In 2025, the grind is no longer seasonal. We’re working more, resting less, and feeling pressure to be constantly available. The result? Rising stress, shrinking downtime, and a generation teetering on the edge of exhaustion. Experts say there’s a way out — but it’s going to require more than a weekend off.

You meant to text your friend back three days ago, but the only messages you’ve sent are work emails well past dinner. You cancelled plans to re-organize your calendar. Your weekend disappeared into laundry, errands, and laptop catch-up. For many, this constant busyness isn’t a temporary phase — it’s a permanent state.

The World Health Organization calls it a global stress epidemic. Deloitte research shows 74% of people struggle to disconnect from work, even on vacation. And no group is feeling it more intensely than millennials.

Why Millennials Are So Burnt Out?

Millennials those born between 1981 and 1996 aren’t just “young workers” anymore. They’re managers, parents, homeowners (or trying to be), and the backbone of the workforce. Yet surveys show 42% report feeling burnt out. The stressors are varied but persistent:

• Worry about family well-being
• Financial insecurity and student debt
• Career instability
• Climate change and political division
• Personal safety concerns

Much of it boils down to uncertainty about the future — a thread running through their entire adult lives.

Burnout isn’t just “feeling tired.” The WHO defines it as a syndrome resulting from chronic stress, with both mental and physical symptoms. Mentally, it shows up as exhaustion, lack of motivation, self-doubt, and isolation. Physically, it can lead to insomnia, high blood pressure, heart disease, weakened immunity, and even higher risk of certain cancers.

Think of it as your body stuck in “fight or flight” mode for months — even years — at a time. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline stay elevated, wearing down both mental clarity and physical resilience.

Also Read: ‘It Feels Like The Safety Of Childhood’: Why Adult Pacifiers In China Are Helping People Quit Smoking, Sleep Better And Stress Less?

What Is The Workload Problem and Why It’s Not Laziness?

Despite the stereotypes, millennials aren’t slacking off. Gallup data shows 73% work over 40 hours a week, many pushing 50 hours. They’re also juggling side hustles, childcare, and constant connectivity through phones and laptops. What they want in return isn’t unreasonable:

• Fair pay
• Flexibility in hours and location
• Respectful, ethical leadership
• Comprehensive benefits that protect health and stability
• When those needs aren’t met, overwork quickly spirals into burnout.

Millennial At Workplace

Millennial managers have been especially hard hit, particularly since the pandemic’s “great resignation.” Staff departures left them covering extra roles, managing bigger teams, and working without clear communication or adequate support from higher-ups. It’s no surprise 42% reported serious workplace stress.

Millennials came of age through 9/11, two major recessions, a pandemic, and a housing crisis. Job markets tightened just as student debt ballooned. Inflation eroded buying power. Meanwhile, the climate crisis and political polarization added a layer of existential stress.

This constant instability has shaped the way millennials work: adaptable but cautious, willing to push themselves hard but quicker to demand boundaries and prone to burnout when those boundaries are ignored.

What Is The Remote Work Paradox?

The pandemic’s shift to remote work brought relief for many, offering no commute, greater flexibility, and lower living costs that helped reduce stress. According to Deloitte, 69% of workers believe remote work would help them manage stress long-term, 66% report an improved work-life balance, and 50% feel they can be their authentic selves at home. However, this flexibility comes with a hidden cost. The blurred boundaries between work and rest have led to longer hours, weekend emails, and an increasing inability to truly switch off.

How Can Millennials Just Relax?

Stress isn’t always bad. In the right dose, it sharpens focus and fuels performance — the “green zone.” But tip into the “yellow zone” and you start to feel pressure, racing thoughts, and a creeping sense of overwhelm. Stay there too long and you hit the “red zone”: full burnout, low creativity, and mounting mistakes.

The key is to self-check throughout the day. Notice when you’re in yellow and take a break before you crash into red. It’s not about doing less — it’s about recovering enough to do well.

Try a Busyness Detox

If your days are crammed but your energy is gone, track where your time really goes. Ten minutes of doomscrolling here, constant inbox refreshing there — it adds up. Identify the low-value habits that drain energy and replace them with short recovery breaks, movement, or something that genuinely restores you.

As one expert puts it: if it’s not a “hell yes,” it’s a kind no.

Quiet the Inner Overachiever

Not all burnout comes from bad bosses or impossible deadlines. Many millennials were raised to equate worth with achievement, so even rest feels like guilt. Challenge that narrative. Redefine success in a way that includes wellbeing. A full life isn’t the same as a busy one.

Speak Up Before You Shut Down

Culturally, we still glorify self-reliance and “powering through.” But burnout recovery starts with talking about it — with managers, friends, or mental health professionals. Open, honest conversations make it easier to get the support you need before you hit a breaking point.

Taking Back Control

Millennials can’t change global events, but they can protect their own bandwidth. Practical steps include:

• Limiting social media
• Scheduling real rest, not just collapsing at the end of the day
• Consuming less distressing news
• Setting realistic goals
• Making space for hobbies and leisure

Burnout can happen to anyone but with boundaries, recovery tools, and the courage to speak up, it’s possible to step off the hamster wheel and reclaim a life that’s full not just full of things to do.

If you’ve ever stared at a packet of mixed nuts wondering whether to sprinkle them over your porridge or just eat them by the handful, here’s your permission slip: go for it. According to Dr Sarah Berry, a professor at King’s College London and Chief Scientist at ZOE, nuts and seeds are not just snackable; they are good for cholesterol crunching. In fact, swap some of your less healthy fats for these nutritional powerhouses, and you could lower your cholesterol by up to 10 per cent in just 10 days. That is faster than most fad diets.

The 10-Day Cholesterol Challenge

High cholesterol often feels like one of those invisible problems, until it suddenly is not. It can quietly build up in your arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But Dr Berry, during an appearance on the Zoe podcast, said that you can make a real difference in under two weeks by tweaking, not overhauling, your diet. It’s not about eating less fat; it’s about eating the right kind of fat.

And this is where most people get it wrong. “Don’t do a low-fat diet,” Dr Berry warns, calling the idea “radical” to anyone still following decades-old advice. Instead, aim for a moderate-fat diet rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats—exactly the kinds you’ll find in nuts, seeds, and certain oils.

Why Low-Fat Diets Miss the Point

It is tempting to think cutting fat will cut cholesterol, but Dr Berry explains that’s a trap. Not all fats are bad. Saturated fats, found in red meat and some processed foods, can push LDL cholesterol—often dubbed “bad” cholesterol—into dangerous territory. But polyunsaturated fats, abundant in seeds, seed oils, and many nuts, do the opposite.

Simply adding nuts to your meals, whether as a snack, salad topping, or nut butter, can slash LDL cholesterol by 5 to 10 per cent. You have to make a swap. This benefit comes from replacing “harmful” fats, like those in certain animal products and fried foods, with healthier plant-based fats.

Seeds: The Cholesterol Fighters

Sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds—they’re all loaded with polyunsaturated fatty acids that support heart health. Stir them into yoghurt, blend them into smoothies, or scatter them over roasted veggies. You’ll barely notice the extra effort, but your arteries will thank you.

Seed oils, like sunflower and flaxseed oil, can also be smart choices in moderation, adding healthy fats to your cooking without the cholesterol-raising impact of certain animal fats.

Rethinking Dairy, Meat, and Carbs

Dr Berry isn’t out to demonise all animal products. Fermented dairy like yoghurt and cheese gets a surprising green light. These foods, she says, don’t have the cholesterol-raising effect you might expect from their saturated fat content. That’s not permission to live on brie and cheddar, but it is a reason to stop fearing your cheese board.

Red meat, however, is a different story. Packed with saturated fats, it’s a direct contributor to rising cholesterol levels. Swapping steak nights for lentil stews or chickpea curries a couple of times a week could make a noticeable difference to your numbers.

Then there’s the carbohydrate conundrum. The real trouble lies with refined carbs like white bread, white rice, and sugary snacks. These are rapidly processed by your body and can be converted into triglycerides, which worsen cholesterol profiles. But whole grains are firmly in the “good for you” column. Wholegrain bread, brown rice, oats, and quinoa can help improve cholesterol levels when they replace the refined stuff.

Building Your 10-Day Cholesterol Menu

Swap your morning white toast for porridge topped with walnuts and chia seeds. Your mid-morning biscuit could become a small handful of almonds. At lunch, toss sunflower seeds into your salad, and use olive or sunflower oil for dressing. Dinner might feature grilled salmon or chickpeas instead of steak, with a side of quinoa instead of white rice.

Why This Works So Fast

Cholesterol levels can be surprisingly responsive to dietary changes. LDL cholesterol particles are constantly being produced and cleared from your bloodstream. When you replace saturated fats with healthier fats, you improve your body’s ability to remove LDL cholesterol. Combine that with reducing refined carbs and upping your wholegrain intake, and the improvement can be measurable in just days.

Dr Berry’s advice is refreshingly realistic: no calorie counting, no extreme restrictions, just sensible swaps. It’s about building habits you can maintain beyond the initial 10 days, keeping your cholesterol low for the long haul.

Forget the idea that lowering cholesterol means bland food and joyless salads. With nuts, seeds, and the right fats, you can eat deliciously and still give your heart a health boost in record time.

You walk out of the tattoo studio with fresh ink that looks bold, bright, and perfect. But within a few days, you notice the colours seem duller, almost blurred. Do not worry! This cloudy look is a normal part of healing. According to dermatologists and tattoo artists, that milky veil over your design is not the end of your tattoo dreams. It is simply your skin doing its job.

The Science of the Skin Screen

As Dr Pragati Gogia Jain, DNB (Dermatology) at ApolloMedics Hospital, Lucknow, explains, our skin has layers. The top layer, called the epidermis, is made up of keratinocytes. When these cells are young, they’re packed with organelles and nuclei, making them opaque. As they mature, they lose these structures, becoming more transparent.

When you get a tattoo, the needle bypasses the epidermis and deposits pigment in the dermis. This process causes a controlled injury, triggering inflammation. In the days that follow, damaged keratinocytes in the epidermis start shedding (desquamation), and the fresh replacements are immature and cloudy.

“This cloudy layer scatters light, making the tattoo look dull,” says Dr Jain. “It’s temporary, and as the epidermis completes its 28-day turnover cycle, your tattoo will regain its clarity.”

What’s Happening Beneath the Tattoo Ink

Sahil Bali, tattoo artist at Devil’z Tattooz, says the fresh-out-of-the-studio vibrancy is like an Instagram filter: beautiful, but fleeting. “Right after we finish, the ink is just beneath intact skin, so the colours look sharp,” he says. “But as your immune system gets to work, a thin layer of scabbing or peeling skin forms. It’s made of dried plasma, old skin flakes, and natural oils, which aren’t transparent.”

This layer dulls the appearance of the tattoo. From day four to day ten, peeling starts. The temptation to pick at those flakes is real, but doing so can yank out pigment and cause patchy healing. “Hands off is the golden rule,” warns Bali.

Why Tattoo Aftercare Matters

While most cloudiness is part of the healing process, poor aftercare can make it worse. Dr Jain says that slathering on too much ointment can trap moisture between skin layers, creating a hazy effect. Over-moisturising can also make the peeling phase messy, while under-moisturising can slow healing.

The golden trio of aftercare:

• Keep it clean, but not soaking wet
• Moisturise lightly with fragrance-free ointment or lotion
• Avoid scratching, picking, or exfoliating the area until it’s fully healed

The Healing Timeline: What to Expect

• Week 1: Swelling and inflammation can make colours look slightly different. Cloudiness starts to creep in.
• Week 2: Peeling is in full swing, and the haze is most noticeable. Do not pick.
• Weeks 3–4: New skin settles in, clarity returns, and your tattoo looks almost like day one.
• Weeks 4–6: Full healing. Your tattoo now has its true colours and crisp lines.

Your tattoo’s journey is a cycle: vibrant due to fresh ink, hazy during inflammation and peeling, then clear again as the skin regenerates. In short:

• The cloudy phase is temporary.
• Don’t touch, scratch, or peel.
• Follow optimal aftercare to prevent infection.
• Always ensure your artist uses fresh, sterilised needles.

As Bali puts it, “Your tattoo is for life. A couple of hazy weeks is nothing compared to years of wearing a clear, beautiful design.”

"Women in China do not wear tampons. In fact, if you are trying to find tampons in Chinese supermarkets or drug stores, you will struggle to find one," says Sara Jane Ho, who calls herself an Eastern healer and storyteller and hosts the Netflix podcast Mind Your Manners. She is also the cofounder of Antevortal Laboratories, which makes intimate care inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM).

Sara goes to talk about why Chinese women don't use tampons. The reason is backed by TCM, she says. She says, "In Chinese culture, we emphasize the free flow of blood and qi." 'Qi' in Chinese medicine means the vital energy or the life force.

She then poses a question: "What is supposed to come out naturally, should not be stuffed back up there, right?"

She further explains that as per TCM, tampons block the natural downward flow of menstrual blood, which leads to "stagnation or cramps or other imbalances and in TCM keeping the womb warm is really essential." She also says that it is believed that tampons cause womb and the uterus to be cold, which can lead to some fertility issues, or menstrual pain.

She says while for West, this may not be an acceptable reason to not use a tampon, recent studies have shown that tampons too contain harmful chemicals, fragrances, and microplastics, which makes it harmful for usage.

What Does The Study Say About Tampons And Safety

It is true, in fact, a 2024 study published journal Environmental International, titled Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s, used very high heat acid to leach heavy metals from tampons. The researchers were testing to see if tampons contained 16heavy metals, including arsenic, copper, lead, and iron.

The tampons they tested came from several brands, some were even organic. The result showed that each of the 60 samples contained heavy metals, with 12 of the heavy metals found in every tampon. While it is not known how exactly did these metal end up there, it may be possible that the plant used to make the tampons may have absorbed these metals form the soil or chemicals or pesticides. Another reason could also be during the time of processing.

Another thing which was found was the use of PFAS, sometimes called the "forever chemicals", and stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

The popularity of PFAS makes it difficult to know exactly how they impact health; however, some studies have reported they may be harmful to humans and animals, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

China And Tampons

Back in 2016, when China's Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui opened up about being on her period during the competition in Rio, and received praised from the Western media for using her platform and breaking the stigma, back at home, she was questioned on how can she swim while being on her period? As the Guardian also reported, it is because only 2% women use tampons, and so many did not think it would have been possible for anyone to swim on their period.

The Guardian in its Women's Blog, reports: "The question rang everywhere: “You can swim on your period?” Many around me (including myself) had believed that elite female athletes simply adjusted the timing of their period so as to not have to deal with it during major events. Let’s face it, even if it doesn’t affect performance, you hardly want to be “on” when trying to be at your best.

Some users of Weibo (China’s equivalent to Twitter) were genuinely asking how come Fu wasn’t making the pool red."

"Chinese medicine is also hugely influential, too, if only subconsciously, and its basis in non-invasive treatment creates unease around putting a foreign object into the body, for hours at a time. It is also seen as potentially harmful for girls who are still “growing”," noted the Guardian report.

But Is It Safe To Use Tampons?

While it is true that harmful chemicals have been found in tampons, there are safety practices one can follow to help prevent infections while using a tampon. These are:

• Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands before and after inserting a tampon.
• Change your tampon every 4 to 6 hours.
• Only use tampons while you are on your period.
• Cancer patients with low white blood cell counts should consider avoiding tampons to reduce the risk of infection.

There are also alternatives to tampons that one can use, including pads, period underwear, and menstrual cups.