Work schedules can quietly mess with your head.

The following story involves an employee who worked long hours with a brutal commute.

To stay sane, he decided to come in to work late and leave early.

While that extra hour felt like freedom, he has also started feeling anxious. Now, he’s not sure if the anxiety is worth the shorter work day.

Read the full story below to know more.

I am purposely late to work and leave early

And honestly, it is a blessing and a curse.

I work 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with an hour commute to and from work.

I am that IT guy that you need to find ASAP at 6:30, but you’re out of luck, because I am already on my way home.

This man treats the free hour as a blessing.

Essentially, it’s a free hour every day for my mental health.

It is half an hour before work in the shower to think.

It is also half an hour less commute because the first half is paid.

That’s the blessing part.

But he’s also worried that something might happen at work during this hour.

The curse part is that every day, I feel like I’m about to get fired every morning.

I feel like I’m doing something super illegal.

Every time I leave early, I feel that today is the evening that the work server will mess itself up. I feel like I won’t be there to fix it, resulting in my termination from work.

He claims that it’s good for his mental health.

And the worst part of it all is that I got a taste for that hour of “free” time. It’s the only thing that makes work tolerable.

It’s also the only thing that keeps negative thoughts away from me.

On the other side, the anxiety of not being at my workplace sometimes eats me.

I’m somewhat okay with it. But either way, I’ll ask a question. What to do?

Let’s check out the reaction of other people on Reddit to this situation.

This user makes a valid point.

Here’s a similar thought from this person.

A fellow IT staffer gives some helpful advice.

This user share their personal thoughts.

Finally, here’s someone who can relate.

Free time may be priceless, but if it’s part of your work hours, it can bring you anxiety.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.