‘I feel like a corporate zombie with the extremely top-down office culture,’ S’porean says before signing up for mental therapy session

SINGAPORE: It was supposed to be a glow-up — a promotion, a big-name local company with government ties, a BTO, and a wedding on the horizon. But for one 30-year-old Singaporean worker, this “dream upgrade” quickly spiralled into a psychological nightmare.

In a brutally honest post on r/askSingapore titled “having anxiety from starting a new job”, he shared how his new managerial role left him spiralling into workplace anxiety, despite the trappings of success. “I feel like a corporate zombie with the extremely top-down office culture,” he admitted, revealing how profoundly the new office structure eroded his sense of self.

having anxiety from starting a new job
byu/beardedchineseboy inaskSingapore

Before this, he had thrived in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where the work felt dynamic and purposeful. The new job came with a pay rise and enviable benefits — but the industry was “A lot more mundane and the work isn’t nearly as engaging,” he wrote.

What followed wasn’t your typical case of first-month jitters. It was a creeping dread. “I just can’t shake the sinking feeling I get every Sunday night knowing I have to get up for work tomorrow and feeling like I’m going to cry every time I meet with the higher-ups.”

And the mental toll was that he’s not brushing it under the carpet.  The worker revealed he’s booked his first therapy session to sort through the storm brewing beneath his business-casual exterior.

“It’s called Sunday Scaries, and it’s quite normal…”

Adding to the pressure: He’s also preparing for a wedding and moving into a new BTO. While he acknowledged feeling “extremely blessed to have a loving wife-to-be”, he confessed that “it’s gotten to the extent that I’ve signed up for my first therapy session hoping to figure things out.”

His story struck a raw nerve with fellow Singaporeans.

“It’s called Sunday Scaries, and it’s quite normal,” one Redditor shared. “Even though I’ve been at the same job for a few years now, I do have occasional sleepless Sunday nights.”

Another added, “Change is never easy, especially in a larger company. It’s normal to feel anxious.” And perhaps the most sobering insight of all is “When unemployed: Anxiety about bills… When employed: Anxiety about work. It’s just something we live with in modern society.”

“When you achieve FIRE, no more Sunday blues already…”

Some commenters suspected the worker is having imposter syndrome — the creeping fear of being exposed as a fraud, especially common after a big career jump.

“I cried to my husband in the first week because I didn’t feel I could do it,” one local wrote, reflecting on their own leap from local firms to MNCs.

Others shared practical advice: Focus on small goals, breathe deeply, journal, and the ultimate goal of Singaporean work dreams is to have a FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) plan. One comment playfully promised, “When you achieve it, no more Sunday blues already.”

Still, beneath the tips and encouragement, there was an undeniable common thread: This was no isolated case. The corporate zombie epidemic is real — especially when top-down cultures squash creativity, stifle autonomy, and bury passion under layers of bureaucracy.

🧠 A call for kinder workspaces

This story, while personal, mirrors a bigger truth in Singapore’s high-pressure work culture: That climbing the career ladder can sometimes feel like burying yourself deeper into emotional exhaustion.

And the worker’s decision to seek therapy is not a sign of weakness — it’s actually a quiet rebellion against toxic hustle culture and a reminder that no paycheck is worth losing your peace.

So, to this Singaporean worker, who said, “Thanks for reading if you made it this far. It felt good to get this off my chest,” your vulnerability might just be the most powerful thing you’ve done all month and may be for the rest of your life as well.

Because sometimes, surviving the system means admitting it’s not working — and choosing to heal anyway.

Read related: ‘My supervisor pointed his middle finger at me’ — Fresh grad on his first job asks if he should just ‘apologise to keep the peace’