How to relieve the feeling of suppression by working at full capacity almost every day and working overtime every day?

Surviving or leaving: The dilemma of overworking

Modern people are under heavy pressure and work to their limit. They work overtime every day, even occupying their weekends for work, which seems to have become the norm.

There are many reasons for working overtime every day. Some people are forced to work overtime every day because the environment they are in requires intense competition. Some people work overtime every day because they want to pursue better returns. Before entering the company, they have mentally prepared themselves for overtime work. However, after entering the company, they realize that the mental pressure is really great, and their spirits are almost depleted.

Many large companies' “996” work mode has become the norm. Even if the company does not require it, many people are forced to work overtime to meet project deadlines or write project plans. Leaving work at 9 o’clock is considered early.

When they return home exhausted, they are bombarded with messages in their work groups. Although they are already too tired to respond, when they see their boss mentioning them, they have to quickly open the group message and reply to the boss, fearing that the boss will spend even more time discussing work with them the next day.

Work pressure is high, and the workload is heavy, but as soon as salary increase is mentioned, the boss becomes stern-faced and asks to meet with you separately. If you work overtime for too long and want to take leave, the boss responds coldly, “It’s not necessary, don’t take leave next time.”

In this environment, friends say that they can hardly bear the physical and mental stress anymore. There have been several times when they almost went to see a doctor because of palpitations. They have already secretly planned to change jobs.

Long-term overtime work is both a test and a torture for the body and mind. Those who can persist must have their own perseverance and reasons, but those who do not want to continue do not necessarily have poor abilities. Everyone has their own life rhythm and threshold of endurance. Sometimes, ruining your health for money is not worth it.

In the case of long-term high-intensity overtime work, it can be summed up in one sentence: If you can endure, continue; if you cannot, leave directly. The most difficult times are often when a person grows the fastest. Enduring for the sake of salary is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if salary or career development opportunities are consistently suppressed and your mental state continues to deteriorate, then find a way to take a break for yourself or seek a more suitable environment. You just need to prove that “leaving here will make things better,” and you will not regret your choice.

Relief in Overtime Pressure: Ice Cream, Poetry, and Arguments with the Boss

To relieve the sense of oppression brought by overtime work, you really have to do something “special”. These things cannot be done in “normal” times.

A long time ago, I worked overtime for several days in a row. One day after work, when I walked out of the company, it was already dark. I don’t remember if there was a moon, but I do remember that I could still catch the “last train” of the subway. What was strange was that the “mobile convenience store” at the subway entrance, which usually closed early, was still open that day!

I followed the smell of sausages and went over, but I went straight to the freezer and bought a “Cornetto”. It was winter at that time, and the outdoor temperature was close to minus ten degrees at night. I wrapped myself in a scarf, wore a hat, and ate the ice cream in the night’s embrace and the howling cold wind.

At that moment, I felt an unprecedented refreshing sensation. My sluggish mind was frozen to be exceptionally clear. After finishing the ice cream, I discovered there was still a line of words on it when I got on the subway. Seeing this line of words, my mood momentarily improved. As shown in the picture, I even found the photo I took at that time after flipping through my phone.

There was another colleague before, as the project leader of a certain project, it was a cross-department collaboration task. They had to not only write code but also coordinate personnel from various departments and worked tirelessly for 10 days. They often only came to the office in the morning to comb their hair.

On the 10th day, they worked late into the night, and started writing lyrical prose in their moments, becoming more and more engrossed until they wrote a poem. The image attached is their computer screen, the company gate, and a high-hanging full moon. Well, now everyone knew not only that they worked overtime but also that the project leader was a programmer who could write poems.

The next day, they started promoting that they had been getting up at 6 a.m. to jump rope, and if they couldn’t sleep well, they wouldn’t sleep at all. Since there was suppression, they would take it to the extreme! After exercising, dopamine and endorphins indeed made them “high”, temporarily making them feel relieved from any suppression. The only downside was knee pain.

There was also a colleague who was so suppressed that they had a big fight with their supervisor. Due to a sudden compression of time, a task that was originally manageable became “impossible” to complete. The colleague borrowed a folding bed and stayed directly in the company’s conference room, and every morning you could see them brushing their teeth.

They did this for a while, and one day the supervisor went to ask about the progress as usual, seemingly about the progress, but actually it was a reminder.

This person finally snapped. They had a big argument with the supervisor. The essence of it was that the supervisor ignored the actual development difficulty and personnel allocation of the project, agreeing to a task that was almost impossible to complete. This left us in a very passive situation, working overtime every day. The supervisor should have negotiated with the client and fought for more time for us.

After saying these words, they only left the sight of storming out of the office. Their overtime and hard work were evident to everyone, and when the supervisor privately approached them for a “chat”, they didn’t dwell too much on the argument. In the end, the task was unexpectedly completed, and everyone was happy.

When feeling suppressed, who knows what slightly “out of the ordinary” things we can do. The emotions cannot be contained, so let them overflow.

Perhaps suppression has already taken on a “concrete” form, maybe it is the ice cream you ate on a cold winter night, or the poem you wrote on your moments, or the “verbal battle” you had with your supervisor…

When suppression has “concretized”, it shouldn’t be so uncomfortable anymore.

If possible, it would be best to apply for a day off after working at full capacity for a period of time.

“Working Overtime, Complaining and Relieving Stress”

As a family member of an overtime worker, I deeply understand the feeling of being overwhelmed by a full day’s work.

While others live in a “step-by-step” manner, my life is about “working overtime as needed.”

However, there’s a saying: “You can’t choose your job, but you can choose your attitude.”

So, let’s vent our frustrations and relieve the pressure!

Others may be workaholics, but you are an overtime dog.

My life goal is to have more off-work time than work time.

I’ve noticed that whenever I’m about to sleep late at night and suddenly remember I have a report to write, I become instantly filled with rage enough to explode the world.

Here’s how efficient I am at work: I work overtime until dawn the night before, and when the alarm clock goes off the next morning, without any hesitation, I press the “snooze” button.

While others work from sunrise to sunset, I work from sunrise to midnight.

I’ve transformed from a workplace rookie into a “seasoned veteran,” but while you can deep-fry dough sticks, I’ve been fried into a corpse by endless overtime.

Overtime separates me from a high-quality life but does not bring back my youth.

The daily work content is so fulfilling: drink coffee, look at the computer, type on the keyboard, stare at the screen…

Some say overtime is “996” (working from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week), but I think I’m “24/7,” working even in my dreams.

Just by taking a glance, you can tell I’m the successor of socialism.

Golden nests and silver nests are not as good as an office desk.

If justice can be delayed, why can’t work start late?

Is there a possibility that I often drink iced Americano and suffer through life?

There are two of me at my workstation—one is me, and the other is still me, because I’ve been split apart.

The Internet is not incapable of empathy. When I hear others say they don’t want to go to work, I feel the same.

There are about 30 days each month when I don’t want to go to work. (Cherish life, please automatically shield the boss.)

If the task can’t be completed, just do it tomorrow. If luck is on your side, you might die tomorrow and won’t have to do it anymore.

I haven’t mentioned planets, galaxies, the universe, or dreams for a long time because I started working overtime.

Alright, fellow overtime dogs, after venting, we still have to continue working hard and living life.

Humor is an attitude and also a strength. Enjoy each day!

Why do we work so hard? Is it worth sacrificing time with family?

This afternoon, the branch had a meeting, and everyone is already working at full capacity. The boss said that the child has not recovered for two consecutive months and is currently running a fever for the third time. They have to rely on taking Oseltamivir. The child cried and begged the mother not to go to work. If it were me, I would really find it hard to bear.

Why do we push ourselves so hard to work? From morning till night, sacrificing weekends, hardly any leisure time, and often no time to take care of our children?

Why? What do we really want?

Working to create value and serving others is commendable. However, I feel that many jobs may seem profitable but lack meaning. Work that does not touch on the essence is inefficient assistance to others.

But we cannot sacrifice our children too much. Children are important. Over-sacrificing is not right. We need to find a balance as individuals.

Those who endure all of this with a diligent heart and a big heart are truly remarkable.

Sometimes, a sense of respect for the team we are in does arise in our hearts.

Working at full capacity all day long! Finally completed today’s to-do list~ After work, I went home, took a shower, lay on the bed, hugged a bag of chips, and watched some horror variety shows. It feels really happy! Then suddenly, I remembered a post I saw today that roughly analyzed the reasons why Finnish people are not happy. The human self-protective mechanism has caused my happiness threshold to significantly decrease, to the point that I feel super happy just lying in bed. Damn, suddenly I’m not happy again [smile].

[Work Stories] Today, I bought a round-trip train ticket to Changzhou, submitted a business trip application report, and will go to Changzhou for an interview next week.

I need to quickly edit the manuscripts at hand. I just wrote a book review a moment ago.

These past few days, my right ear has stopped twitching. Whenever I go on a business trip, the nerve in my right ear twitches (after-effects of going to Tibet), because my work not only involves working diligently for five or six days, but also writing a cover story once I return. Buying groceries is exhausting, and cooking tests my cooking skills and techniques.

I can only grow stronger with age [sigh] [keep going].

Finding Joy and Balance in Life

Alternatively, “Finding happiness in life” This situation used to be my situation. I used to work in a factory, working 11.5 hours a day, sometimes even up to 12 or 13 hours. There were even times when I worked continuously for more than 20 hours overnight. The only reason that could keep me going was because I needed money. I wanted to earn money, so I couldn’t be without a job. Otherwise, I would end up on the streets. The so-called struggle is all about sacrificing time, physical strength, mental energy, and even one’s overall health to obtain what one desires.

Find things that you like to watch or do, such as listening to music. If it’s allowed while working, I listen to music during work. You can also listen to audiobooks. When you have time off, go out and take a walk, have some fun.

Look at handsome guys and beautiful girls, go shopping, enjoy good food, follow TV series or stars. Take a closer look at the magnificent mountains and rivers of our motherland. You can even do something exciting, like going to an amusement park or try bungee jumping.

Working hard and persevering pays off.

Keep your head down and focus on the road, but don’t forget to look up.

Just one month after starting this job, a female colleague in my department went on maternity leave, and I ended up taking over her entire workload while still on probation.

So, for the next five months of her leave, I was doing the work of two people, experiencing a period of overwhelming stress and burnout, feeling suppressed and miserable every day at work.

Fortunately, I managed to persevere, and looking back, I gained a lot from this period. I need to thank myself for staying strong.

During this time, working overtime and being overloaded was inevitable.

But as a newcomer, I was caught off guard by the workload and fell into a cycle of making many mistakes. Getting scolded by my supervisor became a regular occurrence.

My supervisor always told me, “Don’t get stuck in mundane tasks all the time, you need to reflect more and find solutions.”

She also mentioned multiple times, “Don’t always keep your head down, remember to look up.”

Back then, I couldn’t understand it. I believed that actions speak louder than words. She wasn’t in the same overloaded state as me, so she couldn’t possibly understand my difficulties. Asking me to step out of my current situation and look at the problem objectively seemed impractical: I had too much work to do and couldn’t distance myself from it.

“Not seeing the true face of Mount Lu is simply because you are in this mountain.” Time has passed, and I inevitably reminisce about that period. If I had the chance to start again, I would understand my supervisor’s guidance and approach things differently. For example, I would communicate with my supervisor about redistributing the workload. Haha, although that’s not what she meant, I think it’s an excellent solution.

In the end, I persisted through that period, despite making many mistakes and having many arguments with my supervisor. But because of my dedication, I was promoted earlier than expected and received a pay raise.

Because of my performance during that period, I showcased my ability to handle pressure to some degree and learned a lot about a specific module, which later led to an opportunity for rotation within the department after one year. In a short amount of time, I had exposure to all the modules in the department.

Later on, during my maternity leave, other colleagues in the department tried to take advantage of the situation and vie for promotion. However, my supervisor, who had previously criticized me, stood firm under pressure and preserved my position, allowing me to have a space for survival and potential promotion when I returned from leave. When the department manager resigned, that same supervisor recommended me to take on the position. I am always grateful to her.

I also want to thank myself for never giving up!

Title: “Passionate Love”

Let’s dive into a passionate love affair.

Refresh Yourself

Under the condition that work and salary cannot be changed, the only solution is to go out and not stay at home or sleep in when on vacation.

You must go out and take a walk. Walk, go to the library, go to the cinema, go to the park, go to the museum, attend a gathering, go wherever.

You don’t need to spend too much time; just set aside an afternoon, a morning, or if you have the means, a whole day.

If you go out, take a look at the mountains, read a book, watch a movie, have a hotpot, or do anything else, this is a state that is completely different from work and is meant for enjoying oneself, giving your body a clear signal that it’s vacation time.

If you just stay at home playing with your phone and sleeping in, your body will feel like you’re still living through a Friday plus.

Therefore, for your body and soul, once you’ve passed Friday, suddenly it becomes Monday again, without having really taken a break.

Naturally, you will feel utterly exhausted.

Rest more.

Take more rest

How to Relieve Work Stress?

In modern society, many people face the problems of high work pressure and frequent overtime. Prolonged work not only consumes our physical strength but also has a negative impact on our mental health. So, how can we relieve this sense of suppression?

Firstly, we need to adjust our mindset. Although work is important, life and health are equally important. We cannot let work completely occupy our lives and neglect our physical and mental well-being. Therefore, we need to learn to find a balance between work and life, allowing ourselves enough time to rest and relax.

Secondly, we can try some relaxation methods to relieve stress. For example, we can release stress through exercise. Exercise can help us divert our attention and, at the same time, improve our physical fitness. Additionally, we can also relax ourselves by listening to music, watching movies, reading, etc.

Furthermore, we can seek help from others. When we feel overwhelmed by stress, we can confide in friends or family about our troubles. They may provide us with useful advice or simply lend a listening ear. At the same time, we can also consider seeking help from professional psychologists, who can offer more specialized advice and assistance.

Moreover, we can reduce overtime by improving work efficiency. We can try using time management tools, such as the Pomodoro Technique, to better manage our time. Additionally, we can automate repetitive tasks to save time.

Lastly, we need to maintain good lifestyle habits. A healthy diet and sufficient sleep can help us better cope with stress. We should avoid excessive intake of caffeine and alcohol, as they may intensify our feelings of stress.

In conclusion, relieving work pressure and feelings of suppression requires efforts from multiple aspects. We need to adjust our mindset, seek relaxation methods, ask for help from others, improve work efficiency, and maintain good lifestyle habits. Only then can we maintain health and happiness amidst busy work schedules.