Why We Need to Address Hustle Culture

Overwhelmed woman

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Hustle culture is a dangerous phenomenon with unrealistic expectations, often supported and reinforced through social media. A current trend seen across social media platforms is using "self-care," such as a bubble bath or a game of golf, as a Band-Aid for the burnout we feel, and that can lead to an overall mental health decline. Things like taking a bath, getting your nails done, or “me time" can hardly begin to reprogram the stress we put our bodies through from the second we wake up and grab our phones.

Social media and hustle culture

As I have talked about in my Psychology Today post, "Does Social Media Cause Depression?," social media can be isolating to many of us, as we are constantly flooded with other's "best and brightest" moments and comparing ourselves to them. This is a major issue within hustle culture, as we aren't seeing the full scope of people's everyday lives.

In my practice, many of my clients have described feelings of “mommy guilt." Parents burn themselves out trying to be supermoms, teachers, cooks, cleaners, and so much more while experiencing more challenges than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, hustle culture demands you persist, regardless of if you have already hit your point of exhaustion.

Nadya Okamoto recently published an article for BYRDIE that dives into her relationship with hustle culture and how it took her until the COVID-19 pandemic to reevaluate her relationship with work and productivity. Nadya explained, “For years, I was functioning in overdrive while crumbling mentally and physically behind the scenes." The burnout Nadya described is a mental health concern that individuals are becoming increasingly aware of — thankfully. So what do you do if you are experiencing this?

What to do about hustle culture burnout

If you feel you are falling into a negative cycle, reinforced by hustle culture, I encourage you to redefine what success means outside of a 40-plus-hour workweek. Where do your relationships with others and your mental health land on that list of priorities when you take work out of the equation? While the phenomenon of work burnout and hustle culture isn't new, it is more glamorized than ever due to the influence of social media.

I also urge some basic mindfulness training. In the book Burnout, written by the Nagoski twins, experts on health behavior and music, I learned that it takes only 3-5 minutes to reframe and shift from the stress of work to family life.

Make sure you incorporate basic mindfulness, like breathing. Add some exercise, social interaction, laughing, crying, and creativity into your life. I urge my clients to turn off any alerts on their phones or messenger tools, including email and text alerts. This may limit the addictive quality of social media and encourage you to foster more face-to-face, empathetic connections with your loved ones. Also, spend money on getting the help you need to be able to open up quality time with your family, without spending all the extra time doing laundry and other chores. If you can shift expenses around this, it is money well spent to make sure the time you have is spent as wisely as possible.

All of this can make life less of a hustle and prioritize connection. After all, if you take a Stoic approach and look at your life from a telescope, will you remember all the times you were stressed or the times you connected and be present for those times?