Hustle Culture: When is enough, enough?

Hustle Culture is defined as a push to work harder to get ahead by any means necessary, often at the expense of self-care and the individual’s mental and physical health. Many people see “hustling” as a positive attribute to have. We are often taught that to make it far and be successful, you must work hard. However, there are moments when working hard becomes too much for a person, because they are simply doing too much. Some ways to notice that a person is doing too much are if they are working very long hours, skipping meals, getting less sleep, or only doing things related to work. These mental and physical sacrifices can lead to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, also known as burnout and unhappiness.

How does Hustle Culture affect Mental Health?

Because Hustle Culture is often connected to a person's sense of self, it can have many effects on a person's mental health. Some feelings that may come up for individuals are anxiety, depression, guilt, and chronic stress. Chronic stress is a constant, long-term state of physical and emotional tension that persists for weeks, months, and sometimes years. Chronic stress also adds to and causes anxiety, which is constant, excessive worry. Anxiety increases the risk of developing depression, which is a mental health disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness. When dealing with anxiety and depression, it can affect your work, and a person who is engulfed in Hustle Culture can begin to feel guilt from not performing in the way they feel they should. This cycle is an unhealthy one and can also lead to physical health problems.

How does Hustle Culture affect Physical Health?

Our bodies hold onto our emotions and respond differently when we experience things, whether they are positive or negative. Because chronic stress is an issue connected to Hustle Culture, it can cause a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, muscle pain, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. A large part of Hustle Culture is also long working hours, and according to the National Library of Medicine (NIH), working 55-plus hours per week is also said to be linked to coronary heart disease and increased risk of stroke. 

It is easy to get engulfed in this idea of “hustling” because it is something that is so glamorized in our society. In addition to that, we can often feel like we don’t have a choice depending on the companies that we work for, financial obligations, and/or familial obligations. Some companies have been shunned for the ways in which they treat their employees or the amount of overtime they expect from them. While it is not usually required, some employers or supervisors will say or do things to make an employee feel guilty if they do not do certain things like starting early or ending late. Financial obligations can make it harder to stop overworking as well, especially if you must provide for yourself and your family or if you are simply trying to achieve goals that require more capital, particularly if you live in a big city.

How do I get Support?

If you know that you are overworking, it is important to get support around this tailored specifically to your situation. Seeking support from a professional is a good idea when you notice feelings of anxiety and/or depression. A psychotherapist can help you come up with coping strategies for your anxiety. More importantly, they can help you with figuring out why you may feel the need to overwork or “hustle” to begin with. Oftentimes, when it has to do with our self-worth, we seek validation from others, whether it be friends or family members, or even coworkers, because we feel like we are not enough unless we are performing in a certain job in a specific way. Therapy allows you to explore the origins of self-esteem issues and how it shows up in your life.

Some individuals also feel the need to overwork because of what they have been taught culturally. In some cultures, overworking is the norm, despite how it may make you feel or how it affects you. Unlearning something like this is difficult, but is important for the individual and future generations within that family. Therapy can also help with exploring familial norms and how it affects our decision-making daily, along with ways to make changes that will benefit you as an individual.

In addition to therapy, a good self-care routine is important to have in any scenario. Self-care allows for better work-life balance and allows time for you to care for yourself. This may look like journaling, having a cup of tea in silence, reading, or watching your favorite show. Catching up with a close friend may also be helpful, as it allows you to connect with another person socially while focusing on life outside of work.

The same way it is important to get support for your mental health, it is also important to get support for your physical health as well. While anxiety and panic attacks can affect your body and sometimes feel like chest pain or having trouble breathing, it is still important to contact your primary care provider to ensure that you are taking care of your body too.

Hustle Culture has become a norm in our society, but it does not have to be a norm for you. If you notice that you are overworking and beginning to feel anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed, reach out to a therapist for additional support.

References

American Psychological Association. “Stress Won’t Go Away? Maybe You Are Suffering from Chronic Stress.” American Psychological Association, 22 Oct. 2024, https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/chronic.

Virtanen, Marianna, and Mika Kivimäki. “Long Working Hours and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.” Current Cardiology Reports, vol. 20, no. 11, 2018, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6267375/.

Workhuman Editorial Team. “Hustle Culture.” Workhuman, https://www.workhuman.com/blog/hustle-culture/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.