We Don’t All Have the Same 24 Hours: A Mental Health Perspective

By Growth Era Counseling & Wellness

You’ve heard the phrase before: “We all have the same 24 hours in a day.”

It sounds motivating. Empowering, even. But it’s not the whole truth. In fact, it can be deeply invalidating. Because no—we absolutely do not all have the same 24 hours.

Some people wake up to silence and stillness. Others wake up to crying babies, unfinished laundry, overflowing to-do lists, and the relentless demands of caregiving before they’ve even had a moment to exhale.

Some have partners who help carry the load, families who offer backup, or communities that show up when it matters. Others are navigating this life completely alone—doing the work, wiping the tears, making the meals, managing the chaos, and quietly breaking under the weight of it all.

Some wake up rested. Others wake up in the fog of chronic exhaustion—whether it’s from insomnia, depression, grief, anxiety, trauma, or simply surviving.

Some are fighting invisible battles you can't see. Some are the ones others depend on. Some have a safety net. Some are the safety net.

And this matters.

Because when we pretend that "hustle" and "discipline" are the only things that separate success from struggle, we erase the realities that so many people live every day.

We turn a blind eye to systemic barriers, chronic illness, generational trauma, mental health struggles, single parenting, poverty, oppression, and burnout. We shame people for not thriving in systems never built for them. We label them lazy or unmotivated when in truth, they are among the strongest—just fighting a different kind of battle.

Discipline is not a magic eraser for hardship. Hustle looks different on everyone.

So the next time you feel the urge to tell someone to “just try harder,” take a step back. Check your assumptions. You don’t know what they’re carrying. You don’t know the cost of their grind.

Compassion > judgment. Always.

Because true growth—true healing—starts with understanding, not comparison. With empathy, not ego.

Let’s stop glorifying the grind and start honoring the reality.

We don’t all have the same 24 hours.

And pretending we do helps no one.