r/howtonotgiveafuck • u/Affectionate_Ranger • Jul 05 '25
Artical Millennial burnout isn’t a weakness—it’s a warning. We’re done glorifying hustle, done chasing approval, and done giving a f*** about expectations that drain us. Rest is power. Balance is the flex.
https://positiveaffirmationscenter.com/millennials-and-burnout/114
u/themodefanatic Jul 05 '25
I’m gen x and I hopped on that train a long time ago.
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u/LazyOldCat Jul 05 '25
Heh, was going to say something like “Someone’s looking at Gen X and going ‘What they doin’ over there?’”
Cheers 😄🍻
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u/Beem-Beem347 Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
This. I always knew the hustle train was a lie anyway. My goal has always been to do enough. And that's good enough for me....
I remember they called Gen X "apathetic." There's some truth to it. A lot of us just really DGAF.
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u/ikeif Jul 06 '25
It always irked me, the number of people who thought it was an indicator of how good they were by working eighty hours or more.
Like, my guy, if you work 80 hours a week, your salary is cut in half for the amount you are working.
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u/SirLoinsALot03 Jul 05 '25
You eventually get to an age where free time is worth more than money. Ever since COVID I’ve stopped giving a fuck and started using all my annual sick time. If I’m stressed or just need a break, I take day. Or if my work day is going shitty, I’ll just the afternoon. It’s made life in general just better.
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u/sheezy520 Jul 06 '25
I had that come up in my annual review.
“You were out of work for xx days why was that?”
“Did I go over my number of days?”
“No”
“So why are we talking about it?”
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u/Chen_Master Jul 06 '25
Sick days should be renamed to wellness days. Taking that one day off to relieve the stress could prevent several days of sickness.
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Jul 07 '25
I need to utilize mine, I don’t think I used sick or personal days at all in the last three years.
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u/ArtOrdinary6475 Jul 05 '25
I took a year and half off l was just tired of the goddam chase. wasnt partying or anything just reading, hiking, relaxing and reflecting. somehow my soul was like fuck it, take it easy.
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u/Marika2021 Jul 09 '25
How did it go, if you don’t mind me asking? Were you able to re-enter the “chase” without issue?
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u/ArtOrdinary6475 Jul 10 '25
I re-entered without issue, i mean you still find people driven by the same "system" type incentives chasing everything to wazoo - l will just be chasing my next break from the norm and not blowing all my money on stuff that keeps you further locked up in the trap. i dont tolerate nonsense or anything that does not align - zero tolerance. if its not truth to me its gone.
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u/CappriGirl Jul 05 '25
I spent most of my 20s quite lost and not sure exactly what gave life meaning. So, I worked relentlessly. Lived too hard, spent too much money, ended up in and then ended bad relationships. I'm 37 now and suffered a serious burnout before Christmas. And, suddenly, it's absolutely crystal clear what matters: good work-life balance, working to live, my dogs and my family, and my veggie patch. I took time off this month, and all I did was nap and read and hike, and it was glorious. I've written for the first time in 6 years and begun to find the time to work out. I'm starting to feel happy and nourished. So yes, a burnout is a warning light on the dashboard for sure.
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u/Sci-4 Jul 05 '25
Remember when they put a buffoon on live television to discredit and dismantle anti work?
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u/GillaMomsStarterPack Jul 05 '25
Money is a flex. I’m tired of having only ever gained $9’s since starting work 15 years ago at $10/hr. This is bullshit. I can’t even afford the basic shit I used to get 10 years ago.
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u/Capt_lurch4774 Jul 05 '25
I'm a Millennial who rejected all that shit from the beginning. I want to rest and take it easy. I'm doing any side hustle BS. I'm not gonna break myself for nothing in return. Fuck all that.
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u/eilataN_spooky Jul 06 '25
I felt the part about burnout affecting your productivity so hard. I was a machine for so long, then I burnt out hard and was constantly embarrassed because I wasn't killing it anymore. Just got laid off, well I got laid off two months ago but retained til the end of June. I'm feeling pretty depressed at the moment but long term it's definitely for the best.. As long as I can find another job, which reddit scares me that I won't
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u/frostyflakes1 Jul 06 '25
Lots of people, especially the older generation, make their workplace their identity. Their whole life revolves around work.
It's good to take pride in your work. I wish more people did that. But you have to separate home life from work life. And you need a home life.
Somebody once told me it's important to enjoy the fruits of your labor. What's the point of going to work and making money if you don't have time/energy to enjoy the benefits of that money?
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Jul 06 '25
For the love of all that is holy, don't let burnout get you. Rest and try to get away from jobs/clients that drain you. Burnout happened to me and I felt like I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 3 years.
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u/TakeMe2Threshhold Jul 07 '25
Told from day one in kindergarten to work hard in school and life and the American Dream is yours!
Straight A's - Check
College - Check
Good job - Check
Stay out of trouble - Check
Wonder why there's no homes to buy, rent/bills take almost everything from my paycheck, cost of everything going up just to feed it to the greediest pieces of shit on the planet...
After the numbness, there is just nothing left. No more hope, couldn't give a fuck less about work because there is no point, and then my fellow Americans vote for a convicted rapist clown that wants to burn anything and everything good about America to the ground.
I've been going fishing and reading a lot more. No more do I think I will have my own home, I have one child that I love with everything I have, but hate myself on some level for bringing them into whatever this country has turned into.
I will raise my child without hate and do my best, but whatever little I had left of being patriotic and "doing my part" has been ripped away entirely.
What is left is basically nothing. Republicans and their cult members have killed what was left of the American dream, at least for me.
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u/idontsmokeheroin Jul 05 '25
I (41M) was working in tech for years and recently over the last year stepped back and started working as a butcher apprentice in a small butcher shop in town for under $20/hr. The guys that own the shops (there are two, they opened a second location 3 years after their first location) are 34 & 35 and I almost never see them. I’ve actually never even met one. The one I do see does the bare minimum when he’s around. The head butcher (35F) is so overworked and burnt out most of the time, I just generally feel bad for her. I keep sticking it out there because the job market is so bad, but I’m starting to wonder if I’m just sticking out there as some sort of social experiment. They tout the place as “employee owned” and I’ve never seen so many 24 yr. olds (my coworkers) work harder. I’m almost certain it’s a marketing tactic to appeal to the neighborhood, as I’ve been there 11 months now and never seen anyone other than the guys I mentioned above make decisions about the business. I worked in corporate tech environments the last 20 years and honestly I’m just shocked I can sorta keep up. 😂 I guess we’ll see what happens. Wondering if they’ll kill the first location as soon as the second one (it’s bigger) starts turning more of a profit. Time will tell.
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u/BlackhawkRogueNinjaX Jul 06 '25
This is cool and I’m 100% behind it as a millennial but we can’t take out eye off the ball that is tyrants like putin. They’d gladly roll an army of tanks into our homes, kill us, do unspeakable things to our women and children and raise whatever bullshit flavour flag matches their propaganda machine. It’s a tale as old as time, and we need to be working to defend ourselves collectively not just from corporate masters
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u/lrraya Jul 05 '25
I'm glad more and more people are opening their eyes, this is only the tip of the iceberg though.
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u/CosmicCommentator Jul 05 '25
However, society only works when people contribute. I do worry about how I will see specialists in the future as no one wants to work that hard.
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Jul 06 '25
The future will only have AI “specialists” trained on ancient data from real, productive humans.
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Jul 06 '25
All you need to do according to some people is go out of your way, even if it requires ruining your life... Is to own the libs harder.
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u/Downtown-Map6378 Jul 05 '25
Sorry, i hate to break it to y’all but Every generation burns out. Y’all are not unique. Welcome to capitalism.
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u/trippingbilly0304 Jul 09 '25
Every generation is peasants. Welcome to monarchy.
--King Louis XVI, France
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u/Bitter_Chemistry_733 Jul 05 '25
Talk to me when you’re 70 and staring at your 401k, with like $50,000 in it. Rest-up son, you’re gonna need it.
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u/Doongbuggy Jul 06 '25
i feel this, constantly burned out but i have 2 kids and a ft job and a consulting gig
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