Everything is Toxic

...or is it?

Looking for work? Social media algorithms will feed you self-limiting beliefs disguised as relatable content. Keep this in mind.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying (or making!) humorous or not-so-humorous posts about the often frustrating realities of work and the job market, but if you are going to consume this content, you're doing yourself a massive disservice if you don't build an internal filter to separate your enjoyment of relatable stories from your impression of yourself and your situation.

Boundaries are most (if not only) effective when you set them with the intention of controlling how you choose to allow external influences to affect you. If we're scrolling through the socials watching videos about bad managers, toxic workplaces, unfair situations, layoffs, all kinds of negative work experiences, there's a real tendency to subconsciously develop the opinion that all managers are bad, all workplaces are toxic, the job market is impossible etc.

What happens when we let this influence permeate our thoughts and opinions is that it takes away our power. More accurately, we give away our power to it. Our perspective can become "everything is bad everywhere," which is a fun little precursor to the subsequent "and there's nothing I can do about it". That's one way to end up feeling very stuck and incapable of taking action. And I can't stress enough how important it is to take action toward getting where you want to be when you're seeking a new role. Meaningful, positive, forward-focused action.

So yes, enjoy the relatable content, but see it as something that resonates with how you currently feel, not something that defines the situation or how you see your place in it. Find yourself some content that motivates you to succeed and gives you tools to do so alongside those funny videos and job market stories.

Have you noticed your mindset being shaped by the content you consume? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.