24-year-old woman opens up about job pressure taking a toll on mental health: ‘I’ve ended up looking like this’
A 24-year-old woman has sparked conversations about mental health after sharing a heartfelt video on Instagram about the hidden cost of working life.
In the video, she begins with a striking line: “You know what’s scarier than losing a job? When you end up looking like this.”
The woman, Swathi (@lifeofswa), shared the video with the caption, “You know what’s scarier? Losing your sleep, losing your peace, and losing your confidence.”
In the video, the woman highlighted how stress and exhaustion had visibly affected her.
She explains that losing sleep, peace, and confidence is far more frightening than losing a job itself. “You are earning money, you are working, and at the same time giving up your happiness,” she says.
Mental health vs job:
The woman goes on to share how the constant pressure of work makes her feel tired and lifeless. “The battle now is between my mental health and my job, and society expects me to choose my job over my well-being.”
HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when she responds.
Check out the video here:
“It’s job vs mental health. And most of us don’t choose our job because we love it. We choose it because society tells us survival comes before happiness,” the caption of the post reads.
The woman says that bills don’t pause, responsibilities don’t wait, and mental health is expected to adjust. She explains how people continue to stay in jobs, tolerate the pressure, perform their duties, and smile, all while quietly grieving the version of themselves that once felt safe, confident, and alive.
She adds that this isn’t a weakness, but the reality of living under constant pressure in a system that rewards endurance and punishes rest.
“If you’re choosing your job even when it’s costing you peace, you’re not alone. You’re just surviving in a world that makes mental health optional,” the post adds.
Here’s how people reacted to the video:
Instagram users responded to the video with overwhelming support and empathy, sharing their own experiences of work-related stress and mental health struggles.
One of the users commented. “You know what is scarier!! When you have an entire family to feed… to fulfil their dreams and your responsibilities towards them, and you don’t have a job.”
A second user commented, “All that for bare minimum too.”
A third user commented, “Stressing over jobs is the worst thing someone can do! Itna stress lena hai toh apne lie le lo.”
“Everyone does it, you are no special? And if you don’t like, then leave,” another user commented.
