Picture this: You’re at the gym hitting the weights, and you’ve just about reached your maximum rep on the bar. But instead of stopping, you decide to push yourself further and achieve a new personal best. As a result, you’re flushed with endorphins and this experience convinces you that hard work pays off.
In a way, hustle culture works similarly to that, except in a professional setting. However, while It could do wonders for your career, there’s usually a trade-off. This can range from less time with friends and family, having no bandwidth for any interests outside of work or worse, burnout from overworking.
Considering that Singapore is both one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, and has considerably poor mental health rates, it would be helpful to learn how to balance both sides. So, here are some tips to help you strike that delicate harmony to achieve your career goals without sacrificing your mental wellbeing.
Time management
One method is to manage your time effectively. Let’s face it, as much as you’d love to overload your to-do list, the reality is that there’s only 24 hours in a day. Putting aside time for sleep and meals, you realistically have about 13 hours to sort everything out. This means that if you really want to be efficient, you’ll need to know how to prioritise.
For example, if you have an urgent project, you’ll need to complete it first before moving on to anything else. However, this shouldn’t be done at the expense of your well-being, like by skipping meals or burning the midnight oil.
For one, missing out on regular meal times can lead to your body lowering its metabolism in an effort to preserve its energy stores. This in turn, leads to increased weight gain which is compounded by either overeating to compensate for the hunger you’re feeling, or eating at odd hours in the day, like having a midnight snack.
This puts you at risk of becoming obese within a short period of time, which has been linked to an increased likelihood of experiencing depression. Studies have also shown that sleep deprivation has been associated with depression, risky conduct, and a lower stress coping levels due to diminished cognitive abilities, all of which is detrimental to your physical and mental health.
Take regular active breaks
Learning to take breaks in between tasks is also critical when balancing mental health and hustling. It might sound contradictory, but in truth, effective breaks can help maximise your work efficiency. One way is to take active breaks instead of regular breaks.
But what’s the difference? For regular breaks, it could mean something like going for a quick coffee break or taking a walk. This is meant to take your mind (and eyes) off your screen and essentially give your brain some time to rest or reset. However, especially during crunch times, you might not be able to afford it.
Taking active breaks, on the other hand, involve doing tasks that require very little mental effort to complete. For example, this might include small, minor tasks that you do on a daily basis, like data entry or filing. These are duties that you do frequently enough that have essentially become a routine, and don't call for much brain power at all.
By engaging in active breaks, you can take some level of stress off your mind and give it the time it needs to relax while still getting things done. In doing so, you’re not constantly putting your mind in overdrive and exposing yourself to prolonged periods of stress, which is the precursor to a whole slew of mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Keep in mind, though that this may not be as effective as an actual break, but it's still a viable alternative especially when things get hectic so that you can buy yourself some much needed reprieve.
Avoid bad influences
Another important aspect is learning to set uncompromisable boundaries for yourself. I get it, the urge to channel your inner David Goggins to stay hard and accept another project is very enticing, but doing this in the long run can only result in burnout.
Putting aside all socio-economic elements, a key factor in the allure of hustle culture is the driving power of social media. We all know that social media’s power to push content to its consumers has virtually changed the lives of millions by showcasing highlights of lifestyles that aren’t exactly realistic, and the rise and grind mentality is one such example.
So how does the social media effect link to setting limits for yourself? Well for one, putting clear boundaries on your social media consumption can help regulate your feelings of FOMO. Everyone at some point is susceptible to it and constantly feeding on content like this will just fuel your desire to push harder, which is not the healthiest thing to do, especially if you’re already burning the candle on both ends.
Instead, try taking a break from social media and take on other hobbies that don’t require screen time, like sports or reading; activities that add value to your life. Taking time away also allows you to reconnect with family and friends while mitigating the mental health impacts of extended social media use.
Foster meaningful relationships
It's hard to make it in life without at least some help from others. In fact, some of the greatest individuals in the world had to work collaboratively in order to achieve success. Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak, who helped build the first Macintosh computer, Lionel Messi had his mentor Ronaldinho, and Luke Skywalker had Yoda to teach him the ways of the Jedi.
These, along with countless others, are perfect examples of how critical relationships are in someone’s life. They can either make or break them, and in this case, help you strike that delicate balance between grinding it out at work and managing your mental health.
By fostering good relations with others, you’re basically building up a support system you can fall back on when things start getting tough. Having reliable friends for you to call upon allows you to indirectly tap on their resources and their skills, which takes much of the pressure off your shoulders in a professional setting by working together with them and sharing the workload to reduce stress.
On a more personal level, friends can also offer a listening ear and can be invaluable sources for advice should you find yourself in need of some. By being able to communicate your struggles effectively, you’re socially connecting yourself to others and allowing yourself to relieve stress by receiving emotional validation and support from others. This, in turn, curtails the likelihood of experiencing mental health challenges.
Blending mental wellness with diligent work
Granted being able to sustain your mental health while pursuing ambitious goals at work is difficult, but it isn’t rocket science. Much like everything else in life, it’s a balancing act that you need to work on constantly, and it starts by defining the terms you find acceptable for your own life.
For example, while some people are okay with working overtime on a regular basis, others aren’t. These are the details you’ll need to figure out before you start implementing any changes. Once you’re agreeable to your own terms, you can try using some of the tips we’ve discussed to help you get going.
It's also important to note that your circumstances in life can vary across time, so don’t be afraid to shift the boundaries and work around your needs and wants in order to find that perfect sweet spot between crushing it at work and cultivating mental wellness at the same time.
