A topic has been floating around the internet, called “hustle culture.” According to an article published in Forbes, hustle culture is “the collective urge we currently seem to feel as a society to work harder, stronger, faster. To grind and exert ourselves at our maximum capacity, every day, and accomplish our goals and dreams at a lightning speed that matches the digital world we’ve built around ourselves.” This mentality can be detrimental to the mental health of young students growing up in a digital world.
Social media has played into this narrative that you shouldn’t be doing anything but “hustling” and working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All over your Instagram feed and stories you see people promoting their businesses, showing off their 10-hour study sessions, or taking a workout class at 6 am. Seeing the people around us hustling, we feel like we should be doing what they’re doing but in reality, social media is a highlight reel. People don’t show themselves taking a nap, watching Netflix or spending the night in while all their friends are out.
While I think it’s important to work hard and fight for the things you want in order to reach your goals, we have to remember that we are human. If you are tired, finish up studying a bit early so you can get a bit more sleep. If you had a hard week at work, it’s okay to spend your Saturday lounging around your house instead of getting ahead for the next week. If you went out with your friends every night this week, it’s okay to take a night to yourself. We as a society need to stop feeling guilty and apologizing for prioritizing our physical and mental health. Because at the end of the day, that is what’s most important.