Have you seen the term job hugging popping up on your LinkedIn feed lately? If you have, you’re probably like me and have felt a mix of recognition and discomfort.

Job hugging describes the growing trend of employees staying in roles they’ve outgrown or feel unhappy in, not because they love the work, but because leaving feels too risky. In an uncertain economy, with layoffs, rising costs of living, and an unpredictable job market, this choice can understandably feel like a necessity.

At the same time, staying in a job that doesn’t align with you can come with emotional and physical costs that are important to not overlook.

Man in his 30s sitting at laptop at kitchen table, looking outside to greenery. Representing job stress and yet pressure to do job hugging for financial stability.

What Is Job Hugging?

Job hugging refers to holding tightly to a job for security, even when the role no longer aligns with your values, interests, or wellbeing. Unlike disengagement or lack of motivation, job hugging is often driven by practical concerns.

People may job hug because of:

Economic instability or fear of layoffs
Limited job openings in their field
Healthcare, retirement or other benefits tied to employment
Caregiving or financial responsibilities
Exhaustion from previous job searches

In many ways, job hugging is a super reasonable response to an unstable system and a difficult job market. I want you to know that I really understand if this is a choice you’re making right now and there’s no shame in needing to stay at a job because you have other important responsibilities and priorities in your life.

The Emotional Toll Behind Job Hugging

While job hugging can offer short-term safety, it often comes with long-term emotional strain.

People who are job hugging frequently report:

Feeling stuck or trapped
Low motivation or disengagement
Guilt for not feeling grateful enough
Anxiety about the future
Chronic stress without a clear outlet

This internal tension, needing security while wanting change, can quietly increase burnout risk when there is no space to process it. It’s important to address these symptoms and signs, rather than trying to push them away so you can stay employed.

Job Hugging and Burnout Risk

Burnout is not only caused by overwork. It can also come from misalignment, lack of agency, and prolonged stress without relief (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).

Job hugging can increase burnout risk when:

Your nervous system stays in a constant state of vigilance
You feel unable to make meaningful life choices
Dissatisfaction becomes chronic rather than temporary
Hope for change feels inaccessible
Feelings of being stuck or trapped increase and stay constant

Over time, this can contribute to emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a reduced sense of efficacy, which are core components of burnout (Maslach et al., 2001).

Job Hugging is Not Simply About Being Afraid to Leave

Research shows that economic insecurity and job instability significantly increase stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms (Paul & Moser, 2009). For many people, staying put is actually a way to protect their nervous system from even greater threat.

When basic needs feel uncertain, the body prioritizes safety over fulfillment. When we think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it’s natural to crave financial security that fulfills food, shelter, and other basic needs.

How Chronic Uncertainty Affects the Nervous System

Living with ongoing uncertainty, whether financial or professional, keeps the nervous system on alert. Even if your workload has not increased, anticipatory stress can be exhausting.

This may show up as:

Difficulty relaxing after work
Irritability or emotional numbness
Sleep disturbances
Decision fatigue
Feeling on edge without a clear cause

From a clinical perspective, this reflects a system adapting to prolonged uncertainty rather than a lack of resilience.

Young asian woman sitting on coach in trendy space while working on laptop. Representing finding ways to cope and support herself while job hugging and dealing with burnout.

If You Are Job Hugging, Here Are Supportive Ways to Respond

I want you to know that quitting your job isn’t the only way to support yourself. You do not have to force a big decision in order to care for yourself in the present moment.

Here are some ways to build more support in your current situation:

Separate survival from self-judgment: staying may be a strategic choice. You are allowed to value stability.
Create small zones of agency: even if you cannot change jobs right now, notice where you still have choice, such as boundaries, pacing, or skill development.
Name the grief: there is often real grief in staying. Acknowledging this can reduce internal pressure to act like that’s not true.
Address burnout proactively: burnout prevention matters even if you are not leaving. This includes rest, boundaries, and nervous system regulation.
Clarify values without forcing action: you can explore what matters to you without immediately changing your situation. Reflection does not always lead to action.

Processing Job Hugging in Therapy

Therapy can offer a space to hold the complexity of job hugging without rushing toward a decision.

In therapy, people often:

Process burnout and chronic stress
Explore values and identity beyond work
Reduce shame around staying or leaving
Build emotional capacity for future change
Develop coping strategies for uncertainty
Increase joy, rejuvenation, and hobbies outside of work

The goal is not to push you out of a job, but to help you feel less trapped inside the choice you are making.

Ready for support now?

If you are navigating job stress, burnout, or the emotional weight of staying put in an uncertain economy, therapy can help you process these choices with compassion rather than pressure.

I work with adults experiencing burnout and anxiety using a holistic, trauma-informed approach that honors both emotional needs and real-world constraints.

If you are job hugging, I invite you to reach out for a free consultation call so we can figure this out together.

References

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.
https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311

Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422.
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397

Paul, K. I., & Moser, K. (2009). Unemployment impairs mental health: Meta-analyses. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74(3), 264–282.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.01.001

Job Hugging: Why Staying in an Unfulfilling Job Makes Sense and How It Can Still Lead to Burnout