“Work hard. Play hard.”

This is the repeated, overly glorified mantra used to describe Wake Forest, or “Work Forest” as we often call it. The idea behind this philosophy is to split your time between two extremes: grinding out work and then releasing briefly to social activity before crashing — then repeating the cycle all over again. 

For a Wake Forest student, this method materializes as students work non-stop Sunday through Friday afternoon before spending Friday night and all of Saturday going out with friends non-stop before resuming the grind Sunday morning.

This way of life in theory provides both socialization and productivity — but it completely denounces any semblance of moderation through over-intensifying both sides of the work-life balance.

According to the 2022 National College Health Assessment, 80% of college students reported feeling overall moderate to high stress with 50% reporting academics were a factor. Of that 50%, 89% reported academics causing high distress. High stress can lead students to experience an all-too-familiar burnout.

Jennifer Moss, a workplace culture expert, wrote “Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It” to investigate the rise of stress levels. She found that too large of a workload is the primary cause of burnout. She argues millions of people die from overworking as it causes weight loss, body pain, exhaustion, sleep loss and high levels of cortisol.

You cannot cancel out continuously overworking yourself by going out on the weekend and drinking with friends. As fun as drinking with friends and dartying can be, it isn’t providing your body and mind with the rest and relaxation it needs. It feels like being a student at Wake Forest means that you’re always “on.” But is this hyper specific to our school or has this disregard for relaxation become a cultural phenomenon for young adults? 

With the risk of sounding like my grandfather — I blame technology. 

When my grandfather and parents went to college, students were limited to working only in the classroom and when they found designated times and places to sit down with their books and pencils. They had no way of contacting their professors outside of class and office hours and vice versa. They never had assignments due at midnight after class or at random times — instead they were almost always due the next class session. Wherever they spent their freetime, whether it be lunch or on walks, it was impossible for such time to be contaminated with work-related interruptions.

Even with the rise of cellphones in the ‘90s, they hadn’t evolved into computers yet. They were more closely related to landlines than the cellphones we have now.

We all carry around computers with us at all times of the day where we’re constantly berated with emails, Canvas alerts, texts from classmates about assignments and other stressors that impede us from separating ourselves from being in “work mode.” Moreover, we have the ability and option to be working at any time and in any place. This makes the weight of school so much heavier than it was for students of previous generations.

The natural barriers that historically gave students breaks throughout their days have been torn down by technology. We must, therefore, carve out time each day to relax by ourselves — to enjoy ourselves outside of our work and studies. We came to college to learn and grow, but so much personal and social growth takes place outside of the classroom. Time spent with friends is rarely a “waste of time.” It is as important as classwork in becoming an individual. We are meant for more than working 132 hours to enjoy a mere 36. We are meant to be happy, each day. 

Since 1933, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has been studying the same 724 participants to research what leads to happier lives. They found the key to be good relationships, which are nurtured by quality time. Another study found that having hobbies makes people healthier and happier. Both spending time with people and investing time in hobbies requires individuals to consciously find time away from the “grind,” not just at the end of each week, but rather everyday.

When Wake Forest reviews undergraduate applications, they emphasize the importance of being a holistic individual with hobbies and interests outside of the classroom. This quality of Wake Forest heavily appealed to me, which is why it’s been so disheartening to hear that so many of my close peers have abandoned their hobbies due to lack of free time.

It’s a terrible mindset to spend five days a week counting down to enjoyment on Friday. It’s important to find equal enjoyment on random Tuesdays as it is on the weekends, no matter what that looks like for the individual. By carving out even one hour on your Google Calendar to turn off your phone and do something solely for yourself you will find a better work-life balance at Wake Forest.

World renowned physician, Dr. Gabor Mate, said in a recent interview with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee that if he were to live his life over again, he would not have spent so much time working and trying to justify his place in the world.

“When you’re driven to work too hard, you ignore what actually matters,” Mate says. “People sacrifice their playfulness, their joyfulness, being driven by unconscious needs to validate your existence.”