What do you do when things get so dark?

I have a good job and I have been told I’m doing really well. I have been working so hard but that’s the thing, I haven’t been doing anything else for the past year. I feel so isolated. I don’t have any friends anymore. I barely leave my house. I am constantly stressed out. I can’t even maintain a workout schedule. I know I can’t quit now because I’m so close to being associate in a year and things might get easier and also I know that I enjoy working hard but at the same I want to have some kind of life outside work which is non existent for me. I feel so behind on everything. Taking time off is not an option. Anyone in the same boat?

6 Comments
 

Sounds like you’re a really high performer who doesn’t know when to turn it off. You should consider doing a slightly shittier job and risk being out of pocket randomly when you’re working out/getting dinner/dating/etc. I know it’s easy for me to say this and it feels like you will be letting your team down but you’ll really be letting them down if you burn out and quit. Sounds like you’re getting more senior so you should be getting a better idea of workflow and timing which should make this easier. 
 

Also, how sweaty is your bank? Consider lateraling if you don’t have protected Saturdays or there isn’t a strong analyst culture. 

 

Thanks for this. This is OP. One year after. I got promoted and things actually are just as bad hours wise. Do you mind if I PM you? Trying to get sense of how things are at other banks. I am considering lateraling.

 

Can relate to that. Different situation in the sense that I am studying (senior at college) and working in VC at the same time, so no exactly the same boat, but had to made several sacrifices to first get the internship and then get hired full time.

My light at the end of the tunnel is the idea of moving to a different city once I graduate (currently WFH) and start creating a new circle of friends/relationship.

For the time being, something that helped me is doing 30min of meditation each morning and try to workout 3 times a week.

Hope it helps

 

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