SINGAPORE: On paper, the life of a 29-year-old finance professional might look like a clear success story. He has a stable job in the Central Business District, earns about S$5,500 a month, and has built up roughly S$400,000 in savings and investments over the years through trading US stocks.
But in a post shared on a local forum on Thursday (Jun 4), he confessed that his life has started to feel rather “meaningless” and “sad” as his job no longer fulfills him.
“Every day, I seem to be stuck in a loop where I struggle to wake up because I stayed up late till 1 a.m. the previous night, sit on the train to work like a zombie to the CBD, and do my job.”
“My job has pretty standard working hours, no OT, and is not extremely stressful but not enjoyable either. I mostly fix problems that pop up and also do tedious work that requires me to be meticulous. I feel mentally drained by the end of the day. After work, I wander around aimlessly. I reach home late at night, check my US stocks, and sleep at around 12 or 1 a.m. ”
Over time, he said, the routine has begun to wear him down.
The days seem to blur into one another, and he feels as though he is trapped in a cycle that never really changes.
His weekends, he added, are not much different either. He admitted that he mostly stays home and sleeps, completely disinterested in going out or taking part in activities.
As for his personal life, the man revealed that he has never had a girlfriend despite making efforts over the years. He has tried dating apps, attended social gatherings, and taken part in sports and hobbies in hopes of meeting someone, but none of those attempts have led to a meaningful relationship.
As he watches the years pass, he feels increasingly aware of how quiet his life has become.
With no partner, no family of his own, and no clear passion outside work and investing, he said he often wonders what exactly he is working towards.
“Am I being ungrateful in this situation or are my woes actually valid?” he asked others. “I have no partner, no dates, no marriage, no housing in the future to look forward to, hence no motivation to grind day-in, day-out for a salary.”
He also shared, “Lately, the thoughts of quitting my job seem to be intensifying, because I felt that the salary is so little compared to my investment gains. I keep thinking of wanting to start a business or do something more freelance, independent, and with more freedom. I also tried to apply to other jobs, hoping that a change in environment or increase in salary may make me happier, but so far I have not gotten any successful interviews.”
“Is life only about net worth?”
From the way the post author described his daily routine and emotions, many Singaporean Redditors speculated he might be experiencing burnout or even depression.
One individual said, “Your life has become monotonous, which is why you crave excitement but are too burnt out to actually seek it. Hence, you subconsciously want to quit to change your lifestyle drastically. Don’t. A well-paying boring job is actually the best job, especially if you are investing on the side.”
Another wrote, “Sounds like you are burnt out. Don’t ever self-label yourself ‘ungrateful’ if you have negative feelings that show strongly and persistently. It’s your body’s way of telling yourself that you have unmet needs.”
Meanwhile, some encouraged him to find ways to break out of the cycle and start doing things again, even if it feels difficult at first. They suggested spending his free time on activities he genuinely enjoys so that he would have something to look forward to outside of work.
One commenter pointed out, “If all you do is work and trade and not do something you genuinely like during the week after work hours… obviously you would feel this way. Is life only about net worth? Have you tried showing up regularly for any hobby (hopefully social) 2-3 times a week? Make new friends of both genders?”
Another added that meditation might be worth trying as well. “Give mindfulness meditation a try, can check out the 10-minute guided version by Sam Harris. Completely secular and no frills.”
In other news, a furious online rant about poor hygiene on Singapore’s public transport system has gone viral after one fed-up commuter blasted fellow passengers for allegedly skipping their morning showers before squeezing onto packed MRT trains.
Posting on a local Reddit forum, the woman said, “I have had it with taking the MRT every day and smelling all the stanky [people] who don’t shower in the morning, sia. Like, I don’t get it. Why is it so hard to spend just 5-10 minutes showering?”
Read more: ‘Why is it so hard for everyone to shower in the morning?’: MRT commuter breaks down over poor hygiene on public transport
