When Healing Becomes Hustling

You know, I was thinking about this whole self-development and spiritual journey that a lot of us younger Millennials and older Gen Z have been on. And it hit me that what we’ve really been doing, even with the best intentions, is still feeding into capitalism.

Not capitalism in the sense of chasing money or trying to be rich, but in the mindset of always striving for more. Always trying to be better. Always trying to reach the top.

And what is capitalism built on? The idea of being on top. The idea that what you have right now is not enough. The idea that there’s always a next level you should be reaching for.

It’s wild because I can say this from personal experience. A big reason I’ve struggled over the years is because no matter how good life was, I was always trying to improve something. I couldn’t just be. I was always trying to become the “best version of myself.” But what even is that? Who told us that our current selves aren’t already enough?

Capitalism did.

Capitalism taught us that if you’re not leveling up, you’re falling behind. That if you’re not “healing” or “grinding” or “glowing up,” you’re not doing enough. And that mindset found its way into spirituality too. Now even healing has become a form of performance.

It’s like there’s this invisible checklist of what “healed” looks like. You wake up at 5 a.m., meditate, journal, eat clean, move your body, keep your space tidy, stay calm, stay grateful, stay positive. And if you don’t do those things, suddenly you’re not “aligned” enough.

When did healing become a job?

When did spirituality become another to-do list?

I think about it a lot in the context of motherhood too. Because even in my role as a stay-at-home mom, there’s this same pressure. If my house isn’t spotless, if I’m not cooking three meals a day, if my kids aren’t perfectly bathed every night, if I’m not being emotionally available and supportive to my man every second of the day, if I’m not having sex with him every night, if I’m not being his peace, then society tells me I’m failing.

But who made those rules?

It’s that same capitalist mindset disguised as “standards.” Be the best mom. Be the best wife. Be the best version of yourself. But for what? Who are we trying to impress? Who are we comparing ourselves to other than what capitalism told us a “good woman” looks like?

We forget that “best” doesn’t mean “more.” Sometimes the best version of you is the one that finally rests. The one that finally says “I’m enough.” The one that doesn’t have to constantly fix herself because she realizes she was never broken in the first place.

So maybe the real spiritual growth isn’t about becoming something new. Maybe it’s about unlearning the pressure to always improve. Maybe it’s about remembering who you were before the world told you you needed to be better.

Because honestly, the most radical thing we can do in a capitalist world that thrives off our exhaustion is to simply rest and accept ourselves as we are.

That’s the real rebellion.