How many jobs are too many? On one of the most famous social platforms, a young woman told how she works from Monday to Sunday, in three places, so that she can pay her installments. “I have 14 months left until I get rid of the last one”she wrote. In the comments, many netizens pointed out that the three jobs option is not sustainable. We asked a psychologist’s perspective on the consequences that can arise in such cases.
The experience shared by the young woman on the Reddit platform sounds like this:
“I recently moved to Bucharest by myself to get away from an extremely toxic family. I had help in the first few months and was lucky to find a roommate. Unfortunately, she chose to move in with her boyfriend, and soon after I had health problems that put me in debt (fortunately I was able to heal myself) and a stupid idea of mine makes me a loan for a studio apartment that I now want to get rid of, so I’m raising money to pay the bank in full. It’s just that, due to lack of experience, I took loans from IFNs, and now somewhere around 50% of my income goes to paying installments. I currently have 14 more months to pay until I get rid of the last one and many more until I get rid of the mortgage.
The main job is a 9-5 at a multinational company. The second is a remote call center in German, during the rest of the hours until around 2 in the morning (but it’s not something constant, I have a few calls at most, and after 12 at night I don’t really have). On weekends I work part-time at a store in the mall, during a morning shift, but I also do overtime”.
The young woman also revealed how much she earns monthly from her three jobs: 8,000 lei.
Can such a variant work? The reactions of those who commented
Most of those who commented advised her to abandon the current version and look for another, healthier and more economically profitable one:
“I tell you honestly, if you know German, you can look for a job that will give you a salary that comes close to the amount you are getting now from the three jobs”;
“Try refinancing, talk to a credit broker (of course you don’t have time to go to a branch). If you have declared income, this is the ideal solution”;
“It’s admirable that you do such a performance to get rid of installments, but make sure you don’t do other things to “repair” your health. It’s no use getting rid of debt as quickly as possible if you have a very stressful life. Mental and physical health is more important than fighting against the clock with the interest that accumulates with each passing day.”
Someone even recounted his own experience after holding multiple jobs at the same time:
“In the beginning, everything can go well, it seems sustainable. Over time, however, burnout appears. Especially if you don’t go to bed before midnight. For me, it appeared after 5 years of working 3 jobs in parallel. I kept changing them, and last year I managed to find 2 of the 3 managers, very toxic people. All kinds of health problems occurred due to stress + lack of sleep. The most important thing in my experience is the sleep routine. Try to catch 1-2 hours before 12. I listened to a sleep scientist on a podcast who said that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth, in the body’s “accounting”, as two hours after.”
Another person in a similar situation encouraged her, however:
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed and I want you to keep it up as long as you can, but don’t sacrifice your health. Same for me: I have two jobs, I make somewhere around 10,000 lei/month. Like you, I’m taking 2-3 years until I pay off the loan on the apartment. I’ve always thought that I’d rather work a lot for a while to get rid of stress later.”
What the psychotherapist says
While it may seem like a good idea at first, going hard for a while thinking you’ll rest later is often not the best option. Jeni Chiriac, psychotherapist, explained to Adevărul:
“The idea can only work under certain conditions, not as a general principle of life. From a psychological and physiological perspective, the human body is capable of enduring limited periods of overload, but not without costs. The body and psyche do not function as mechanisms that can be forced indefinitely and repaired later without loss. When the effort is concentrated in a clearly defined interval, when there is a realistic finality, and when the person manages to maintain a minimum of sleep, nutrition and mental breaks, the strategy can make adaptive sense, especially in contexts of financial or existential crisis. The problem arises when “later” remains vague, when fatigue is systematically ignored, or when sacrifice becomes an identity norm. In these situations, the risk is not only fatigue, but the onset of late mental exhaustion, which often manifests itself after the external pressure has subsided.”
How much is a lot?
I asked the psychotherapist if there are limits and how much the body and psyche can take before reaching exhaustion.
“As for the limits of the body and the psyche, they are not fixed, but neither are they unlimited. The body can withstand intense stress for months if there are minimal recovery periods, but prolonged stress without recovery leads to physiological exhaustion. The psyche, in turn, can maintain a high level of mobilization only for a period, after which protective mechanisms such as emotional detachment, cynicism or loss of motivation appear. Exhaustion does not appear suddenly, but sets in gradually: first through constant fatigue, then through difficulty sleeping and irritability, later through a decrease in the ability to feel satisfaction or meaning. At this stage, even rest is no longer enough without a real period of psychological recovery”answered Jeni Chiriac.
The girl on Reddit was saying she has at least 14 months left to run at that rate. Psychotherapist’s opinion:
,,A work schedule from morning to night, including weekends, for over a year puts the body in a state of chronic stress. Even though in the short term there may be a sense of efficiency and control, in the medium and long term there are often psychological costs such as constant anxiety, irritability, decreased ability to concentrate and the feeling of operating on ‘autopilot’. From a physical point of view, sleep disturbances, profound exhaustion, decreased immunity and hormonal disturbances can occur.”
When it’s worth it and when it’s not
Regarding the risk/benefit ratio, Jeni Chiriac emphasized:
“It is worth this rhythm only if it is perceived as a temporary solution for survival, with a clear deadline, and if the person remains attentive to the signals of the body and psyche. When there are persistent signs of emotional or somatic imbalance, the cost begins to outweigh the financial benefit.”
The first signs of burnout
According to the psychotherapist, burnout can occur in any situation where there is chronic stress, constant pressure and lack of recovery.
,,The first signs of a path to burnout are usually subtle: fatigue that does not disappear after rest, difficulty concentrating, irritability, the feeling that “I have to pull a little more” even when resources are already low. Later, there is emotional detachment, decreased motivation and a feeling of inner emptiness. An important point is that many people on this route are still functioning well professionally, which creates the illusion that they are ‘hanging on’, although the internal cost is increasing.” explained Jeni Chiriac.
The specialist also drew attention to something less known:
“The risk of burnout is accentuated by the fact that the stress is not only professional, but also financial and existential. This type of multiple pressure lowers mental recovery and the body remains in a state of constant alert. If there are no regular recovery intervals, social support, or conscious self-regulatory mechanisms, the likelihood of burnout becomes high.”
