There is a particularly jarring adjustment to be made from university – all about free time and a good time – to the realities of nine-to-five life. Perhaps you are feeling the monotonous weight of a twice-daily commute or can’t think of anything to say by the water cooler. And then there’s the existential dread: is this all there is?

These existential wobblies are what led 21-year-old Brielle to upload a TikTok that went viral last year. In the video, she tearfully describes how little time she has for herself – to cook dinner or work out – at the end of a two-hour commute every day. After some predictable scoffing from the right-wing media in response, she told Rolling Stone that starting her first job after graduating was “the biggest transition of her life”, one that she is “still trying to adjust to”.

Although systemic capitalism can grate on anyone at any age, these challenges cast a very long shadow on Gen Z, who face the depressing reality of not being able to afford the same bastions of financial security that were the driving force behind previous generations: a house, a car, a healthy savings account.

With such a gloomy stage set, it is hardly surprising that a recent survey from CreditKarma found that 60 per cent of young people describe their job as “soul-sucking” and 41 per cent feel unsatisfied by not having enough time to do anything outside of their nine-to-five. Yet as we will make up a quarter of the global workforce by 2025 and fully-automated luxury communism remains a distant dream, we must nevertheless find a way to stay afloat.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO ADAPT TO 9-5 LIFE?

Entering the workplace christens us as actual adults as we leave behind the markers that have previously kept us in step with our peers – there are no exams to measure how well you do at life; there is no need to be anywhere in September. This is a chapter defined by uncertainty and change, which can be difficult to sit with.

All the while, you may find yourself feeling stuck in purgatory (AKA moving back home). While this is becoming a reality for more and more graduates, commuting to your ‘adult’ job while sleeping in your childhood bedroom and wearing a suit recycled from your sixth-form years can feel like a jarring step back from the independence and freedom of university life. It is also mentally draining to start something entirely new for the first time. Ali Ross, psychotherapist and spokesperson for the UK Council for Psychotherapy, says starting a new job means responding to “new places, people, choices, and restrictions”, a process he describes as “energy-sapping”.

HOW TO STAY SANE WHEN YOU START WORK

FIND SOMEONE YOU TRUST

Find an ally in the office – someone you trust who you can bounce ideas off or “run your anxieties by,” says Ross. Creating an avenue for transparent and confidential communication is essential and will hopefully give you some time off from always having to be ‘on’.

ASK QUESTIONS

When starting a new role, it’s likely you’ll have a lot of questions – from the specifics of your role to office policies or personal development – so don’t be afraid to ask. Getting to grips with the inner workings of the office will help you “understand where you fit in,” says Charlotte Maxwell-Davies, head of workplace mental health & training at Mental Health UK.

DON’T STRESS ABOUT HAVING A LONG-TERM PLAN

Most people are paving the road as they go. Not knowing exactly where you’re going isn’t a bad thing – it’s opportunity to embrace wrong turns, which could land you in a place wholly more interesting than where you started. But if you feel unhappy about your current position and want to take steps in another direction, talk to a mentor who can give you constructive advice.

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR MANAGER

Keep lines of communication open with your manager; they are a buffer between you and the rest of the office. Work with them to explore the wellbeing adjustments or workplace schemes that you might find helpful. And make sure to speak to them about anything you’re unsure about or finding difficult – they can’t help if they don’t know what’s going on.

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS

As the proverb goes, ‘comparison is the thief of joy’. There is an understandable amount of bitterness felt towards those who appear to have effortlessly landed their dream job, but if comparison lingers for too long, it hollows you out. Instead, fill yourself up by celebrating the achievements of the person you are comparing yourself to. There is plenty of space for you both. Plus, every industry is different – there’s no use fretting about what your friends are doing when they’re on their own individual journies.

PRACTISE SPACIOUSNESS

To feel properly recharged when Monday swings back around, avoid overstuffing your calendar and prioritise ‘spaciousness’. Ross says this is an allowance for spontaneity that “could manifest as a spontaneous nap; it doesn’t have to be ‘productive’ or onerous.” You could ring-fence this time by implementing small rules, like avoiding the tube or town centre on Sundays.

MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

The humdrum repetition of a rigid 9-to-5 schedule can be hard to adjust to. “Where you can, make your routine work for you,” says Maxwell-Davies. Make space for a regular activity that gives you a sense of yourself as you exist outside of work. Creating a morning ritual will set you up for a good day, even if it’s something small like reading on your commute. Or you could take up a new hobby – such as football, yoga, or joining a book club. Whatever it is, hobbies can be a good way of remembering that you continue to be a whole person, irrespective of how well you perform at work.

MOVE

Movement is a cliche for a reason; finding a way to work it into your routine will help you decompress. It doesn’t need high-intensity and time-consuming; perhaps you can save an eye-wateringly expensive and increasingly sweaty tube journey and walk a leg of the way home? Or get away from your desk and go for a breather at lunchtime?

BOOK HOLIDAYS

Book things to look forward to, and even if you have just started. “Give yourself permission to think about how you might spend your annual leave,” Maxwell-Davies says. It’s important to factor in proper breaks to your schedule to avoid burnout and give yourself the chance to recover from work and restore your energy. Don’t be a martyr and just work all the time. Rest is a part of work.

EMBRACE THAT FRIDAY FEELING

A final cheat code: fun to be had is best had on Friday. A Saturday hangover is infinitely preferable to the cesspit of self-loathing that a Sunday hangover brings.