Toxic "hustle" culture
I'm sure most of us have heard the words, 'hustle' and 'grind' in this modern day and age.
These words are littered over social media in the guise of inspirational / motivational posts.
Working hard for your goals is always appreciated and it should be. But not when it starts being detrimental to your physical or mental health.
Hustle culture breads an ongoing toxic environment where if you spend too much time on anything non-work-related, you feel guilty. It fuels cognitive dissonance. By overworking and living by the mantra of 'rise and grind,' you can end up contradicting your actual goals and losing sight of your 'why. '
By forcing workers to be in a ‘go hard or go home’ mindset, hustle culture puts the body in a state of fight or flight. This constant stress releases the stress hormone—cortisol—in higher amounts and for more prolonged periods. To normalize these elevated cortisol levels, the body must enter a state of rest. But what if hustle culture doesn’t allow time for rest? Then burnout is inevitable. This continuous stress can be harmful to both your mental and physical wellbeing. Prolonged elevated cortisol levels are associated with various detrimental effects, including anxiety, depression, heart disease, memory impairments, and more.
So please, spend time with your family/friends and do the things you like, spend time on your hobbies and don't neglect your happiness to fulfill society's harsh expectations of how you should work. Take care!
Oh wow, someone said it finally! I so agreeee, Night!
Even some motivational speakers encourage this hustle culture you mentioned, it is something I don't jell with either!
Working on and towards one's goals, aspirations is always great, just not at the expense of their well being! ~ right on point!
I came across something recently, it said, will it matter all that you've been grinding blindly for, if you are letting your life go out of sight and causing harm to your well being, when you wouldn't be able to even enjoy your "accomplishments".
It hit so hard, because it's very true! There should be a balance between "work" and "play".
I like how you've addressed this topic and highlighted the importance of sticking close to one's "why" for something, anything in life!
Many thanks for this amazing thread and lovely reminder! ❤ @comfortableNight4463
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou I absolutely agree. Thanks for sharing! The balance is very important and once the line between them starts thinning, you need to re-evaluate your routine.
@comfortableNight4463
In my view, we are now collectively examining the meaning of work. The way we are working and have been working isn't, well, working anymore. Society demands we always be "on" and grudgingly allows us "down time" to recharge, as if we are machines, and expects us to be right back at it the next day. This is particularly prevalent in the US where labor classes (including slavery in the South and the Civil War we had over that issue) have historically been driven by overseers, bosses and other forms of authority. Even schoolchildren are hounded into a strict schedule governed by ringing bells, and permitted a half hour to eat their lunch, as do most workers in factories and businesses.
The global crisis we're in has highlighted the problems with work in stark terms, as
inequality and uneven playing fields in the economy and in service
vectors (such as hospitality and food and various low-wage jobs), are
becoming very apparent even to those who'd rather not look too closely.
Collectively, we are examining what's worth keeping and what needs to change. Mastery over our own work, our self-discipline, and our paths to achievement are under scrutiny at this time.
@InquireWithin Well said. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I have a whole set of anxieties just for this reason!
I have had my share of toxic work environments that have completely taken advantage and zapped me of my energy. Hustle culture really stresses me out so much. and it goes against a lot of my philosophies about life. I don't think we were meant to be working the way that we do. We already produce enough to survive on as a society, there's no reason why the work load should be moralized.
@affableStrings4654 Exactly. You made such good statements here. Thanks for sharing!
@comfortableNight4463 oh man ,,, I need a vaykay just reading this
@SheGotmeInTheBerries lol. Same here!
