So I've been lurking on this sub since I started running a month ago and used to see a lot of posts like these... Finally today I ran my first 5k in City slam and it felt so good, completed 5k in 48:20, aiming for a 10k soon.
I finally got my termination letter from that shitty firm and I want to warn y'all, don't join BDO.. it's a horrible place and you'll regret joining there a lot. The managers are toxic and extremely rude, I've heard the same about directors/partners from my seniors.
My life became hell after joining that firm, we used to have lunch at 3 in the afternoon, the managers used to come at 12-12.30 and sit till 8 and we articles had to report at 10.45-11.00 and sit till 8 even if we finished our work because the manager was there. For instance, my senior and I both completed our work by 7.30 and when we asked our manager if we could leave, she said "do confirmations and leave" and this is just one instance.
There are a lot of posts about BDO on this sub reddit as well as check out their Glassdoor reviews. Join a mid sized firm and save yourselves, I was lucky enough to leave within 2 months of joining but those days traumatized me and I still get nightmares.
bye y'all, all the best !!
Interning at a Big4 was one of the biggest mistakes I've made. Even though I quit recently, I still feel anxious 24/7. The only time my heart rate seems to go down is when I'm walking, running, or swimming. The rest of the time I feel this constant heaviness in my chest and I just can't relax.
The toxic work culture and immense stress worsened my depression too. I wasn't sleeping properly, and even after leaving, I feel like my body is still stuck in survival mode. This has honestly been one of the worst experiences of my life, and it's made me hate the profession I'm in. And I don't know how much time it is going to take to recover and relax.
Hi everyone,
I'm a CA Finalist and have been seriously reconsidering my career path. The biggest reason is the long working hours and poor work-life balance in the CA profession, I did 1.5 months of articleship in a Big6 firm and quit because it was extremely toxic. I already struggle with mental health, and I don't think this lifestyle is something I can sustain for decades.
I'm considering preparing for SSC CGL instead because a stable government job with fixed working hours and a better work-life balance is much more important to me than a high salary.
For those who are already in government jobs through SSC CGL:
Is the work-life balance really as good as people say?
Are there departments I should aim for or avoid?
If you were in my position, would you make this switch?
I'd really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have experience with SSC CGL or who switched from the private sector.
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for recommendations for a therapist or clinical psychologist who has experience working with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Bipolar Disorder.
I'm hoping to find someone who can help with emotional regulation, mood fluctuations, and relationship-related difficulties. I'm open to both online and in-person sessions.
If you've had a positive experience with a therapist who specializes in these areas, I'd really appreciate any recommendations.
Thank you.
My friend stopped talking to me because I lashed out at him on call out of my frustration, I apologised immediately but he cut the call. I also texted him immediately saying "I'm sorry, my mood isn't good". For context I'm severely depressed and resigned from my internship so I'm a bit irritable.
He replied to me after a day or so and I asked him again if he was upset, he said he's not but he was acting so cold.. so I called him the next day and he was sounding so distant, I apologised to him once again but he said "no it's just I woke up just now so I'm like this", but he hasn't called or texted me since then.
I know I made a mistake and I even apologised but it seems like he doesn't want to talk to me any longer and it makes me really sad because it's been 5 days since we spoke and now it feels like we've become strangers again. I don't know what else I can do apart from owning my mistake and apologizing. I feel so guilty and I regret doing it so much, I don't understand anything anymore.
Hey everyone,
I recently left a Big 6 firm and am considering moving to a mid-sized CA firm. Before I start applying, I wanted to get a realistic picture of what the work culture is actually like.
For those working in mid-sized firms:
•What are your usual working hours during the off-season?
•How bad does it get during busy season?
•Are late nights and weekend work a regular thing or only around deadlines?
•How easy is it to take leave when you need it?
•How approachable are managers/partners when workload becomes too much?
I'm not expecting a perfect 9-to-5, but after my previous experience I'm looking for something a bit more sustainable and predictable.
Would love to hear about your experiences—good, bad, or somewhere in between. Thanks! 😊
My friend (whom I also liked) stopped talking to me because I lashed out at him the other day. I'm currently in a depressive episode, and he was advising me to go for a swim. I was already feeling frustrated and irritable, and I snapped at him, saying, "How many times are you going to repeat it?"
He cut the call and didn't respond to my texts afterward.
Today, I texted him asking if he was upset. He said he wasn't, but when I asked whether he was going to continue talking to me, he left me on read.
I feel really guilty about what happened because it was never my intention to hurt him. I would never knowingly do that. I'm deeply hurt by the situation, but at the same time, I feel like I have no right to be hurt because I'm the one who messed up. Still, I wish he could understand my perspective too.
I know I made a mistake, and I regret it. I just wish he would talk to me again.
I'm extremely tired of this, I keep having episodes and I see no end..Will my suffering end ? I stay stable for 2-3 months and then have a manic episode followed by a really long depressive episode. Currently I am in a depressive episode from the last 4 weeks and I quit my internship also recently, now I'm unemployed. I feel lost and I don't feel like myself, I miss my stable self. I want some stability ffs.
I (25F) and my friend (22M) were sitting at the dog park near Necklace Road around 10PM. It was a little dark because there were barely any lights there, but there were still other people around and people walking nearby, so we assumed it was fine to sit there for a while and just talk.
After a few minutes, 2 policemen came and asked us what we were doing. We were literally just sitting and talking.
We got up and walked out, and one of them asked my friend for his license. We showed it. Then he started saying, “What are you both doing here? Can’t you see it’s dark and this place is closed?”
The thing is — the place has NO gate and NO proper board saying it’s closed.
My friend stayed calm, apologized, and said, “Sorry sir, we weren’t aware. There are other people here too.”
The cop replied, “We are lodging a complaint against all of them.”
Then he asked for my friend’s full name and his father’s name to file a "petty case".
That’s where I lost it.
Then, I argued with him for a solid 10 minutes. I told him:
-We are both adults.
-My parents know where I am and I can literally call my mother right now.
-If the place is closed, where is the gate?
-Where are the boards or warnings saying it closes at 10PM.
Finally, I raised my voice and directly asked him: “On what basis are you filing a case against him?”
He kept trying to intimidate us, but I refused to back down.
Finally, he got tired and said something like: “Jao jao, kaha kaha se aa jaate ki. Both of you are graduate holders, what did you both study, that you both don't even know where to sit"
And I replied: “Sir, aap se better padh kar aaye"
My friend immediately went “chup ho ja, chalte hai” and dragged me away.
Honestly, the moral of the story is: don’t get intimidated by moral policing. Stay calm, know your rights, and question them when they try to scare you for no reason.
We were lucky we argued back. Another couple there probably ended up paying thousands just for sitting in that mosquito-infested park.
Sometimes they rely on fear more than actual law.
TL;DR: Sat with my male friend at Necklace Road dog park at 10PM, cops tried filing a petty case for simply sitting there. I asked on what basis, argued back, and they let us go. Don’t get scared by moral policing.
I’m currently in a CA internship (Chartered Accountancy- roughly equivalent to CPA/ACA/ACCA) and struggling with my mental health + burnout from long hours, toxic work culture, and extreme commuting. It's been only 10 days since I started working.
A big issue is that in India, toxic work culture is often normalized—late nights, unpredictable schedules, poor boundaries, and sacrificing mental health are treated as “part of the profession.” Work-life balance feels almost non-existent, especially during internship.
My biggest concern is sustainability—I can work hard, but unstable routines, chronic stress, and lack of recovery trigger episodes badly. I'm already feeling depressed.
For people here with bipolar who work in accounting/finance/corporate jobs:
-What kind of roles were most manageable for you?
-How did you know when a job was genuinely harming your mental health vs when you just needed time to adjust?
Would really appreciate honest experiences, especially from people who had to choose mental stability over the traditional “successful” career path.
Hi everyone, I'm a CA finalist and I started my articleship recently at one of the Big firms and I am already feeling extremely overwhelmed.
The work culture feels very unhealthy for me—there’s basically no work-life balance. I have to be in the office by 10 AM, but there’s no fixed leaving time because it depends on when the manager leaves (usually around 8 PM). By the time I reach home, it’s around 9:30 PM, and then it’s just sleep and repeat.
Even weekends and offs don’t feel like real breaks because seniors expect me to finish work on the weekends.
The bigger issue is that I have Bipolar Disorder (diagnosed, under psychiatric treatment for 3 years), and this kind of unpredictable, high-stress routine is starting to affect me badly—I thrive in routines and a stable environment, I need therapy, proper sleep and some physical activity to keep functioning properly.
I actually like finance/accounting and I chose CA because I wanted financial stability and independence (especially since therapy + medication are expensive), but now I’m questioning whether CA itself is incompatible with my mental health needs.
I keep wondering:
Is this just first-week burnout and adjustment?
Is CA articleship generally like this everywhere?
Should I seriously explore ACCA / industry roles / a different path entirely?
I’m not looking for motivation like “just push through.” I want realistic advice from people who’ve been through this, especially someone who has dealt with mental health issues while doing CA.
​
I recently got close to a guy and I’m trying to understand what his behavior means.
He:
-initiates conversations and replies quickly (he’s even improved his texting over time after I mentioned it once)
-calls me if I go quiet and talks for a long time about random things
-prefers spending time 1:1 with me, initiates plans, and rarely says no if I suggest something.
-checks on me and is emotionally supportive when I’m not okay
-makes sure I get home safe and often drops me home, even if it means extra travel for him
-once let me fall asleep on his shoulder and went out of his way so I wouldn’t wake up
He’s a bit more reserved in group settings, but much more present when it’s just us.
I do tend to overthink and get attached quickly, so I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into this.
So I wanted to ask:
Does this sound like romantic interest or just a caring friendship?
Is this how guys act when they like someone but haven’t said it yet?
If possible, a straightforward yes/no (with reasoning) would really help.
​
I recently started liking a guy who’s been kind and consistent with me—he checks on me, spends time with me, and I feel safe with him.
But I have bipolar and BPD, and I struggle with overthinking, getting attached quickly, and fear of abandonment. Even small things (like plans changing) make me spiral and think he’s losing interest.
My ex actually left me because of my bipolar, and there’s a lot of stigma around it here in the place I live in, so I’m really scared of going through that again. Because I feel unlovable all the time.
Now I feel like I should distance myself before I get hurt, even though nothing is actually “wrong.”
Am I overthinking this?