The Webster dictionary defines "claustrophobia" as the "abnormal dread of being in narrow or closed spaces". When we talk about ourselves or other people being claustrophobic, we always talk about the condition in the context of physically narrow spaces. I'm going to extend that concept to the mental realm, especially as it relates to our professional lives. The symptoms listed below are probably not completely unfamiliar to most people reading this article.

- You feel like you're not growing in your job

- You're not being mentally challenged to think outside the box

- You believe you have so much more to offer intellectually, but your job profile doesn't require it.

- The sheer monotony of what you're doing is driving you crazy and suffocating you mentally.

I'd like to call this condition "professional claustrophobia".

While I'm not a psychologist, I'm going to safely assume this condition has a ripple effect into the personal lives of those inflicted with it. Feeling unfulfilled at work leads them to seek an outlet to vent their frustration and they find it in their personal lives. Depending on the severity of the condition, they may either try blowing off their steam at the local gym or just decide to mope around at home. The former is probably a good way to energize both the body and the mind, but I'd be willing to bet that the patient here spends more time on the couch moping around.

Each day at work worsens the condition and the moping at home makes the patient even more depressed. With professional claustrophobia comes stress, and the lack of activity on the physical front results in other health issues like high cholesterol. The mental restlessness in tandem with the stress and physical inactivity also results in the straining of relationships with loved ones. This condition is after all difficult to explain. When explained to a layperson, it sounds like a lot of whining, with the other person dismissing the condition as a normal part of life. How often have we either heard or told others, "that's life, deal with it".

There's an entire profession that's now been created to attempt the treatment of this condition - career coaching. The reason I call it an attempt vs. a cure is because I don't believe these coaches address the root cause of the issue, which is the desire to do something different. Don't get me wrong; I believe they're extremely effective when it comes to resume writing or even career movements in allied fields. The first exercise as a part of a career coaching session is to define your brand, which is essentially helping you articulate what's unique about you.

This is no different from the age-old exercise of differentiating between Coke and Pepsi based on their unique value proposition. When you analyze your brand, it really is no different from asking yourself why you're Coke and how you'd differentiate yourself from a Pepsi who is applying for the same job (or vice versa depending on your preference). What the exercise doesn't take into account is that whether you're a Coke or a Pepsi, you're still a cola drink. What if the only thing that will cure this condition is your desire to be a really good lemon-based drink, like Sprite?

These tough economic times are going to force people to either stick to their existing jobs or for those who are out of work, to look for jobs similar to what they've done in the past. This will cause a greater propagation of this condition and will eventually result in a lot of physically and mentally depressed individuals. I'm painting a pretty dismal picture here of professional claustrophobia, but I'm sure you will agree its not completely implausible. While I clearly don't have a cure for this condition, I'd strongly recommend not keeping your emotions bottled up. You really have only one option to feel better - go out and chase your dreams. People who are in love with what they do, somehow seem to be exempt from being inflicted by this condition.