They Don’t Call It A Grind For Nothing
The bootstrap, nose-to-the-grindstone mentality that is so central to American attitudes about work greatly contributes to extreme feelings of stress and burnout. Our culture’s emphasis on productivity creates an often unhealthy hustle mentality that, by definition, keeps us from slowing down, taking time to rest, and evaluating if working is how we really want to spend our one wild, precious life. This is made worse by social media’s “comparison trap,” which often causes us to feel like we’re falling behind our peers.
Luckily, career paths tend to be more flexible and nuanced than what previous generations experienced. It’s less common for people to spend their entire career in the same role or profession, and there are more options for education, training, and part-time “gig” work to expand our skillsets.
That said, Gen Z and Millennials have faced more economic collapse and uncertainty in their lifetimes than their parents. Imposter syndrome—or the idea that despite checking every box, one isn’t worthy of professional success—is real among these generations, as work- and identity-related anxieties are steadily on the rise.
So many of us are feeling pulled between achieving career stability and ensuring that our personal lives and relationships are functioning at their highest potential. Caught somewhere in the middle of the work-life imbalance, it can be hard to determine where the societal expectation of success ends and our individual, authentic objectives begin. Fortunately, counseling is a meaningful way to challenge unrealistic expectations and find clarity on the path to career fulfillment.
