It happens little by little, then all at once.  You dread heading to work on Monday morning, and you are counting down the minutes until the weekend on Friday afternoon. You used to love your job, but now the thought of it makes you cringe.  While it’s incredibly tempting to walk out and prove a point, you know you can’t.

When you’re this unhappy at work, your options include finding ways to improve the situation or searching for another opportunity.  When making such an important decision, it’s crucial to tread carefully.  Start with these six steps:

Talk it out

While you may spend 40+ hours every week working somewhere you don’t like, fuming at your desk won’t do much good.  Instead of keeping your emotions to yourself, find a close friend or relative that you can speak with openly about your problems.  Talking through what’s bothering you can alleviate some of the stress and allow you to approach the next steps with more clarity.

Analyze the problem

Before acting on your frustrations, analyze the situation at hand, and think about what makes you so unhappy about your job.  Is it the people?  The work?  The pay?  Most importantly, ask yourself what would need to change in order for you to stay.  This could be a pay raise or a change in your responsibilities.

Address the issues

Be honest.  Have you brought these issues up to your supervisor?  After figuring out what you would need in order to stay, give your employer a fair chance to see it through.  You don’t have to let it slip that you’re considering moving on; just politely ask for what you want.  Give them enough time to follow through on any promises they make before deciding that you’ve had enough.

Decide what’s next

So, your employer didn’t come through, and you’re ready to move on.  Before throwing up your hands and quitting, decide what you want and don’t want out of your next job.  Sometimes, it’s easier to start with the latter, as this has been at the top of your mind lately.

Next, remember what you love about your job.  Come up with a few things that you definitely want out of your next position, and think about what type of job would entail that kind of work.  Additionally, decide on a few skills you’d like to learn in your next position, as you should always be focused on how you can grow professionally.

Meet with a recruiter

While there are plenty of job boards and online applications to fill out, remember that recruiters are in the hiring business for a reason.  They know the job market, and they work with many leading companies that may not even be listing their jobs online.  Plus, they will look at your resume, skill set, and goals from a completely different perspective.  At the very least, they’ll have some thoughts on where to start your job search, and they may even give you ideas for a career path you haven’t considered before.

Keep performing at a high level

It’s easy to check out when you have one foot out the door, but remember that you’ll never get out if you don’t have results to show to potential employers.  Additionally, your lack of effort may become apparent once you submit your notice (or even before then).  By continuing to do quality work, you’ll be sure not to burn any bridges.  No matter how hard it may be, your current job should be one of your top priorities until your last day.