This is a painful issue always. But especially now. Times are tough. People are terrified about losing their jobs and not being able to find another one. So they’re hanging on to what they’ve got, whether or not they’re miserable.

But hating your job is awful and feels even awfuler in these last dwindling days of August, when it seems everyone is on vacation or otherwise enjoying life. Even President Obama.

Not so long ago, you may have been advised to just dump that job you hate and find another. No longer. Now we are back to this old-fashioned, but sterling, advice:

Don’t quit a job until you’ve nailed down a new one.
Yes, yes, WG knows. It feels impossible to find a job these days. And it’s certainly true that it’ll probably take you longer now than when times were good. The last time the economy tanked and WG hated her job, it took her two full years to find another one. Ugh.

So here are a few words of wisdom on hating yet keeping, for now, your job (this ain’t rocket science but when you’re miserable you sometimes forget the obvious):

1. Identify three things you like about the job. Come on, there must be something. Focus, hard, on those things.

2. Before going into work, do something to elevate your mood. Like exercising, eating a good breakfast, meditating.

3. After hours, vent that stress away. Healthily. Such as, um, exercising and also spending time with an upbeat friend, working on your favorite hobby, planning your next trip, etc.

And This Is The Most Important Thing: Every day–every single blessed day–do something that brings you closer to getting a new, better job. Network. Take classes. Save money. Read career books. Cultivate your mentor(s). Do Gina Maddox’s very cool “Bare Bones Reason I Was Born” exercise.

Doing something, even a small thing, will make you feel more in control of your fate. Also happier. Guaranteed.