SINGAPORE: A woman in her mid-20s recently took to Reddit to share how her mental health has gone downhill ever since she started her first corporate job about a year ago.
Posting on the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit on Sunday (Oct 12), she said that while she has always been a naturally anxious person, things have gotten a lot worse since she joined the workforce.
She wrote, “After starting my first full-time job, my anxiety has worsened so much that for the past year, I haven’t been able to sleep properly. It’s also been eating me up every day to the point where I just lock myself in my room and cry because I don’t know how else to cope.”
She continued, “I just feel like a failure at work every day — constantly anxious, breaking down, crying, and struggling with imposter syndrome. The repetitive daily routine is also making me feel even worse.”
While the woman has been seeing a therapist in an effort to manage her condition, she admitted that she remains unsure whether the sessions have made any meaningful difference, as she “still feels awful almost every day.”
Feeling lost and completely drained, she turned to Reddit to ask others how she can cope and hopefully ease some of the stress that’s been weighing her down.
“I really don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “Sometimes I just wish I could sleep forever and go back to the happier days — like in secondary school — or make a rash decision to quit my job, but I know I’d still be anxious because of the tough job market and the thought of being unemployed.”
“Don’t lock yourself in your room in your free time.”
Worried about the woman’s mental well-being, readers filled the discussion thread with helpful tips and messages of support.
One wrote, “It’s only been a year of work. Give it more time. You should get more confident with time and experience. Also, it’s just work. It’s a paycheck. Get hobbies and make a life after work.”
Another suggested, “Set a goal, let’s say 3-6 months to work and save every penny you can. Then quit the job. With a short foreseeable target in mind, you don’t care if you are incompetent or not, as you are not going to climb the corporate ladder yet. Then, go travel, go anywhere, travel light, see the world, settle in a place for some time, and move on.”
A third added, “Don’t lock yourself in your room in your free time. Go to a park and do some long walks (half to an hour). Be surrounded by greenery. Switch off your mobile when you are doing this. Do this physical activity regularly if you don’t exercise. It’ll boost your mood and promote mental health.”
Imposter Syndrome
Unfortunately, the woman’s case above is far from uncommon. A 2020 study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that up to 82% of people have experienced what is commonly referred to as “imposter syndrome.”
The study also noted that such feelings can contribute to “heightened anxiety and depression, reduced willingness to take career risks, and an increased risk of burnout.”
To overcome these challenges, Dr Jessamy Hibberd, author of The Imposter Cure, and other experts recommend that individuals experiencing this condition start by learning to genuinely accept compliments, keeping a record of personal achievements (no matter how small), and embracing failures as part of the learning process.
Hibberd also suggests that individuals jot down their anxious predictions and later compare them with what actually occurs. She told The Guardian, “When you start doing this, you realise that the worst doesn’t happen; in fact, things normally go positively. You grow in trust and confidence as you realise it’s just your impostor brain talking, it’s not realistic.”
