Nothing is more important in life than being content and happy with ourselves. Health and wellbeing should always have priority over everything else – if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of anyone else. Today’s story is about a man who’s overworked and exhausted, and his girlfriend threatened to break up with him because he quit his job while he was only looking out for his health.
The Story
Reddit user, ThrowRAVirtuousBoy, shared his story on relationship_advice to ask the community what he should do in this specific and difficult situation. He wrote:
“I worked an ok job making around $55k. It was a boring office job but, I sometimes enjoyed what I did. Problem is the crunch was getting worse. Some crunch I could do but, this crunch was never ending and everyone was stressed. I was clocking in at 80-90 hours with no extra pay to show for it.”
“With all the coffee and red bulls I was consuming I started developing health issues. I was told by my doctor to reduce my stress, cut out this caffeine and work less. Well, working less wasn’t an option as it’s mandatory to work OT. I’d be ‘fired’ for performance issues if I didn’t. With my boss telling me I’d be working for the next 6 months weekends and doubles. I had enough stress and just broke. I insulted my boss and supervisors emptied my desk and went home knowing my career was over.”
“I kinda expected sympathy from my girlfriend but, instead she was pissed/ I’m a child for doing this, immature, the doctor was wrong, etc etc. This is what being an adult is: working non-stop. I’m a loser for throwing my career away because I was tired. There’s no excuse. She doesn’t care if it was a $10k a year job. The fact is I quit like a child having tantrum.”
“She said she can’t see a future with someone who would quit a job because they were ‘overworked’. But, this is what I don’t understand. She was getting annoyed we could barely do anything together. I was always working 12-16 hour shifts and the 1 day I had off I was too tired for anything including $ex.”
“I just don’t understand. Why is my health not a concern? I have heart problems from all this work and stress. Why is she not more sympathetic that I was literally dying. I couldn’t face another crunching session. 6 more months of 16 hour shifts with 1 day off is just pointlessly cruel.”
“What even did I do wrong in this relation? Should I just work myself to death for her?”
The Responses
Everyone on Reddit showed massive support to this man for what he’s going through. Here are some of the most supportive comments:
GaryGewaltschiss wrote:
“She showed you that she’d walk as soon as you hit a rough patch. So let her.”
“You don’t need a girlfriend like that. Don’t stress yourself out even more. Take time for yourself and most importantly, don’t take her back.”
quickwitqueen commented:
“A real partner doesn’t berate the other for a medical crisis, which is what you had. Mental stress is medical. What those liquids were doing to you is medical. You did the right thing for your health by quitting. Your girlfriend did you a huge favor by showing you now what her level of commitment and support is.”
mansdoand shared:
“Mate. If shes willing to leave you over this – let her.”
“My partner left his 140k+ (AUD) job to start an apprenticeship earning 40k a year. I supported him. He tried it for about 3 months and decided it wasnt for him. He quit and has been unemployed for at least 6 weeks. Am I going yo break up with him? No. He’s starting a new job in 2 weeks. Which is great. Because I just quit my stable job 🤦♀️ I’ll be running my own business. But the important thing is that we have each others backs. Money isn’t everything and working to death is not necessary.”
WeakLie5273 chimed in:
“Her values are f***ed. $55k a year is not worth killing yourself over. I work a high stress, bullsh*t job with too many hours but I make $340k. (And I don’t work 80-90s regularly. More like 60s). If you’re going to sell your soul, don’t sell it cheaply.”
“Get a better job and a better girlfriend.”
Feeling_Chemist responded:
“oh my God please don’t listen to people who tell you it was wrong of you to tell your boss off or call it a ‘tantrum’. What you did was a very human response to others treating you like a robot. I really don’t know anyone who would put up with this and assume you’re from the US bc overtime with no pay is illegal in every normal country in the world.”
“About the gf—don’t put up with this sh*t and find somebody empathetic is my advice.”
“good luck with everything!”
What’s Your Take?
What’s your take on this man’s stressful situation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reddit
