North Dakota’s Feeling the Burn(out): A Lighthearted Look at Our Hustle Hangover

Man, this is a busy time of year! Between graduations, weddings, fairs, camping trips, and the occasional attempt to keep up at work, it’s no wonder North Dakotans are dragging a bit. Turns out, we’re not imagining it—according to a new report from MattressNextDay, North Dakota ranks 6th in the entire country for burnout. Yep, we cracked the top 10! (Should we be proud of that? Maybe we’ll sleep on it—if we ever get the chance.)

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America’s Burnout Hustle: 1.8 Million Side Hustle Searches Say the 9-to-5 Just Isn’t Enough

The study looked at things like average work hours, mental health, cigarette use, and even how often people are Googling “side hustle.” In fact, there were 1.8 million searches for side hustles in the U.S. last year alone. Apparently, the 9-to-5 grind just isn’t enough—we want a 5-to-9, too!

HustleCulture vs. Real Life

And let’s talk about the influence of social media. Thanks to platforms like TikTok, the #hustleculture trend has racked up more than 30.8 million views. Who knew watching people do burpees at 3am could make us feel so unproductive? Those ultra-early morning routines look great with a filter, but in real life, most of us are just trying to remember where we parked the car.

Read More: North Dakota Job Market Shows Stability Amid Rising Openings

North Dakota isn’t alone, though. Minnesota and South Dakota weren’t far behind us, landing at 14th and 15th, respectively. Meanwhile, Montana must’ve missed the memo—didn’t even make the list! Maybe they’ve got the right idea: slow down, take a hike, and don’t worry about hashtags.

So what’s the takeaway here? Maybe it’s time we all give ourselves a break. Literally. Take a nap, cancel that one meeting that could’ve been an email, and stop feeling guilty for not having a side hustle, a morning routine that requires a sunrise, or a Pinterest-perfect to-do list.

North Dakota might be hustling hard, but we’ve earned a little rest. Let’s all take five—maybe even ten—and remind ourselves that relaxation isn’t lazy. It’s survival.