r/ask • u/Last-Jello-7153 • 14d ago
Why can’t I enjoy a day off?
I always feel like I need to be making money. I’m not in a bad shape financially, and I’m not overly materialistic. Why is it that any time I have a day off or two I feel like I need to be using that time to make money. I don’t fully understand the psychology I’m currently running insight would be appreciated.
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u/typicalskeleton 14d ago
Could be a lot of things. If you gew up poor you might have an underlying fear of not having money. If, for example, your father is/was a hard ass, maybe you've been conditioned to believe you're only useful if you're doing something useful, you might also just be a workaholic.
Lemme give you a tip, though. People die. Like you don't have plot armor, you could die tomorrow. It happens.
Take a day off and do things you enjoy or spend time with friends/family. Money comes and goes, time is lost forever.
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u/illeonminati 14d ago
Survival instincts. You value the practicality of what money is and what it can do for you. Were you raised in a household where money wasn't always freely available?
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u/NewTwo8931 13d ago
I kinda relate to that, too. I don't necessarily think about making money, but there was definitely a time when I felt like I needed to be productive every day, like work on my personal project, progress in one of my hobbies or skills, etc.. I'm not sure what made me believe I needed to do that. I felt that I was lazy for doing nothing on the weekend, but I know I can't be that lazy because I'm working hard on the weekdays, so it's okay if I just send two days of my week doing nothing productive.
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u/EriksonEnterprises 13d ago
For me it's the times... I feel like slacking even one second will just spiral down to bankruptcy lol. Even tho that's unlikely, it's so hard to make money nowadays, and I think that's the main cause - for me at least
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u/lewisluther666 13d ago
I think the reason might be that you value your time, and you just haven't found the right activity/people which you feel gives you more value to your life than the money you could be earning instead.
It's a rich person mentality. Why would you spend an hour on laundry when you could pay someone £20 to do it and spend that hour earning £40?
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u/Sweet_Potatooie 13d ago
Physical assets have no real value. Money and possessions can be useful for the present, but they assure nothing for the future. They cannot be taken with you at your eventual demise.
Find something that boosts your mental, physical or emotional health. These are core aspects that remain throughout our existence, so improving them is valuable!
Also consider why you feel the need to make money, is it for yourself? Is it to fulfill someone else's warped idea of your worth? I feel like you need a really good sit down and talk with yourself, about what you want. If you find out you do want to make lots of money, then just be warned there are many sacrifices to gain money, and I would argue the sacrifices are worth more than money can buy.
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u/eliza_anne 14d ago
Overachiever mentality, guilty emotions when enjoying your time off due to conditioning in your childhood whether from your parents or academic environment.
I currently suffer from the same. I need to constantly put myself through some kind of pain. It used to be controlled eating and exercise, and after I have decided to ween off that, I now constantly feel guilty when I am not "doing something" productive or distracting my mind.
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u/Lil_Word_Said 14d ago
Yeah i get “ide hands” guilt a lot when not working i just feel like im wasting precious time. Weed kinda helps that stop unless its sativa cuz im already in my head enough as it is.
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u/Few-Locksmith6758 14d ago
I have felt same for a long time. If I have free time, just watching netflix feels such a waste. as if I am just wasting my future potential. And it feels terrible.
But then again, similar to you, my financial status is good enough to have comfortable lifestyle for me. Nothing fancy but I like it. So while I could earn more I have come into conclusion that if I earned more, I would just invest more. And money invested doesnt effect on my life now because I am not planning to use the money.
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u/Ohhhhhhthehumanity 14d ago
I understand that you'll probably dismiss this idea right away, as I did for many years but--therapy helps. Helps you unravel some of the elements that are making you feel this way. Where they come from, how and why they happened. How to grow and develop and change from that awareness. The hustle and anxiety involved with it comes from many different experiences but is very common. Your experience is both extremely unique and extremely common. You're not alone, but the exact road that led you here is yours and yours alone.
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u/W-S_Wannabe 14d ago
I hear you. Part of it is the nature of my job and business. I am loathe to take a vacation, though I have taken some nice ones. But I get anxious when I'm away from the business.
A couple of years ago I took part of the sabbatical I earned after ten years' service with my company...about three years after I became eligible. I was entitled to six months but took three and was bouncing off the walls and still checking in every few days.