Hustle Culture in New Age India

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Ever felt like you’re running out of time in your career or that a 9-to-5 job isn’t enough? Or you need a six-figure salary in your twenties, a sea-facing villa, two or more cars, and a significant bank balance? Or that your coworkers and friends are performing better than you? Everything that causes you to feel frustrated and under a lot of pressure?

Well, welcome to the Hustle Culture!

Many of us have had those exhausting “9 to 5” days where you’re expected to work until the sunsets. For some of us, it’s more like a never-ending scramble to get the job done, do overtime, and go above and beyond to be considered an effective “employee.”

Hustle Culture is when one part of your life takes precedence over the other. In this instance, your work-life takes priority over your personal life. It makes you feel as if you have to overlook the portion of your life where you’re supposed to enjoy yourself, have fun, and just live happily.

Hustle Culture has a significant negative impact on a person’s mental health, leaving them frustrated and stressed. Panic attacks, anxiety, and despair are common side effects. It has a particularly dreadful effect on the younger generation, i.e., the New Age India.

In New Age India, the hustle culture refers to the younger generation’s desire to achieve everything quickly, ascend the ladder of success, and feel pressurized when someone else succeeds. This stress overwhelms and has a significant impact on mental health, which is more crucial than ever to preserve. In today’s India, the hustle culture simply means, “Go Hard or Go Home.” You must choose between fighting and fleeing. Constant stress causes your body to react negatively, releasing stress hormones and affecting your overall health.

It makes you not just psychologically exhausted, but also toxic in certain ways. Your persistent ambition to be on top causes you to put your career first while neglecting your personal life. While hustling might be viewed positively as pushing yourself to accomplish better, it still requires diligent attention, which the current generation lacks.
Read about the effects of constant stress on your body, right here.

Are You Affected By Hustle Culture?

Consider these points:

You neglect your personal life in order to concentrate on your professional life.
You dedicate the majority of your time aiming to fixing your career.
Seeing other people’s accomplishments makes you feel pressured.
You accept every duty assigned to you, even though you already have too much on your plate.
You’ve been deprived of sleep for the most part.
You’re working more hours but aren’t receiving any rewards.
You are unable to distinguish between your professional and personal lives.
You are unable to take a day off.

If you answered yes to the majority of these questions, you’re stuck in the hustling culture.

Why It Is Important to Break Away From Hustle Culture?

Everything comes down to one thing. This Hustle Culture’s toxicity. It’s exhausting, and it’s a never-ending loop that traps you until you either quit or your mental health deteriorates altogether. It’s a societal expectation that you give your 200 percent in whatever you do. There is no stopping; you must always be on the move; you must work quicker, harder, and more aggressively- EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Your employer tucks you with impending chores every time you consider taking a vacation. You can’t take breaks, you can’t sleep without thinking about your presentation the next day; you’re living a life you never imagined. This is New Age India’s Hustle Culture, in which the younger generation is unsatisfied with a single job. It requires more, and in order to do so, it must work harder.

We’re not proposing you shouldn’t work or celebrate your accomplishment. You ought to. It’s something you desire and need, but not at the expense of your mental health. The hustle culture is harmful because it fosters the erroneous belief that you are only appreciated as a human being if you work continuously, are productive, and can work even harder in the most difficult of circumstances. For all we know, this is the definition of toxicity.

And did we mention that hustle culture even leads to procrastination, mistakes, and losing interest in your work altogether?

What Can You Do to Break Away From This Culture?

India in the twenty-first century is productive, creative, and intelligent. And for that, this hustle culture is unproductive and unhealthy. Now that we’ve established what hustle culture is and how it affects the younger generation, let’s discuss what you should do if you find yourself trapped in its toxicity-

Begin with awakening- You must analyze yourself and assess if you are caught up in the never-ending cycle of hustling culture. Once you’re conscious of it, you’ll be able to progress and change for the best.
Figure out what’s most important to you- Take some time to jot out your long-term goals and consider whether you’re accomplishing them. Is it true that you’re succeeding?
Make a list of objectives for your ideal day- Make a schedule for your ideal day that coincides with your work schedule. Do what’s best for your career and your health.
Take a break- It’s crucial to take some time away from your work to explore and learn what interests you more. That’s how you’ll be able to maintain a healthy balance in your life while achieving your objectives.
Work hard, but relax even harder- Yes, you must work hard to reach your goals. You must be enthusiastic about your job. However, to cure your mental health, you must indulge in self-care on a regular basis. Take a mental health check day to earn some “me time.”

Overall, make smaller goals to avoid procrastinating or making errors during work. Keep track of how much energy you have. Try journaling, going for a walk with your pet, or trying your hand at pottery. Simply said, your mental health should take precedence over your professional life. Don’t worry about the ongoing project if you have your week off on Sunday. You are not compensated to be stressed out or worried about work when on vacation.

Also check out our blog on how to manage stress : Stress Management And What To Do!

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We women often talk about equality — equal treatment, equal rights, equal salaries etc., etc. We hail feminism, condemn patriarchy but miss out on talking about how we treat our own clan!

While you may think that what I just wrote is complete absurd, deep down, you know it’s one of the darkest truths we need to accept and fight off.

A major section of our society is still at the bottom, or hanging in between their own clan is holding them back — and if you think your circle is untouched by this fact, you might need to cross-check!

_{Female leaders who show that they value diversity in the workplace receive much lower competency ratings than male leaders who show that they value diversity in the workplace.}
_CCL

‘There seemed to be a perception that when a woman advocated for another woman, she was somehow showing favouritism,’ it added.

Another study, conducted by Deloitte at 7,000 companies in 44 countries, found women made up just 15% of corporate boards around the world.

And did you know that there is a term for this?

Instead of acting as mentors, successful female bosses pull up the ladder behind them because they perceive other women as a threat.

This is known as queen bee syndrome.

First defined by psychologists at the University of Michigan in 1973, queen bee syndrome describes a woman in a position of authority in a male-dominated environment who treats subordinates more critically if they are female.

DID YOU KNOW:
Margaret Thatcher, the UK’s first female prime minister, has been described as a queen bee for not promoting or furthering the careers of women in her cabinet.

So, in a nutshell, if we want to be treated nicely and achieve equal status as men, then it needs to begin with us. Women supporting women!

They say, “celebrating another woman’s success or triumphs will never take away from your glory or shine. If anything, it’ll add to it and create more light.”

Undoubtedly, women supporting women are more likely to succeed. It reflects showing love, respect and making them feel secure. And here is how you can do it!

Celebrate their success

Societal and generational behaviours have taught women to feel jealous or be unhappy when other women succeed.

But celebrating their successes, small or big, is one of the easiest ways to break those societal norms of competition and jealousy. After all, when one of us succeeds, it inspires a hundred behind her!

How to celebrate her success?

Congratulate her on social media or post a congrats message on her Instagram or Facebook wall if she’s announcing her success there.
Compliment her achievement.
Show some curiosity or excitement and ask her how she achieved that success.
Plan success celebration parties and have fun together. Get your girls together and enjoy her moment.

Compliment them

Admit it! We all love compliments. Empowering women means helping them on their way to success and supporting their self-confidence. Putting out a positive vibe by dropping a compliment on their way can be a huge starter.

Here are some tips!

Focus on a great find by telling her that she’s looking amazing in her new dress or her dress is beautiful, or it could be surprising to see how easily she is breastfeeding her baby in a public place.
Tell her that she is doing amazing in her new business.
Try to make eye contact and make her feel that you are happy seeing her progress.
Be respectful and tell her how smart, strong, and honey she is.
Say right away about what makes you feel good about her, and don’t hold on to it for later.

Listen actively

It’s not about gossiping! It’s about listening to someone’s heart out. When women are stressed, they may look for fellow supporters to manage their stress. Be a true active listener by paying attention to them and providing feedback.

Knowing that we have someone to listen to us can help us know who we can count on for guidance and support, especially during hard times.

Lift them up

Start with your closed ones. Help your mother or grandmother. Send a text message or give them a call to ask if they need something or let them know that you’re thinking about them. Send them flowers without any reason to bring a smile to their face.

Extend the same support and love to other women. It might sound tiny in various ways, but hey, every step counts!

Connect women

Getting out of one’s vulnerability zone is important to move forward. And how can you help with this?

Start introducing your women friends to other people you know. Got someone new to the neighbourhood? Or even parenthood? Hook them up to your group!

The more they’d connect, the more they’d learn and move forward in their life.

Hang out together

This isn’t something new! #WednesdayWomen, Girls’ Night Out, #PajamaParty, etc., have been existing in society for ages. But how many of us actually practise them?

If you have been holding yourself back, this is the time! Or, if you haven’t been regular, it’s time to be on track now! Consider it a group therapy, reminiscing break or the hibernation period — take some time out, hang out with your sistas and give yourself the love and joy you deserve.

Embrace your friendship, nurture young women, start new relationships, empower girls, and help women rejoice!