How hustle culture leads to burnout...and what you can do about it.

Workplace stress is not a new concept. In 2013, 62 percent of working adults reported having high stress levels along with extreme fatigue. Those employees also reported feeling lack of control in managing their stress. In 2022, Mental Health America published a report stating 80 percent of employees report that workplace stress affects their relationships with friends, family, and coworkers. 

Despite these statistics, the ‘hustle’– long working hours, piled up PTO and an always on and available workforce culture is glorified and seen as a badge of honor. This always do more mentality is what causes you to feel like you can’t let off the gas. No rest stops. No breaks. Just pushing through because that’s what you believe hard work looks like. 

Hustle culture has led to 77 percent of adults experiencing burnout at their job; some of whom have ultimately left their role or company entirely because of it. When you are in a cycle of overwork and overwhelm, slowing down can feel out of reach. 

However, slowing down and creating healthy boundaries between work and personal life can help prevent burnout. 

Benefits of Slowing Down and Taking Breaks

Your attention is finite. Focusing your attention for too long will wear you out.

Slowing down and taking breaks to rest and recover is more productive than working until midnight to reply to emails. Research shows that taking breaks improves mood, overall well-being, and performance. When you can effectively detach from work, your sleep quality improves, energy levels increase, and overall health is positively impacted. 

By slowing down, you are allowing your body to give you feedback. For example, have you ever gone on vacation and gotten sick or felt really exhausted? That’s your body’s way of telling you it needed rest LONG BEFORE vacation started. Slowing down isn’t reserved for vacation, it must be a consistent part of your weekly routine. 

Chances are you know when you are feeling overwhelmed and at your capacity. The challenge is taking the steps to physically and mentally slow down.

How to Slow Down and Create Boundaries

When you think about creating boundaries and slowing down, sometimes it feels like you have to make these massive changes. Sustainable change requires small steps so that you don’t feel overwhelmed in the process. These 5 steps outlined below are designed to help you feel more in control and create a healthier balance.

1.  Block your lunch hour and eat lunch away from your desk. You can be more mindful of what you are eating and how you’re feeling when you are eating if you aren’t pre-occupied with finishing up a note to a client or project planning over lunch. 

A lot of companies factor in the lunch hour into payroll. Therefore, whether you take your lunch break or not, you aren’t getting paid during that hour! Take your lunch break. Emails not included. 

2.  Communicate your working hours. Effective boundaries start with communication. Whatever your working hours are, whether it’s 9-5 or 7-3 or some other combination, communicate that to your colleagues, clients, and employer. One suggestion is including your working hours in your email signature. 

3.  Take time off without booking up your calendar. First things first –take time off! You deserve to take time for yourself. However, don’t overbook those days off trying to do all the things. There is power in simple relaxation. Focus on just being, not doing. 

4.  Enjoy a coffee or tea at the coffee shop or on your porch instead of taking it to go. Most people take their coffee to go—be the rebel that sits down and takes in the moment. That can be at a local coffee shop or in the comfort of your pjs at home. Wherever it is. Enjoy it. 

5.  Develop a morning flow. The way you start your morning sets the standard for the rest of the day. If your morning is rushed and chaotic, your workday will feel like that also. Pick a few things that are most important to how you start your day and prioritize them. 

Small changes can have significant impacts on focus, productivity, engagement, energy, and overall well being. Your work-life balance narrative does not have to align with society’s standards. You don’t have to continue feeling guilty for wanting to slow down. This is your permission to use these tangible suggestions to slow down and bring energy back into your life. 

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