That Sunday night feeling. You know the one—where your stomach drops thinking about Monday morning. Where you're refreshing job boards at 11 PM "just to see what's out there." (Guilty). Where every notification makes you want to throw your laptop out the window.
I've been there. Sitting in a 9-5 marketing job that I once loved but feeling unfulfilled and stuck.
And here's what I wish someone had told me: The answer to "should I quit?" isn't always yes—and it's definitely not something you should figure out in a panic at 2 AM.
I left my job without a proper plan. And while it eventually led me here (building a business I love, helping other women navigate these exact moments), I made it harder than it needed to be. I'm not saying don't quit. I'm saying: let's figure out if quitting is actually what you need, or if something else is calling for your attention first (i.e. are there other areas of life you're not feeling fulfilled in and everything is bleeding into one).
The Signs It Might Actually Be Time to Go
Let me be clear: sometimes quitting IS the right move. Here's when I see it most clearly with my clients:
You've done the inner work and nothing's changed. You've tried setting boundaries. You've talked to your manager. You've switched teams or roles. You've worked on your mindset. And still—every day feels like you're betraying yourself by showing up. That's different than having a bad week or being burnt out. That's misalignment.
Your body is screaming at you. Chronic anxiety. Insomnia. Stress-related health issues that didn't exist before this job. Your nervous system is in constant fight-or-flight. I'm not a doctor, but I know what it feels like when your body is begging you to make a change.
You know what you want next. This is key. If you're clear about your next move—whether that's a different role, starting a business, staying home with kids, or taking time to reset—and this job is actively preventing you from moving toward it, that clarity is your green light.
You've lost yourself completely. You can't remember what you used to be excited about. You don't recognize yourself in the mirror. The work you're doing conflicts with your values so deeply that you feel like you're living someone else's life. When the disconnection runs that deep, staying causes more damage than leaving.
You have a financial cushion and a plan. Look, I'm all for trusting yourself and taking aligned action. But I also believe in being practical. If you've saved enough to support yourself through a transition and you have some idea of what's next—even if it's not perfectly mapped out—you're in a much better position to leave than if you're one paycheck away from panic.
The Signs It's NOT Time to Quit (Yet)
Here's where I wish I'd slowed down in my own story:
You're burnt out, not misaligned. Burnout makes EVERYTHING feel unbearable. But burnout can sometimes be addressed without leaving—through boundaries, saying no, taking actual time off, or having hard conversations. If the work itself aligns with you when you're NOT exhausted, the job might not be the problem. The way you're working might be.
You're running away from something instead of toward something. "I just need to get out of here" is a feeling, not a plan. I get it—I've felt it. But if you don't know what you actually want, quitting won't give you clarity. It'll just give you unemployment and the same confusion, now with financial stress added.
It's a bad month, not a bad job. One terrible project. A conflict with a coworker. A rough quarter. These don't necessarily mean the entire job is wrong. Give yourself permission to have a hard season without making it mean you need to blow up your whole career.
You haven't tried changing anything yet. Have you asked for what you need? Set boundaries? Explored a different role internally? Had an honest conversation with your manager? Sometimes we assume nothing will change, so we don't even try. And then we quit—only to realize we could've created what we needed where we were.
You're making the decision from fear or pressure. If you're quitting because your best friend did, or because you think you "should" want something different, or because you're comparing yourself to people on LinkedIn—pause. Those are external voices, not your internal truth.
What I Wish I'd Done Differently
When I left my corporate job, I didn't have clarity on what I wanted next. I just knew I couldn't stay. And listen—it worked out. But I spent months in anxiety, questioning if I'd made a huge mistake, scrambling to figure out my next move.
Here's what I wish I'd done:
1. I wish I'd given myself permission to want something different WITHOUT immediately quitting. Just because you're fantasizing about leaving doesn't mean you have to hand in your resignation tomorrow. You're allowed to explore what else is out there while you're still employed. You're allowed to want more. That desire for change doesn't have to become an ultimatum.
2. I wish I'd gotten clearer on what I actually wanted. Not just "not this job." But what DO I want? What does fulfillment look like for me? What would make me excited to wake up? I thought leaving would give me clarity, but clarity comes from doing the inner work—and you can do that while you're still getting a paycheck.
3. I wish I'd built a better financial runway. I left without much savings because I was so desperate to get out. It added so much unnecessary stress to an already hard transition. If I could do it again, I'd give myself 3-6 months of expenses saved so I could make decisions from a place of possibility, not panic.
4. I wish I'd trusted the timing more. I thought I had to decide RIGHT NOW. But the truth is, you don't. You can sit with the question. You can explore. You can do both—stay AND prepare to leave. You don't have to force a decision before you're ready.
5 Journal Prompts to Get Clear
If you're sitting with the "should I quit?" question right now, here's where I'd start. Grab your journal and give yourself 15 uninterrupted minutes with these:
1. What would staying look like if I made it work for ME? Not just tolerating it—but actually creating conditions where I could thrive here. What would need to change? What boundaries would I need to set? What conversations would I need to have?
2. If I quit tomorrow, what would I do next? Be honest. Not the Instagram-worthy version. The real version. Do I have a plan? Do I have savings? Do I know what I want? Or am I just running away from discomfort?
3. What am I actually craving right now? Is it a new job? Or is it rest? Creativity? Freedom? More time with my family? Connection? Purpose? Sometimes we think we need to quit when what we actually need is something we could access without leaving.
4. What's my intuition telling me—when I get quiet enough to listen? Not the panicked voice. Not the logical voice. Not your mom's voice or your partner's voice. YOUR voice. What does she say?
5. What would my future self—the version of me who's on the other side of this decision—want me to know right now? What advice would she give me? What would she wish I'd considered?
The Bottom Line
Here's what I know after years of doing this work with women navigating this exact question:
You don't have to quit your job to reconnect with yourself. But sometimes quitting is the most aligned move you can make.
The answer isn't out there—it's inside you. And the work is learning to trust yourself enough to hear it.
There's no "right" timeline. Some women need to leave immediately. Some need six months to plan. Some discover they don't actually want to leave—they want to change how they're showing up. All of those are valid.
You're not broken for wanting something different. You're not ungrateful. You're not being dramatic. You're a human being who's allowed to evolve and want more alignment in your life.
And whatever you decide—whether it's staying, leaving, or something in between—you deserve support as you figure it out.
Work With Me
If you're wrestling with the "should I quit?" question and need support navigating what's next, I'd love to help.
I offer 1:1 manifestation coaching for women in 9-5s who feel stuck, disconnected, or unfulfilled—but aren't sure what needs to change. Through journaling, subconscious reprogramming, and embodying your future self, we'll help you reconnect with yourself, gain clarity on what you actually want, and take aligned action to create it—whether that's a pivot, staying and thriving, or something in between.
Not ready for full coaching? Start with a Future Self Activation Session – a single 60-minute coaching session to connect with your future self and help you gain clarity on your next move (and create an action plan).
Or explore my Make Your Magic course – a self-paced program combining manifestation principles with practical tools to help you navigate life transitions with confidence.
