Firebird
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Gen-Z employees can’t bear the 9-to-5 grind — so they’re using lunch breaks to nap and cry in bizarre places throughout NYC
They’re swapping spreadsheets for snuggly spaces to sob, snooze and skip the soul-crushing office grind.
nypost.com
The nine-to-five grind seems to be too much for today’s youngsters.
Stressed-out young employees across New York City are ditching their work desks for store fitting rooms, movie theaters and even designated “nap pods” in search of a safe place to catch up on sleep, decompress or sneak in a full-blown meltdown — in the middle of the workday.
That one-hour lunch break has become a one-hour nap break.
TikTok user Ben Sanderson recently racked up over a million views in a viral clip, in which he confessed to sneaking in a midday nap in a Midtown AMC theater.
He paid $15, plopped into a recliner and took a nap right then and there.
The nine-to-five grind seems to be too much for today’s youngsters.
Stressed-out young employees across New York City are ditching their work desks for store fitting rooms, movie theaters and even designated “nap pods” in search of a safe place to catch up on sleep, decompress or sneak in a full-blown meltdown — in the middle of the workday.
That one-hour lunch break has become a one-hour nap break.
TikTok user Ben Sanderson recently racked up over a million views in a viral clip, in which he confessed to sneaking in a midday nap in a Midtown AMC theater.
He paid $15, plopped into a recliner and took a nap right then and there.
“I slept in the recliner seat during the movie, popped in my earbuds and put on my beanie [over my eyes], and I had one of the best naps of my life,” Sanderson said.
He called movie theaters the “perfect place to nap in NYC” for commuters who live in Brooklyn, Staten Island or New Jersey and can’t just dash home for a quick siesta.
But theaters aren’t the only option.
Other Gen Zers have flocked to Nap York, a series of private, rentable capsules in New York City designed for power naps, overnight stays or a much-needed escape from the city chaos.
Each soundproofed pod comes with a mattress, lighting and fan — making it a futuristic oasis for the sleep-deprived.
With flagship locations near Central Park and the Empire State Building, rates can run from about $83 to more than $280 a night — or about $27 an hour for a quick recharge — plus taxes, fees and a refundable $50 deposit, proving that even a midday meltdown in NYC comes at a premium.
An hour of shut-eye isn’t the only thing NYC Gen Zers are taking a break in their workday for.
Some young folks have go-to spots where they “crash out” — or, for the uninitiated, have a full-on mental breakdown in Zoomer lingo.
One creator said she felt “safe losing it” in the Zara fitting room in Soho thanks to its secluded stalls.
The zillennial also pointed to Citi Biking over the Williamsburg Bridge mid-cry because it made her “feel like the main character” in a movie.
The Bowery J/Z subway station also made her list since it’s “so hot in there no one will know if you’re crying or sweating.”
And for a sweeter meltdown, the content creator swore by Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe in the East Village, saying it’s therapeutic to cry over cannolis.
More spots making the cry-safe cut among Gen Zers include the field on Governors Island facing the Statue of Liberty for a cinematic sob session and uptown’s Museum of Natural History for a dose of “Night at the Museum” nostalgia.
Other New Yorkers pointed to St. Paul’s Chapel churchyard in FiDi for “privacy when the mood strikes,” while the Oculus was dubbed ideal for “those who like to feel insignificant.”
While it’s easy for older generations to roll their eyes at these anxious youngsters, experts, such as neuropsychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez in Forest Hills, say it’s not as simple as deeming it laziness — it’s biology demanding a break.
“Your body remembers. After months or years of working in systems fueled by deadlines, ambiguity and zero recovery time, your nervous system stops politely asking for recovery and starts demanding it,” she told The Post.
“Skipping out is self-care. For many of these kids, that’s the best tool they know,” she said.
Napping, she says, is science-approved and more than just a midday indulgence.
There has never been a “culture of built-in recovery time during work hours,” Hafeez noted. “So, people are now identifying a problem and fixing it with what they have.”
Even a 10- to 20-minute power nap on a lunch break can reset your brain, boost decision-making and restore patience.Why now? Because generations before them seemed to have no choice but to grin and bear it through a long and stressful workday.
“This generation didn’t cause employee suffering. They just refused to ignore it. And whether older generations like it or not, I think it’s going to change the dialogue for all of us,” Hafeez said.
Unlike millennials or Gen Xers, these young adults were raised in a world where talking about mental health is normal, so they set boundaries and speak up before they hit burnout (even in surprising or strange ways).
Her advice for surviving the modern workday is simple: “Stop thinking of rest as a reward.”
Instead, she says to see it as a necessity, but that also means knowing that everything has a time and place.
She urges young New Yorkers to use their downtime to actually rethink their jobs and lifestyles — not just schedule their naps or bathroom breakdowns around their nine-to-five.
She stressed that rest itself “will not change a poor manager, an unmanageable workload or a company culture that doesn’t have your back.”
However, using “breathwork and walking for a mental rest” moment when you can “will allow you to regulate” if, like many, you’re not able to just leave your office and nap elsewhere.
Other experts are urging Gen Z to toughen up in general when work pressure hits.
International entrepreneur and business mentor Jessen James previously told The Post that some young workers are “crumbling” under “even a little” stress.
“It’s almost like you have to walk on eggshells around them, being super sensitive when managing them, in case you offend them, upset them, or push them too far,” he said.
James also pointed out that many struggle to articulate themselves at all, some avoid eye contact, and other Zoomers don’t project their voices in meetings.
“They lack charisma and personality skills. I don’t feel they are in tune with what it takes to impress others,” he added.
