Leaving the ‘Grind’ Behind?

by Clarissa Zamora

If you’ve seen this picture in your Facebook feeds before, then you’ve probably already heard of the infamous “grind culture.”

For those who don’t know, grind culture—also known as hustle culture—is defined as a mindset that believes true success can only be attained with longer work periods and at the cost of one’s health and personal needs. Grind culture is everywhere; from the students keeping themselves busy until 2:00 in the morning, to the hopeful interns who insist on staying overtime, hoping to be praised and promoted for their so-called dedication. Although it’s a thought process lauded by many conservative businessmen, it is a system often challenged today. From the picture above alone, it is evident how grind culture can ruin the natural function of people in their passions and overall well-being. And yet many still concern themselves with ‘glorifying the grind,’ like this particular post from the social media site ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). It’s a poisonous yet almost sweet and blinding trap when, in reality, the extreme practice of grind culture comes closer to doing more harm than good. It deprives people of more balanced routines, makes people guilty of resting and having fun, and confines human minds in the endless cycle of lifeless productivity.

Truly, with grind culture’s initial impression of preaching how to stay motivated and be a high-contributing member of society, it may be difficult for some to see grind culture’s dark side until they’ve experienced it themselves. In an article by Dr. Olga Molina, D.S.W., LCSW, grind culture is attributed to a myriad of disadvantages. Grind culture doesn’t stop at robbing people of meager fun and pleasure (which many might even sacrifice easily in the name of the hustle). Grind culture

also disorients how one practices self-care. Because grind culture prioritizes endless working, striving, and running without limits until some sort of reward, it can lead to a lack of sleep, an unhealthy daily diet, and a general lack of exercise, which may escalate to poorer physical health. Social health may also be compromised in the long run, given how one’s relationships are no longer well-maintained amidst all the streaks of work. This, in turn, makes individuals more isolated and oriented. If that isn’t bad enough, the being bound to tasks itself harbors struggles, too. With grind culture attributed to guilt, stress, and the more pressing issues of anxiety, depression, and burnout, it is problematic to both physical health and mental health.

That said, it does beg the question: why do people still perpetuate this belief?

Well, with countless billionaires worldwide chanting the mantra of working until reaching the pinnacle of prosperity and success, it’s no secret how people today still hustle to ‘guarantee’ themselves a good life, all while suffering the bitter side effects. Sadly, hustling can’t even be seen as an infallible system anymore. In a BBC article written by Megan Carnegie, hustling isn’t an automatically fruitful endeavor to some—notably including those from minority groups. However, as stated in one CNBC article by Jennifer Liu, the endurance of grind culture may not just be about the overestimated fickle promise of success built on a foundation of outdated business principles. Grind culture may also still be around due to higher costs of living. Workers would grab onto any hope of having higher pay, even when it would cost them a work-life balance.

A sad reality is that, as mentioned in the image above, grind culture is a cycle tough to spin ourselves out of. It’s a trend we try to escape, but society convinces us it is not worth deviating from. Workers who have been misled by the idea of constant productivity may persecute a colleague for taking time to themselves while the company drowns itself in the workload they could’ve paused from. Guilt may shroud one student for simply taking a nap while their classmates seem to soar to the top after completing multiple backlogs in one night without sleep. It’s disheartening to see the standards of excellence being twisted quantitatively as if we’re only instruments measured by our efficacy—gears in the grand machinery of society. Indeed, we are not robots. We are humans with unique passions and dreams that ache for transcendence.

Psychology students could return to the theories of Erich Fromm to realize that humans are more than just the social systems of work they’ve built themselves in. People yearn to express themselves and establish more heartfelt connections with one another. Carnegie has cited it herself as well. “[People] aren’t just trying to devote more time and attention to things outside of work – they’re also prioritising meaning and community over pay within work.”

Although one author such as Darius Foroux stands by the saying, “If you rest, you rust,” it isn’t necessarily the case. Sure, progressing and refusing to stay stagnant in one’s learning journey is commendable. But arguing that rest may be interpreted as giving up (as many might believe) is an entirely different thing. Going back to Liu’s CNBC article, the current generation is making ends meet, exploring healthy proportions of work and self-care. And if one might predict their efforts in vain, think again! Having a work-life balance is a scientific ideal. Many countries with a nationally high work-life balance actually include progressive countries, such as New Zealand, Canada, and the Netherlands!

Now, while the grind mentality isn’t just to guarantee success and fortify portfolios, some may reckon that it’s also to validate an internal sense of self-worth and value. And to that, all there’s left to be said is that even without the grind, you can harness your own potential with your own capabilities. You don’t have to chase others’ pace. Treasure your individual skills and talents. The “grind” is a mechanism dependent on perfect consistency, already teetering over the edges of the past. The world’s demands are changing. Our capabilities are evolving. It is about time we take liberty in redefining humanity’s definition of a productive lifetime.

The grind culture will be a feat to stop, but perhaps that isn’t the goal. Perhaps all that’s left to do is to have the courage to change it one success story at a time. Of course, being students, it would be hard to call for an ample work-life balance and to reject grind culture on our own. Sitting in front of the horizon of graduating, itching to fill resumes and portfolios to the brim with lines of expertise, daunted by expectations and inflation, and being called a “demanding generation”? This tradition will be a tough nut to crack. And though some of us may still be curious about the outcome of the grind, it is best to stay in the now, with the holistic health one must protect.

Find your success. Function by your purpose. And heal. There is no better time to show the world that personal joy and work can come hand-in-hand to keep the wheels of society turning.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse