We all strive for it: that perfect middle ground between hard work necessary for success and the spare time needed to rest, re-energize and avoid the bane of capitalism — burnout. Unfortunately, finding this middle ground is difficult for most. They either teeter between working entirely too much or partying hard and shirking their responsibilities. Rarely do you meet a person who can confidently say they have found a fine, healthy balance between their work life and personal life. In truth, the culture around work life in a capitalist society makes it extremely obvious why people may seemingly never come to a happy balance. In a world where people are encouraged to have a side hustle to back their side hustle, where is the time for rest?

Rest, in most cases, is not encouraged except in the cases of people who have acquired a significant amount of wealth. Interestingly enough, these people have made and continue to make said wealth off the backs and labor of other people. In some cases they even fight to ensure the wages of the people who have made them rich are as little as possible. Then, they turn around and shame said people for being unable to keep their head above water. 

The harsh reality is that no matter how much a person manages to scrape together — probably denying themselves many basic things in the process —  they cannot save themselves out of poverty. Many people are one bad accident or health emergency away from being in a financial crisis. It is definitely a difficult position to try and balance a solid work life and also make your social life as healthy as possible. In an attempt to achieve this balance, I’ll encourage people to romanticize seemingly mundane activities. Try to have dinner with friends once a month, see a movie or play some games with your biological or chosen family. While you engage in these activities, try to make sure you’re totally disconnected from work. It is incredibly important to have distinct separations between your work life and your personal life. 

For people who go into work physically, try to have something to look forward to after work which is not more work. Speaking to your favourite person, hanging out with friends, a glass of wine, anything that can help distract you from work. Leaving work to only go home and do more work is generally unhealthy and it makes it even harder to draw a distinction between your personal life and work life. Also, if possible, have a group of friends outside of work. Yes, work friends are great but there is a tendency to discuss the job or even to feel ‘stuck’ in your head around them because you may never feel completely comfortable to unwind.

The country’s economy is obviously in the gutters and shrewdness is the order of the day. However, selfcare — something that a lot of people pay little attention to — should be prioritized, monetary wise. Buy yourself something nice, regardless of how little it might be. Go out to the beach, go to a restaurant (it doesn’t have to be fancy), enjoy cheap thrills. It’s an extremely cliche saying but its true: You work to live, you don’t live to work. Try to have moments of merry between the grind and the hustle. Those are the days you will look back on fondly the most.