Hello and welcome to The Traveling Introvert. Today I want to talk about how to move on when you've been working in a toxic environment.

So, I've had a lot of my clients recently get new jobs, which is great, and moving out of toxic environments. And they're so used to whatever toxic environment that they are in, they find it hard when they're in the new environment to reset and refresh. And so, I want to talk about some steps that can be done when moving on.

Millions of people are in unhealthy, toxic environments at work, at home, whatever it might be. And it's really interesting. There's a struggle to move on and free yourself from that negative effects of that. Basically, you're in a bad relationship. And so with that in mind, I'm going to talk about some ways that you can start letting go of that.

And the first one is acknowledging the problem. And most people have done that once they've moved. They acknowledge that their last workplace was toxic. And it can be pretty obvious, but like most issues, you need to acknowledge there was a problem before you can tackling it. So, recognizing that it was a toxic relationship and why it was toxic and why that culture was toxic is really helpful because that will help you to accept and acknowledge the issue.

Then there’s sort of setting healthy boundaries. Once you've acknowledged this, you need to figure out what you want to do differently this time around in this new environment, this new culture that you're going to be in. How are you going to set boundaries that are healthy for you? And then if those boundaries get stomped on, you know that you need to move on.

Another thing is spending time with positive humans. Sometimes when you've been around a toxic environment for so long, it's really easy to forget what it's like not to be in that environment. So enveloping or surrounding yourself with people who will support you and help you heal, spend time with encouraging people to build a positive support system as you move on from that toxic work environment into a better work environment. And part of that is taking care of yourself. Don't jump from one job to another. Give yourself a week if you can, or two weeks in between, just so you can take care of yourself, your mind and your body and your spirit. Do things that bring you joy. Get rid of all that back list of errands that you've been meaning to run, but you haven't had the chance to because you've just been so burnt out. Hey, just do nothing for two weeks. Eat healthier, drink water, exercise regularly, get enough sleep. Without taking care of yourself in the most simple and basic ways, you will not be strong enough to weather anything else that comes in your way. And you're trying to like reset your equilibrium at this point. And part of that is taking care of yourself is practicing caring and self-love. You will take care of yourself better. And now is a really critical time to focus on all your needs and your wants. So, when you get into this new environment, you know how to set boundaries and what boundaries they are. You know what to say no to, what to say yes to, what you want your ideal work day to look like. That is hugely important when you're thinking about walking into a new job. What would your ideal day look like? I know for the first three months you've got to be on board and all that stuff and things, but now is the time for you to start setting those boundaries, start letting people know and communicating about the ways that you work best and what works for you. Is it deep work? What communication works best for you? Email, instant messaging? All of that is really, really important for you to know now so that when you start your new role, you can go in and set those confidently. So, spend time doing things that make you feel good and build up your self-confidence.

For example, take that class you've always wanted or get that new haircut that you always wanted. Because building your self-confidence and then will give you that push and that confidence that when you are in that new role, you can ask for and communicate what you want.

Now, one thing, it can be really easy to be hard on yourself with letting yourself be in a toxic environment for a long period of time. But it's important to forgive yourself and move forward. Tell yourself that now that you know better, you'll do better and that's okay. You're going to take time to reflect and practice gratitude, reflect on the lessons that you've learned and know what to look for that you don't want in a new role or culture or organization, right? Let go of resentment. Anything that's bad and toxic, just let go.

You've moved on. Those are things to think about when you're moving on from a toxic workplace environment and moving on to something new.

Thanks for listening. This is Janice at The Career Introvert. Helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.