Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of the idea of “the hustle”, similar to the “girlboss”. People have even defined this ongoing trend as “hustle culture”. The terms encompass a hard worker who has rightfully earned everything they own. They may have worked double shifts, studied full time, lived off of coffee and sugar. People work themselves to the bone to be able to afford nice things, to have monetary freedom and no financial stress. But why do we even want designer things? Because rich people have them and they’ve become an indicator of a person’s class in society.
People who are not born into money, who “hustle” in efforts to achieve that elite status, often work more than one job. They’re praised because working themselves to exhaustion, to the point of risking their physical and psychological health, has become the epitome of ambition and productivity. Individuals who don’t overwork themselves are seen and often see themselves, as lazy underachievers. I personally think it’s wild that we value putting our health on the line more than ensuring our mind, body, and spirit are nourished. It’s almost like 50-70 hour work weeks are akin to unlocking a new achievement. It’s insane when you really think about it.
Then, to combat this extreme fatigue, we remind each other to make sure we’re maintaining our self-care. When I say self-care, there’s an instant image of face masks, bath bombs, facials, wine, expensive teas, manis and pedis, and deep-tissue massages. Capitalism has driven us to turn self-care into a commodity. These things are fine, but most of them only go so deep. A lot of things that you can do to actually stimulate self-care are far less expensive – journaling, practicing meditation and gratitude, looking at what needs in your life are unmet, connecting with the community, spending time with loved ones, figuring out your emotional triggers, and even free, physical movement.
Why have we turned into a society that lives to work instead of one that works to live? I remember telling myself that I’d be able to balance a part-time job, my freelance work, and a full course load because I’d make a schedule, a routine. I’d “hustle” to get it all done. Then I realized that I wasn’t doing this for any reason, other than the fact I had been conditioned to believe that I had to. If I didn’t, I’d be seen as unmotivated, useless, unproductive. So, I quit. I know that I am privileged to have been able to even make this decision, which is even more upsetting. There are people in society that have no other choice but to overwork themselves. While we call the choice to overwhelm ourselves with work, hustling, some people do it to survive.
We have glorified overworking, constant sleep deprivation, and mental exhaustion, to the point that it is intrinsically tied to our self-worth. This is no surprise as we live within a capitalist society, where you must work to constantly reinvent and lift yourself since the “free market” allows it. This has become the dominant definition of success, and that’s harmful. We need to remind ourselves, and each other, that we deserve to take breaks. That our work ethic does not determine our usefulness. If we can afford not to pick up the extra shift, maybe we shouldn’t. You need time to rejuvenate instead of spreading yourself thin. This isn’t a change that can be made overnight, but I believe it is a change that’s critical to living a meaningful life.