I’m 34 with $5 million saved, but I’m still battling addiction – did downsizing my life really help?

People who manage to accumulate a lot of money at a young age tend to have high-paying jobs. But many of those jobs can be almost ridiculously stressful.

In this Reddit post, we have a 34-year-old who works in finance and is feeling burned out. They’ve admitted to overusing drugs and alcohol and say that they’ve cut back somewhat, and that it’s a work in progress.

At one point, the poster was accumulating belongings and using consumption as a means of emotional soothing. Once they realized that strategy wasn’t working, they sold a lot of their belongings and downsized to a less expensive home.

But they’re still feeling lost. And they’re not sure what their next move should be.

I can sympathize with this poster on many levels. And I truly think they could use some outside help.

No job or career is worth your mental health

I can relate to a lot of what the poster here is going through because I, too, once had a very stressful job in finance that basically turned me into a miserable version of myself.

Day in, day out, all I could think about was my stressful job. When I got done for the day, it would take me hours to relax, to the point where I wasn’t even enjoying my evenings.

On weekends, I’d push myself to go out with friends and socialize. But sometimes, I just stayed in my apartment alone because I was too burned out to want to do anything.

I realized this wasn’t a healthy situation, so I eventually quit that job once I got my savings to a place I was comfortable with. And to be clear, I was nowhere close to the $5 million the poster above had. I’m talking worlds away. But I had enough for a solid emergency fund, a down payment on a modest home, and a cushion to take time off and regroup.

Because the poster has accumulated so much wealth by their mid-30s, I think they should leave their stressful job and pursue another role or career. But more so than that, I think the poster should get some professional help.

It’s clear that they’re having trouble coping with stress on many levels. And I would hate to see them harm their health on a long-term basis.

A therapist or counselor may be able to help them better cope with stress so that when they land in another tough situation — work-related or otherwise — they’ll be better-equipped to handle it.

A bright financial future

Even though the poster here may be having difficulties coping with stress, there’s no questioning that they’re a strong saver. That’s evidenced by the amount of money they’ve accumulated in such a short period of time.

Plus, they’ve already learned the lesson that spending money doesn’t buy happiness. That’s something they’ll probably be mindful of going forward.

The poster here should be able to take plenty of time to figure out what they want to do next. It would be a good idea to consult a financial advisor to make sure they’re set up with the right investments in case they end up never returning to a high-paying job again.

But they’ve put in their time and built their wealth. So now, they can try focusing on work they’ll find rewarding and less stressful.

In fact, in addition to seeking the help of a therapist and financial advisor, the poster here could consider career counseling. They’re working toward an early retirement, but the reality is that leaving the workforce for good at a very young age can present other challenges. So what the poster may want to do is strike a balance where they’re earning a paycheck in a low-pressure environment doing something meaningful.

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