Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights.
I am very blessed in that I have landed my dream job. After costly and exhausting retraining, hundreds of hours of voluntary work, dozens of application forms and interviews and a lot of determination and sacrifice, I finally have a satisfying and challenging job in the charity sector that pays well and I feel valued.
The problem is the commute. On good days, it is 1 hour 20 minutes each way, on bad days more than two hours, and it is becoming exhausting: I drive, as public transport isn’t really an option due to remote locations. I am finding that my evenings are lost in a haze of tiredness, and I fear (know) that I am becoming unpleasant to be around. I used to have hobbies (cooking, socialising, creative clubs etc) but these are no longer viable. Weekends are invaluable. I am tired a lot of the time.
Is there anything I can do to alleviate this, or do I suck it up and count my blessings? I don’t want to appear ungrateful. Working from home isn’t really an option as I manage volunteers and need to have an office presence. I have considered staying in an Airbnb during the week but I would be sad not to see my family every evening.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
