A woman opened up about the fear of returning to corporate life after leaving what she described as a mentally exhausting first job, saying the toxic experience shattered her confidence to the point where starting again now feels terrifying.
The story was shared in a Reddit post on the subreddit r/IndianWorkplace, titled, “Starting again feels scary.”
In the post, the woman explained that she left her first corporate job around seven months ago after spending nearly a year and a half trying to cope with what she described as an extremely unhealthy work environment.
According to her, the job , which she had secured through campus placements soon after college, involved heavy micromanagement, with employees allegedly monitored over lunch breaks, washroom visits, and working hours, alongside constant pressure to stay back late.
She also described having a senior at work who made her experience significantly harder, claiming she was frequently belittled, called “dumb,” and repeatedly made to feel as though she had no future career prospects unless she blindly followed instructions.
The woman further shared that threatening emails, sometimes with managers copied in, left her feeling constantly anxious about making mistakes.
“It got so bad that I used to cry before leaving for work and again after coming home. Every single day,” she wrote, adding that she would pray every morning simply to get through the day.
She said the experience severely affected her confidence, especially as someone who already struggled with self-esteem, eventually making her give up on the idea of working in corporate altogether.
After resigning, the woman said she took a break from job hunting for several months to recover mentally. However, financial responsibilities eventually pushed her to begin applying again.
Now, after months of uncertainty, she revealed that she has finally received two job offers and accepted one, but instead of excitement, she feels anxious about repeating the same experience.
The post soon turned into a space for people to share advice and reassurance, particularly those familiar with toxic workplace environments.
Some commenters indirectly encouraged the woman to avoid emotionally overinvesting in workplaces that failed to value employees, suggesting that learning when to detach was sometimes necessary for self-preservation.
Others congratulated her on securing a new offer while strongly criticising workplace cultures involving micromanagement and intimidation, indirectly saying freshers deserved guidance, not fear-driven environments.
Several users also tried to rebuild her confidence through their responses, indirectly reminding her that criticism from toxic colleagues did not define her abilities and encouraging her to stay firm in her self-belief despite past experiences.
A number of commenters also shared that starting over after a damaging first job naturally felt frightening, indirectly assuring her that fear did not mean she was incapable, only that she was still healing from a difficult chapter.