the rest of the world are shrinking even further, and soaring inflation means struggling to afford the basics.

Case in point: I was reflecting with a friend on when I started my career. 30 years ago, I could comfortably support two on a teacher's salary. 20 years ago, it was a struggle with two incomes. 10 years ago, that same teacher's salary wouldn't even support one person alone without a second job or taking on roommates, and don't get me started on today's soaring rents, along with everything else.

In my view, the only way to survive is to prioritize yourself. It's not the happiest mindset, but you have to realize no one else will do it for you. That means setting appropriate boundaries and creating meaning outside of your career.

So find what you love. Like another poster said, occasional overtime is fine, but burning the midnight oil all the time goes unappreciated, anyway. Instead, fill your life outside of work with things that fill you with joy. Find cheap, affordable hobbies. Heck, even start a side business that you're passionate about — even if it doesn't generate much revenue, it can give you a sense of fulfillment. Spend more time with the people you love. Create a rich, meaningful life that has nothing to do with career and money.

Maybe employers don't want workers to look at their jobs as little more than a means to an end, a paycheck and little else. However, for far too long, they've treated workers as exactly that — liabilities on a balance sheet, not living, breathing human beings who would invest passionately in the group mission if they were appropriately rewarded for doing so. I despise how adversarial our society is, but it is the Reality Sea we find ourselves swimming in. If you can't find fulfillment through the traditional means of work, make your life outside of it so beautiful that you don't mind giving up 35 to 40 hours a week to support it. It's the only way to stay sane in these crazy times.

And hey — you never know. You could find your unicorn. There are some jobs out there that are rewarding and allow for upward growth, although they're like finding a diamond in a gravel parking lot. If you do find such a position, though, take care not to go in so hard that you burn yourself out all over again in a year or more. I recently came to this realization in what I do. I adore my work, but I hit it way too hard going in after a series of earlier, bad jobs. As a result, I recently had to set boundaries, which was far more uncomfortable to do after the fact than from the get-go. Fortunately, I work with a great organization that supports work-life balance, so it all worked out okay.

All that said, I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. You're far from alone in how you feel.