A rare workaholic aside, there's more to people than just their job. I know, it sounds like a non-controversial and non-provocative thing to say, but often the most difficult parts of life are not the "in-your-face" type of challenges, but those that seep into your everyday routine and become rituals and habits. Like earning your bread and butter.

At a time when the term work-life balance has become a bookselling catchphrase, many are realizing they don't have one. Even more, people don't see a way to achieve it. They're stuck feeling that the system they're a part of has been designed to maintain itself at the expense of its "screws" — human capital — and have nowhere to turn to express their anger and frustration but the internet.

#1 Sometimes I Wonder How We Aren't In A Near Constant State Of Revolt

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#2 Title

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As you can see from the posts, the pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture can be a huge burden on our mental health.

And while a healthy work-life balance means different things to different people, it's usually not so much about splitting your time 50/50 between career and leisure but rather making sure you feel fulfilled and content in both areas. A healthy balance might look like this:

meeting your deadlines at work while still having time for friends and hobbies;
having enough time to sleep properly and eat well;
not worrying about work when you're at home.

#3 On God

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#4 Work Takes 11 Hours Of My Time, Not Just 8

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#5 Don’t Let Them Fool You- We Swim In An Ocean Of Abundance

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There are plenty of people who glorify the grind; it can be tempting and even easy to normalize long hours at the office or being under a toxic boss, facing an extreme amount of stress, especially if you've been doing it for a long time or all your colleagues are in the same boat. Our assumptions and habits around work can become deep-rooted unless we take a step back once in a while.

Plus, it can be hard to make changes: if you're on a zero-hours contract you might not feel comfortable speaking up, for example, or you might need to put in extra hours to earn enough money to pay your bills. But for those who can do something about their predicament, recent research suggests regularly checking your work-life balance by following these five steps.

#6 Welcome To Our Lovely Society

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#7 Nobody Ever Wanted To Work

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#8 Is There More To Life Than Work?

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Pause and ask yourself questions like: what's currently causing me stress or unhappiness? How is that affecting my work and personal life? What am I prioritizing? What am I losing out on? Be honest with yourself. We often don't take the time to reflect on work until something major happens to us, like the birth of a child or the loss of someone close to us. But just pausing and thinking about your priorities and values can help you discover whether the way you’re living and working fits you.

Acknowledge your feelings. Now that you're more aware of your current situation, how does it make you feel? Are you fulfilled and happy, or sad, angry, and resentful? Being aware of your feelings can help you decide which changes you want to make.

#9 The American Dream Is To Move Out

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#10 School Prepares You To Be A Good Wage Slave

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#11 Same Here My Brother

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#12 And People Wonder Why This Sub Exists

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Reprioritize. Think about what you need to change. For example, you might want to ask yourself if working long hours is worth losing out on family time, or whether working weekends is worth sacrificing your hobbies.

Consider the alternatives. Is there anything at work you can change to meet your (new) wishes and goals?

Finally, make changes. Whether it's asking for flexible hours, being allowed to use all of your annual leave or disconnecting from your corporate email at the weekend, chase what's important to you.

There's a huge difference between working so that we can live and living to work.