What is Hustle Culture, and How Does it Impact Mental Health?

 

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

Most people know that success in a career or building a business requires dedication, hardwork, time and effort. While success doesn’t happen overnight, achieving one’s goals can be expedited by a person’s determination. Nevertheless, the chronic stress that comes from a never-ending workload without the ability to rest can often lead to health problems in the long term. Over the past few years, “hustle culture” has become a popular term used to describe the incessant need to be a busy professional.

So, what is hustle culture, and why can it be a dangerous mentality over time?

Defining Hustle Culture

If you’re an avid social media user, you’ve seen someone post about hustle culture at least once. Hustle culture entails working almost 24/7 to elevate your career or business. This ideology encourages many young professionals to work as much as possible to obtain more money, popularity, and success. Several social media influencers flex their busy work lives and encourage their followers to do the same if they want a similar lifestyle.

While some aspects of the hustle culture are great for motivating others to challenge themselves and avoid procrastination to achieve their goals, this mentality can become overwhelming and detrimental if no boundaries are set. For people who constantly want to push themselves to the highest limits daily, hustle culture tends to influence toxic behaviors that can affect one’s mental, emotional, and physical health.

Relationship between Hustle Culture and Mental Health

So, how is hustle culture connected to mental health? Hustle culture’s “go hard or go home” mindset causes detrimental effects. Some results of adopting a hustle culture mentality include:

  • Burnout

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Poor sleeping habits

  • Lack of energy

  • Loneliness

Hustle culture is not necessarily a harmful ideology, but it should be implemented in moderation. Setting a routine, sleeping eight to ten hours a night, and taking breaks, are a few ways to prevent feeling overworked.

Need help editing your resume? Get free resume feedback from expert resume writers today.