Hard work has always been an important part of our society. When authors write about “The American Dream,” it always includes employment and the desire to get ahead, to get a foot in the door. Hard work is how we have been taught to make a way for our dreams to rise to the forefront of our lives. Of course, sometimes in novels protagonists work so hard they forget what they were working for or their lives develop all sorts of new conflicts as a result of excessive work.
But somewhere along the line, hard work morphed into what we might call “the grind,” and grind it does. You may have also heard it called “hustle culture.” The grind is more extreme and doesn’t seem to allow any rest for the weary. The grind for some means turning their beloved hobby into a business, which may take the joy and fun out of the hobby completely. The grind means being “on” all the time online to promote and sell and network.
There is nothing inherently wrong about “the grind” at least in the short term, although longer term it can have some serious adverse health impacts. Even I, the one who preaches self-care daily have struggled with the balance between hustling and enjoying life while also taking care of myself. If you’re struggling with coming down off the grind in your life, consider making August 15, National Relaxation Day, your day to start slowing down.
But how should you do this?
Start with making sleep a priority. If you are staying up too late working, make it a priority to get to bed earlier most nights of the week. Remove all work-related items and tools from your
bedroom; that is only a place for rest and relaxation. Sleep, and I’ll add here: good sleep, is one of the most important foundations for everything else we do. You have to have it!
Slowly start making exercise a priority and fight the urge to make exercise your “new grind.” Begin taking a 10-minute walk every day if you’ve not been doing any exercise. Slowly increase the time over a period of weeks and months. Focus not on the word exercise, and more on the word movement.
Add something you just enjoy back into your life and don’t monetize it. If you like painting, then paint (but don’t think about selling your painting). If you like to write, then write (but don’t tinker with the idea of freelancing). If you like sports, watch or play sports (but don’t think about developing a podcast and trying to find sponsors to underwrite it).
Use National Relaxation Day as your starting point for slowing down, if you have not made this a practice already. Relaxing is an important part of being able to show yourself and your family compassion. Dreams are a beautiful thing, but they mean less when you have forgotten how to actually enjoy your life.