Well, what about a job? The truth is that people struggle with personal relationships in the same way they struggle with an employer: sometimes they just don't know when to call it quits. That's according to Mary Ellen Slayter, Careers Columnist at the "Washington Post."

Slayter found a list of warning signs of "addictive relationships" through the Carnegie Mellon University Student Affairs Office   the list is for romantic issues   but she says it works just as well for people who are obsessively attached to bad jobs. See if you recognize any of these signs:

  • First, you know the relationship is a bum deal, but you aren't doing anything to end it. That goes for romance as well as work.
  • Another? You make up really poor reasons why you should stay in the relationship. Like, at least they have free bagels in the kitchen. That's not a good enough reason to stay at a job.
  • The third sign is: when you think about leaving the relationship, you get frightened and anxious, and proceed to get clingy.
  • The next sign of an addictive relationship   whether it's love or work - is when you take steps toward ending the relationship, you begin to suffer withdrawal symptoms, and end right back where you started.
  • And here's the final sign, according to Carnegie Mellon: You keep telling yourself that if you keep trying, things will get better. But you can only try for so long   in a relationship or at work. If things don't improve no matter how hard you try, you need to take steps to move on.
Well, Slayter says these are all common problems, mostly caused by a fear of change. It's a big obstacle for a lot people. In other words, they're less afraid of what they do know - like a bad job - than what they don't know - like if there's a better, more satisfying job out there somewhere. Slayter says the solution starts with taking control of your life. So don't let fear hold you back   instead, you should be afraid of being in that job where you're not appreciated   or in that relationship with a loser who flirts with everything that moves - for the rest of your life!