'I think I'm very poor': Gurgaon man with BMW & ₹40 lakh salary says he can't sleep; doctor explains this mindset

A Gurgaon man earning nearly ₹40 lakh a year, living in his own 2BHK apartment and driving a BMW, recently told a doctor that he felt "very poor" and could not sleep at night.

The remark, shared by consultant oncologist Dr Sunny Garg on social media, has struck a chord online and sparked a wider conversation about success, comparison and the growing pressure to keep up in an increasingly competitive world.

According to Dr Garg, the 34-year-old visited him complaining of severe insomnia and anxiety. During the consultation, the man made a confession that initially seemed surprising given his financial position.

"Doctor, I think I'm very poor. I can't sleep at night," he said.

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Rather than dismissing the concern, Dr Garg said the statement reflected a problem he is seeing more frequently among high-earning urban professionals. By conventional standards, the man is financially successful and belongs to India's top income bracket. Yet, the doctor noted, his sense of self-worth is no longer based on what he earns but on who he compares himself with.

 

 

 

"Statistically, he's in the top 1% of earners in India. Yet he feels poor. Why? Because his reference point has shifted. Earlier, he compared himself to the neighbour in his village whose son worked as a clerk. Now he compares himself to a 28-year-old on LinkedIn who sold a startup and is sitting on ₹80 crore," the doctor explained.

Dr Garg described this mindset as a form of "modern poverty" — not the absence of money, but the inability to feel satisfied because expectations rise faster than income.

To understand the man's thinking better, the doctor asked him three questions.

First, he asked how many times in the previous year he had told himself, "I am enough." The man's answer was simple: never.

The second question was who he was earning all this money for. After thinking about it, the man admitted he did not really know. He said he was simply trying to keep pace with people around him who appeared to be moving ahead faster.

Finally, Dr Garg asked whether there was a single activity in his life that he did not do for money or career growth. Once again, the answer was no.

For the doctor, the responses suggested that the issue was not financial but deeper. He said the man had achieved professional success but had lost sight of purpose, fulfilment and identity outside work and income.

"When money becomes the measure of every activity, you stop being a human being and become a machine," doctor said.

The post quickly gained attention online, with many users saying constant comparison has become one of the biggest sources of stress in the age of social media, where people are regularly exposed to curated success stories, luxury lifestyles and extraordinary wealth.

One user wrote, "This is exactly what social media does. No matter how much you earn, there is always someone richer making you feel like you're behind."

Another commented, "A few years ago, owning a house and a car was considered success. Now people compare themselves with startup founders and influencers. The goalposts keep moving."

A third user said, "The problem isn't income, it's comparison. Gratitude has become rare because we're constantly looking at what others have."

A fourth added, "Many people would dream of earning ₹40 lakh a year, but when your self-worth depends entirely on net worth, nothing ever feels enough."

Another user noted, "This is one of the most relatable things I've read recently. Burnout, anxiety and the fear of falling behind are becoming common even among people who are financially secure."