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We Need to Stop Romanticizing Burnout

Working Until You Drop is Not #Goals

By S. A. CrawfordPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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Image: Anna Taraz via Pexels

Most people would agree that a good work ethic is crucial if you want to get ahead in life... however, in the time of #bossbabe and carefully curated professional feeds on Instagram there is a subsect of people who are working themselves to death. There are those today who would argue that they are "grinding to get ahead" or "hustling for a better life", but the focus on designer brands, burnout bragging, and money-focused manifestation videos show that we're not as far from the "greed is good" Gordon Gekko mentality of '80s Wall Street.

The problem is that grinding your life away isn't actually as profitable as it used to be. In fact, despite working more unpaid overtime (on average) than ever before, the average working person today is more stressed, in deeper debt, and at a greater risk of a serious mental health crisis than they were in the 1980s. Of course, we have to allow for higher rates of reporting symptoms of mental illness these days, but even with this in mind, the statistics are alarming (Fig.1). What's more alarming is that figures like the ones shown below generally don't account for the people working in "zero-hours" conditions, those working multiple part-time jobs, and those working freelance.

Fig 1. Statistics Graphic via Champion Health

This is all a concern, of course, but if there is one thing that concerns me personally it is the way in which we, by this I mean millennials in particular (though I'm sure other generations are much the same), romanticize this. Too often I've found myself complaining about stress or overwork only to have an acquaintance chime in with a semi-smug declaration of how much worse their mental health, working conditions, sleep schedule is. What's worse, I've caught myself doing it.

The question remains - why?

Identifying with the Hustle

I've been thinking about why we feel the need to work, work, work without regard for our health for a while. In particular, I've been thinking about why we frame overwork as desirable, healthy, and perfectly well-balanced - especially since I research a piece on the benefits of de-prioritizing productivity.

Thankfully, people with far more learning and expertise than I have already studied this topic. From Japan, where people who work more than 55 hours per week report more job satisfaction despite being aware of its effect on their mental health, to the USA where the average worker completes roughly 9 hours of unpaid overtime a week people around the world are using work and productivity as metrics of self-worth. Hardly a groundbreaking statement, right?

Well, it's more important than you might think. We all know that success at work, or a lack thereof, is something many people feel informs their identity, but this is deeper. A study completed by R. J. Burke in 2004 found that workaholics reported lower self-esteem, while a more recet study from Mazzetti et al in 2014 found that there is a very real 'overwork culture' in the business world. Unfortunately, as overworking and burnout have become the norm amongst the social media "manifest your money" crowd (along with a particularly virulent strain of toxic positivity and a terrifyingly selfish "ditch anyone who isn't ambitious 24/7" mentality) the rewards for this kind of effort seem to be diminishing.

In fact, for many people who are struggling just to get by behind the scenes, the only real benefit of overwork is the image that it creates for them. I spoke with a friend of mine who works in law, we'll call her Angela because she didn't want to be named directly, and she concurred. At the moment she's fresh into the profession and after spending years in education working and studying in tandem, she feels she's got to maintain that level of energy.

"They genuinely expect that I'll work late and assist on complex cases in my spare time, without reimbursement, and that'll do it 'for the experience'. Everyone around me talks about how dedicated I am, my family are so proud of me, but I worry about bills every day. I could refuse to do the work without pay, but if I did they'd just get one of the other new starts to do it and I wouldn't be better off."

I asked her if she felt that working all the time was how she defined herself these days, and she agreed that maybe she did. It's the same all over - as a freelancer I work all the time, and I do feel a strange pride about that. The difference between Angela and I is that when I overwork I feel the direct benefit in my bank account. For both of us, however, burnout is a real and present danger that shouldn't be ignored.

The Dangers of Burning Out

Image: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

Caused by excessive emotional and mental stress, burnout is the milennial boogieman, and by that I mean that most of us treat it like it's not actually real. Gen Z have the mental health thing down - they talk about it, they seek out information, they act on it. We... well, most of us don't. There's a reason that milennials have been dubbed "the burnout generation" and it really could be killing some of us. Some of the most common symptoms of burnout include:

  • Consistent fatigue and exhaustion
  • Low self-esteem
  • Depression
  • Procrastination
  • Excessive cynicism or negativity

But of course, these are just the signs. Persistent burnout can cause or contribute to a number of long-term health issues. When we allow burnout to go unchecked we face:

  • Increased risk of sleep issues
  • Mood swings
  • Increased risk of high blood pressure
  • Increased risk of heart disease
  • Increased risk of stomach problems and IBS
  • Increased risk of diabetes
  • Increased risk of stress ulcers

With that list of unfortunate possibilities to look at, one thing is brutally clear; there's nothing glamorous or beneficial about burnout. Or overwork, for that matter. After this research I think I might spend a little less time cramming in extra work and a little more time out in the sunshine.

mental health
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About the Creator

S. A. Crawford

Writer, reader, life-long student - being brave and finally taking the plunge by publishing some articles and fiction pieces.

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