Have you ever felt so compelled to miss a class at school or ditch responsibilities such as work or social obligations that you force yourself to go and end up miserable in the end? I say put a stop to going to things you simply don’t want to do, ultimately de-normalizing the grind.

There’s a social aspect and culture to forcing us to go to things that seem exhausting, working a job you hate or doing a degree that just doesn’t seem right for you.

Society puts pressure on you to study hard, work hard, go to as many social obligations as you can — I say no more of that. Sometimes, you just need to live. I think studying and working hard are good for you, but in my opinion, it gets to a point where you’re simply just moving through life without actually living it.

I’m a huge advocate for taking breaks, ditching class when it’s not the vibe or just doing whatever the heck you want. Now I know this mindset doesn’t work for everyone and I’m not condoning just ditching all responsibilities and throwing caution to the wind, I’m saying try to do what you think your body needs.

Everyone I find in this society focuses on living in this sphere of hustle culture, a prime example of this is when Kim Kardashian blatantly told the world “get […] up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”

I think the assumption in our present day is that nobody feels fulfilled in their lives, and we always need to strive for more or want more in our lives. I think you could strive or want for more in life, but I don’t think you should hustle at the cost of having sleepless nights, missing out on things you want to do or, overall, never doing what you want to do.

Forcing people to be within the go hard or go home mindset is a detrimental mentality that will eventually lead to inevitable burnout. The stress that is associated with hustle culture is enormous, and the assumption is that if you aren’t hustling, you’re lazy, which is a toxic connotation that leaves people in the repetitive cycle of feeling like they must be part of the grind.

I think especially with the advancement of technology, constantly feeling like you must be plugged in is a trait of this ever-growing need to be involved in hustle culture.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? I’m probably guessing you’re thinking, “check my phone.” Now, while you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking, “is this girl a mind reader?” And you know what? I’m not, I just know that there’s an astronomical pressure to be plugged in and alert all the time that comes with living in the 21st century.

The first thing I do every morning, unfortunately, is check my phone. I’m very accustomed to the perpetual doom cycle of feeling like you either have to be locked in within academics or social life, and the stress that is associated with constantly engaging in content on social media even though you don’t always want to.

What I usually do when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed within my personal life or school is to disappear. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I have this bad habit of simply not answering anyone who tries to call me or text me, skipping all my classes at the U of M and not going to work.

Now I’m not advising you to do these things, like ghost all your friends for a day because you’re having a daily mental breakdown. What I’m trying to get across is take the rest you think your body needs and live life instead of going through the motions of living without doing the things you enjoy doing.

My advice for anyone reading this is get off your phone for a little bit, skip that class you want to skip, go frolic in the fields instead of going to work on a sunny day. Do what you need to do for yourself instead of doing the things everyone or society expects you to do, live life for you.