In business especially, endurance, grit and ‘pushing through’ are rewarded. How do we create alternatives? The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work.
Outwardly performing brilliantly in a high-profile role, Ariana races through her days. When her baby sleeps, she jumps on calls, replies to messages, sometimes squeezing in a few exercises to try to stay fit. When the baby wakes, the loop begins again. Despite exhaustion, Ariana holds herself to her internal standards of high output and pace.
Many media commentators have labelled this way of living “the cult of productivity”. It’s compounded by popular “hustle culture” – do more and do it faster! In our work we increasingly see people struggling not because they are failing at productivity and hustle, but because they are succeeding at it too well.
Phil sought guidance after a health scare. A successful senior manager at a national health service, his days were always hectic with back-to-back meetings, a huge team to manage, and operational duties that made it difficult for him to take time off. Despite noticing more fatigue and slowed decision-making, Phil struggled to prioritise his rehab.
Murray reached out after experiencing debilitating panic attacks at work. Professionally successful, he was juggling a complex workload with a busy blended family and caring responsibilities for an ageing parent. “I know I’m in that sandwich generation trap – working, looking after kids and an elderly parent – but I don’t think I can make it all fit together”.
All three described a similar pattern: a strong internal drive to be productive, combined with daily habits of doing everything at pace. For Ariana, there was genuinely little slack in the system. For Phil and Murray, some flexibility existed. But psychologically, for all of them, any solutions felt unavailable.
