The toxicity of hustle culture
Why don’t we let ourselves take breaks anymore?
It’s 6:12 p.m. on a Friday, and quite honestly, the only thing I want to do is cozy up with a comforting dinner, light my new Bourbon Pumpkin candle, and watch Hocus Pocus 2. But I don’t have a newsletter ready to go - so hustle, hustle, hustle. Have to get that done. And you know what? I sort of hate that.
Maybe it’s silly that I’m complaining about hustling while I am, in fact, writing a newsletter for all of you. Sort of feels like an oxymoron. BUT. I have a feeling I’m not the only one who feels debilitating tiredness from an exhausting to-do list. I could just use a big fat nap, but unfortunately, I won’t be able to fit it in for months thanks to my very-tight-schedule of very-important to-dos.
An extremely wise new friend of mine (you’ll hear more about her soon, but for now, go follow Lee’s Substack) made the point on a recent coffee date that our world doesn’t value taking a break. Thanks to social media and the world of content creation, we are prone to be “on” all the time, and never give ourselves the rightfully due break that we deserve. She made the comparison to other artists; if they take years in between gallery showings and music releases, why can’t we seem to give ourselves some time off?
This “hustle culture” exists as a myth like any other. The more you hustle, the more you’ll get from this world…but we know that’s not always true. Sometimes things just don’t work out. Sometimes people just get lucky. Sometimes people just know the right people. Our hustle alone won’t save us, yet we hustle and hustle thinking that if we work hard enough, we will finally get what we want.
I actually think this article from Monster does a great job at defining hustle culture, even titling it as “burnout culture.” They mention a warning from the World Health Organization that states how overworking can actually increase your risk of a store by 35%. Social media plays a major role in the pressure people feel to be successful and overwork themselves (no surprise there), and some even find that when they do reach that success, it doesn’t seem to even be enough for them.
I mean, the Italians take hours for a break every day. But we can’t even give ourselves a few minutes, let alone a day off?
I realized this morning at yoga that the things stressing me out last week literally have no effect on my life right now. Will that source get back to me? Will I make that deadline? Will any of those restaurants open up a reservation so I can take my parents this weekend? All these things worked themselves out, yet I let my mind be consumed by those worries all week. Why do I give my worries so much of my attention? Why do I let the hustle of my day take away the precious, beautiful moments I have in front of me right now?
So…in an effort to debunk myths and break stigmas, this weekend, let’s take a break. Forget writing the long, well-researched essay this week (chanting this to myself). Wear that favorite sweatshirt of yours that has a permanent stain on it. Sleep in, then make yourself a lazy cup of coffee and cook yourself a batch of pumpkin pancakes or waffles (see below). Sit on the couch and a book (or if you read like me, that’s probably read an entire book in a sitting). Grab lunch with a friend, or go for a long chilly walk in the park. Play your favorite tunes and dance around the kitchen while you cook your favorite childhood meal. Just chillax. The to-do list will always be there, no reason to give it all of your attention.
Grab a fork!
One of my favorite meals to make in the fall is this batch of pumpkin pancakes. This week I decided to get a little crazy and I made them in waffle form instead - and they were divine.
Grab yourself a can of pumpkin puree and blend up some pancake batter. I love to top mine with nuts, seeds, butter, and of course, maple syrup.
I totally feel the pain! It's becoming more and more difficult to allow ourselves to take a break.
And regarding Lee's comment on other artists, I think that's all in the past, unfortunately... Everybody had to become a "content creator" these days and musicians and artists are not excluded. Musicians have been releasing new singles almost every week to remain relevant, dropping deluxe editions of their recently released albums while trying to document everything on TikTok to follow the trends.
Where are we all going in such a hurry? 😥
As somebody currently racking his brains for tomorrow’s newsletter content, I applaud this :-)