Rs 1 lakh salary, but daily office stress ruined her life: One idea later, she doubled her income and reduced work hours

For many people, earning around Rs 1 lakh every month is seen as a stable and successful life. But for one young professional, the reality behind that salary looked very different. The long hours, constant stress, and pressure from work had slowly started affecting her daily life to the point where she no longer felt happy doing what she once worked hard for.

Content creator Mehar Verma recently spoke about her career shift in an Instagram post where she explained why she decided to leave her law career behind, despite having what many would consider a secure and well-paying job.

According to her post, she was working at a law firm in February 2024 and earning nearly Rs 1 lakh a month. Still, she said she felt miserable most of the time.


“In Feb 2024, I was working at a law firm, earning around ₹1 lakh a month. On paper, everything looked sorted. But I was miserable,” she wrote.

Long work hours and stress pushed her toward burnout

She explained that her routine had become exhausting. Most days involved long hours at work, little personal time, and carrying work pressure back home even late at night.

“Long hours, no real weekends, coming home at 9–10 PM and still working. I was constantly tired, constantly stressed, and honestly I dreaded most days,” she shared.

Over time, she realised the problem was not temporary stress but a deeper feeling that the profession itself no longer felt right for her. She said there was no dramatic turning point behind her decision, only a quiet feeling that she did not want this life anymore.

“At some point, I realised I didn’t want to be a lawyer. There was no big moment, just a quiet, persistent feeling that this wasn’t the life I wanted,” she said.

Eventually, she decided to leave her job even though she did not have another career fully planned out. “So I quit. No solid plan. No backup.”

The transition period was difficult

Leaving a stable profession did not instantly improve things for her. In the same post, she admitted that the months after quitting were emotionally difficult and financially uncertain.

“And it wasn’t easy. My parents didn’t support the decision at the time, I felt embarrassed at family gatherings, and my first freelancing gig was just ₹10,000/month,” she wrote.

She also spoke about doubting herself during that phase and questioning whether she had made the wrong decision. “There were many nights where I thought I had made a mistake.”

Still, she continued working on content creation and freelancing projects. According to her, consistency slowly helped her build a different career path. “But I kept going. I showed up, created content almost every day, and figured things out along the way.”

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A post shared by Mehar Verma | UGC Creator | SMM (@meharverma99)

How freelancing helped

As time passed, she started getting more clients and eventually moved into storytelling, social media strategy, and UGC work. Around 14 months after leaving her legal job, she said her earnings had increased to nearly Rs 2 lakh per month.

“Slowly, things started working. Clients came in, I found my strength in storytelling, moved into social media strategy + UGC, and within 14 months, I was earning ₹2L/month.”

But she also made it clear that the change was not only about income. For her, the biggest shift was getting back control over her time and daily routine.

'Success' does not have to mean working all day

In her post, she questioned the common belief that success only comes through extremely long working hours. “But this isn’t just about money. It’s about this idea we’ve all been taught, that you need to work 12–14 hours a day to succeed. I don’t agree.”

She said her current lifestyle allows her to work fewer hours while still having time for herself, family, and hobbies. “I work ~6 hours a day now. I go to cafés, play pickleball, go to the gym, spend time with family, and actually enjoy my life.”

Ending her post, she encouraged people to stop measuring success only through traditional expectations or outside pressure. “You don’t have to follow my path. You don’t have to quit your job. But don’t let anyone define what ‘hard work’ or ‘success’ should look like for you. If your life doesn’t feel right, you’re allowed to choose differently.”