Photo of a schoolgirl sleeping by Yaroslav Shureavu on Pexel. To see more, visit https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-schoolgirl-sleeping-9489900/ 

By: Joyce Man

“The Grind Culture” describes the belief that people, especially students, need to be constantly working 24/7, as they believe it is the only path to success. While seemingly innocent at first, this belief fosters an environment where any time we spend not studying or working is wasted time, and we must put all our effort and energy into tiring and restless study or work sessions at the expense of our physical and mental health.

Many students end up sacrificing spending time with their loved ones and their pastime in favour of studying or working on that project, unknowingly falling into the grind culture mindset. While it’s good to spend time on work to ensure students are not cramming it all in one night, these social interactions form the base of our wellbeing. Students find that with more social interactions and pastimes, they tend to do better in school, as they are more comfortable interacting with others both inside and outside the classroom environment. Aside from our mental health being sacrificed, many of our Titans end up sleeping at 1 AM, 2 AM, or even 3 AM, working, which sacrifices their physical health. Sleep is necessary for our growth and development, and poor sleep habits have been linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. 

Furthermore, due to the excessive overworking that the grind culture praises, a lot of students end up burning out. Burning out describes reaching a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. While not much research has been published on academic burnout among Canadian high school students, 75% of high school students reported feeling stressed over academics all the time, with 61% of them stressed over producing satisfactory grades to begin with. With exam season approaching, we can only assume that our Titans are beginning to feel the pressure, if not already. 

In addition, since the grind culture also endorses toxic comparisons between peers, it leads students to measure their academic success to others, which creates the mindset that if you are not participating in one thing, someone else will get ahead of you. Social media plays a large role in this, as it contains millions of posts from celebrities and peers about achievements like personal records at the gym and college acceptances, which could exacerbate pressure. A fixation on grades can lower students’ self-esteem and life satisfaction, and it potentially harms their relationships with their peers and teachers.

As our semester progresses into exams and the winter break nears, it is important for students to look out for toxic signs of overworking and take breaks when needed. As a school community, we must remember that self-care is key, and make it non-negotiable. Know when to take breaks, and when to turn off social media to remove ourselves from the environment which promotes these unhealthy habits. Finally, we need to shift our mindset from valuing long hours to valuing the quality of our work. Success should never be defined as what school we get into, how much money we make, or even whether we get the highest score on the test. We are made to share love, and while we should try our hardest to excel in school, it should never be at the expense of our physical and mental health. 

Works Cited

Zauderer, Steven. “47 Student Stress Statistics (High School/College)” Cross River Therapy, September 19, 2023. https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/student-stress-statistics 
The Timeular Team. “Grind Culture.” Timeular, October 23, 2024. https://timeular.com/toxic-productivity-glossary/grind-culture/#how-to-escape-grind-culture