starting my job tomorrow :/

[u/wallsrepeat]

for context, i’m 22f! i’ve been unemployed for just over a year now, and im going back to the office as a recruiter tomorrow.

i’ll be working 8-4:30 monday through friday which is scaring me because previously i worked a 32 hour work week. i really struggled with the waking up early and harsh transition into my day. i don’t know how ill be able to keep up with 40 hours, but i am trying to remain optimistic.

i like recruiting, i think it’s genuinely nice to connect people to their next position (especially when the job market is like this). it makes me feel like i can actually make a difference, but i do really struggle with the social anxiety of being the first person a person talks to in a company.

i’m not really sure what i’m looking for out of this post, mostly i think kind words or advice from any of you that are currently working 40 hours or in corporate specifically. community always makes me feel better.

[u/Calico-cottage-core]

Congrats on your new job! I’ve been working corporate for the last 4 years since graduating college, average 40-42 hours per week. I work from home so I don’t deal with a commute, but the temptation or expectation to “just hop on” to fix something at odd hours can definitely be real and makes it easy to feel really mentally drained by the lack of clear “on” and “off” times. My best advice is just to protect your time and understand what the realistic expectations are for your position.

When you’re working, be focused on work, but don’t take people literally when they say “give it your all” because I used to do this, and then I realized that NTs actually mean “give it like 50-75% of your effort and try not to make a ton of mistakes” when they say that. Not expecting myself to be literally working at 100% output productivity for 8+ hours a day really helps me get through work without feeling totally burned out.

And when you’re off, you’re off—silence all your work notifications, be clear-cut about your working hours, and don’t take guilt trips from people who just care about the optics of being “soooo busy” and working 10-12 hour days. They’re miserable and performative and they want to drag you down with them.

I also find that it helps me to have rituals and routines that mark the transitions in my day/week! It makes it feel less monotonous and helps me enjoy my everyday life more. Some examples are: staying off my phone for the first hour of the day; going for an unplugged walk after breakfast and paying attention to nature and how I feel in my body; making my coffee just as I sit down to start work so I wake up with a fun little drink; going for a walk, going to the gym, or playing with my cat as soon as I get off work to establish some momentum for my evening (otherwise I’ll just doom scroll on the couch until it’s dark out and I’m sad). My husband and I also have a tradition of going out for coffee together on our lunch break every Friday afternoon which I look forward to during the week and helps break up the day + kick off the weekend!