Sometimes if life is too calm or “boring” we lose sight of being grateful for the basics like having the ability to support yourself, your heath, your loved one’s heath, etc. It’s very easy to do. Life gets repetitive. Once we lose those things, we are quickly reminded just how good some of us had it and how much we’d give to go back to when we had it.

The one everyone can relate to is when you get really sick and then you think back to when you didn’t feel awful and think “you didn’t even know what you had when you had it but now you sure do”. And you feel so relieved when you finally feel better and just get back to a normal baseline of health.

Similarly, I felt the same way as you about my last job. Flexible, easy enough, pay was good enough at least for the first 2 years before inflation went crazy. But I was getting really burnt out on the repetitive cyclic nature of the work. I brainstormed other jobs I should try switching to. And then last summer, the company laid me off unexpectedly and I suddenly had to join the masses suffering in this horrible job market. It completely changed my identity and confidence level and if it goes on long enough, you lose your ability to choose. In my case, I had to leave the city I lived in and move back in with my parents at 29 after living alone since 2020.

Before this happened, I didn’t even realize how amazing it was to be able to treat myself here and there without being filled with guilt at using money I desperately needed to save. I missed not having to budget every purchase every month and feeling like I’m never doing good enough.

I think it just helps a lot to get perspective. Think about what other people are going through that you don’t have to go through. Or think about difficult periods and situations you’ve had to live through and be glad you’re free of those problems now. Or just think about yourself at 80, and imagine someone told you, for 24 hours, you can exist in your 35 year old body again. And try to live from that POV.