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A rare workaholic aside, there's more to people than just their job. I know, it sounds like a non-controversial and non-provocative thing to say, but often the most difficult parts of life are not the "in-your-face" type of challenges, but those that seep into your everyday routine and become rituals and habits. Like earning your bread and butter.

At a time when the term work-life balance has become a bookselling catchphrase, many are realizing they don't have one. Even more, people don't see a way to achieve it. They're stuck feeling that the system they're a part of has been designed to maintain itself at the expense of its "screws" — human capital — and have nowhere to turn to express their anger and frustration but the internet.

#1

Sometimes I Wonder How We Aren't In A Near Constant State Of Revolt

Sometimes I Wonder How We Aren't In A Near Constant State Of Revolt

GrandpaChainz Report

#2

On God

On God

shailjapatel Report

As you can see from the posts, the pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture can be a huge burden on our mental health.

And while a healthy work-life balance means different things to different people, it's usually not so much about splitting your time 50/50 between career and leisure but rather making sure you feel fulfilled and content in both areas. A healthy balance might look like this:

  • meeting your deadlines at work while still having time for friends and hobbies;
  • having enough time to sleep properly and eat well;
  • not worrying about work when you're at home.

"I used to use alcohol, junk food, television, video games – whatever I could to avoid facing the fact that I was an unhappy employee who felt caught in a rat race," career and business coach Ben Fitzgerald told Bored Panda.

"I thought a lot about work-life balance back then. In reality, I had tons of time to myself and the real reason I felt worn out was that I was faking enthusiasm for the work I was doing. The performance of it all was exhausting."

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"If you feel like you need more work-life balance and you're not putting in 10+ hours a day, it might be a sign you need to take responsibility for defining what you enjoy, what you don't enjoy, and then make significant changes to how you spend your time," Fitzgerald explained.

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Title

Title

SamuelKOfficial Report

#4

The American Dream Is To Move Out

The American Dream Is To Move Out

TreJames_ Report

#5

Don’t Let Them Fool You- We Swim In An Ocean Of Abundance

Don’t Let Them Fool You- We Swim In An Ocean Of Abundance

babadookspinoza Report

There are plenty of people who glorify the grind; it can be tempting and even easy to normalize long hours at the office or being under a toxic boss, facing an extreme amount of stress, especially if you've been doing it for a long time or all your colleagues are in the same boat. Our assumptions and habits around work can become deep-rooted unless we take a step back once in a while.

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Plus, it can be hard to make changes: if you're on a zero-hours contract you might not feel comfortable speaking up, for example, or you might need to put in extra hours to earn enough money to pay your bills. But for those who can do something about their predicament, recent research suggests regularly checking your work-life balance.

Pause and ask yourself questions like: what's currently causing me stress or unhappiness? How is that affecting my work and personal life? What am I prioritizing? What am I losing out on? Be honest with yourself. We often don't take the time to reflect on work until something major happens to us, like the birth of a child or the loss of someone close to us. But just pausing and thinking about your priorities and values can help you discover whether the way you’re living and working fits you.

#6

Welcome To Our Lovely Society

Welcome To Our Lovely Society

NXHLVS Report

#7

Work Takes 11 Hours Of My Time, Not Just 8

Work Takes 11 Hours Of My Time, Not Just 8

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#8

Nobody Ever Wanted To Work

Nobody Ever Wanted To Work

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Acknowledge your feelings. Now that you're more aware of your current situation, how does it make you feel? Are you fulfilled and happy, or sad, angry, and resentful? Being aware of your feelings can help you decide which changes you want to make.

Reprioritize. Think about what you need to change. For example, you might want to ask yourself if working long hours is worth losing out on family time, or whether working weekends is worth sacrificing your hobbies.

Consider the alternatives. Is there anything at work you can change to meet your (new) wishes and goals?

Finally, make changes. Whether it's asking for flexible hours, being allowed to use all of your annual leave, or disconnecting from your corporate email at the weekend, chase what's important to you.

Ben Fitzgerald said there's a lot to gain from realigning your work to your personal and professional development goals. This introduces challenges, activates your curiosity, and shifts the focus to one of personal responsibility - instead of working in service of someone else's vision you're working in service of your own. Just a simple tweak in mindset can work wonders.

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"Devoting your time and attention in service of someone else without any expectation of reciprocation is a great way to feel more purposeful and fulfilled," Fitzgerald explained. "Try adopting this mentality with your manager in mind and see what happens."

There's a huge difference between living to work and working so that we can live.

#9

School Prepares You To Be A Good Wage Slave

School Prepares You To Be A Good Wage Slave

QueerlyAutistic Report

#10

Same Here My Brother

Same Here My Brother

BobGolen Report

#11

Is There More To Life Than Work?

Is There More To Life Than Work?

kellynotbrecht Report

#12

She Has A Very Valid Point

She Has A Very Valid Point

AlixEHarrow Report

#13

And People Wonder Why This Sub Exists

And People Wonder Why This Sub Exists

alitlstrawberry Report

#14

There Is Nothing Good About Huddle Culture

There Is Nothing Good About Huddle Culture

KaluhisKitchen Report

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#15

I Hate The Grind Mentallity

I Hate The Grind Mentallity

sleepisocialist Report

#16

The Protestant Work Ethic Is Stupid

The Protestant Work Ethic Is Stupid

adamkeawe Report

#17

Not A Controversial Take

Not A Controversial Take

libbybakalar Report

#18

Do What You Love

Do What You Love

existentialcoms Report

#19

Never Ending Rat Race

Never Ending Rat Race

ghauraghaura Report

#20

That Sunday Feeling

That Sunday Feeling

signuser Report

#21

Life Is Meaningless - But In A Good Way

Life Is Meaningless - But In A Good Way

melatoninlau Report

#22

Get Bent, Brian

Get Bent, Brian

VeryBadLlama Report

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#23

But Your Passion Is Working Until You Die Right?

But Your Passion Is Working Until You Die Right?

lanaskittens Report

#24

Amazon Killed People Last Night

Amazon Killed People Last Night

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#25

One Of The Most Brilliant Minds To Have Ever Lived Was Crushed Mentally And Physically By Capitalism. He Was Robbed Of The Fruits Of His Labor, Manipulated And His Research Sabotaged In The Race For Profit

One Of The Most Brilliant Minds To Have Ever Lived Was Crushed Mentally And Physically By Capitalism. He Was Robbed Of The Fruits Of His Labor, Manipulated And His Research Sabotaged In The Race For Profit

mrwtffacts Report

#26

I’m With This Guy

I’m With This Guy

Grayhaem Report

#27

A Healthy Work Ethic Is Key

A Healthy Work Ethic Is Key

jzux Report

#28

Capitalism Should Die

Capitalism Should Die

commiefifi Report

#29

This Is A Big Factor Of Why I Have Depression

This Is A Big Factor Of Why I Have Depression

PlAClD1 Report

#30

It Really Is

It Really Is

friasmp Report

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#31

The Software Industry

The Software Industry

JustSpeedy Report

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#32

It’s Not Normal

It’s Not Normal

thediyora Report

#33

I Threw My Life Away For A S**t Job. You Can Too!

I Threw My Life Away For A S**t Job. You Can Too!

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#34

We Have Become Slaves To Money, Rather Than Using Money As A Tool To Make Our Lives Easier And Better

We Have Become Slaves To Money, Rather Than Using Money As A Tool To Make Our Lives Easier And Better

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#35

You Aren’t A Person When You Aren’t Someone Else’s Person In This Free Society

You Aren’t A Person When You Aren’t Someone Else’s Person In This Free Society

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#36

Sick Humble Brag

Sick Humble Brag

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#37

This

This

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#38

The Cycle Continues

The Cycle Continues

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#39

Not Gonna Happen

Not Gonna Happen

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#40

Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest

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#41

This Has Been Quite The Crushing Realization As I Transition To Post-Grad Life

This Has Been Quite The Crushing Realization As I Transition To Post-Grad Life

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#42

That Front Porch Life

That Front Porch Life

TechnicalTerm6 Report

#43

We Work 40+ Hours A Week Not For Maximum Efficiency, But Because It Makes Sure We Can’t Force Change Outside Of Work

We Work 40+ Hours A Week Not For Maximum Efficiency, But Because It Makes Sure We Can’t Force Change Outside Of Work

six96 Report

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#44

Sorry?

Sorry?

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#45

Felt That One

Felt That One

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#46

New Tech Is Not Supposed To Make Our Life Harder

New Tech Is Not Supposed To Make Our Life Harder

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#47

Sounds Like A Scam To Me

Sounds Like A Scam To Me

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#48

12 Years Of Elderly Leisure

12 Years Of Elderly Leisure

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#49

Facts

Facts

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#50

Biggest Scam Ever

Biggest Scam Ever

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#51

Who Thought It Was A Good Idea?

Who Thought It Was A Good Idea?

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#52

I Think This Belongs Here

I Think This Belongs Here

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#53

This Is Depressing. True But Depressing

This Is Depressing. True But Depressing

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#54

You Supposed To Get Motivated By This... Lol

You Supposed To Get Motivated By This... Lol

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#55

Truth

Truth

JoHeller Report

#56

On Mental Health

On Mental Health

ShrinkRapping Report

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