The Soft Life Generation: How Nigerians Are Choosing Peace Over Pressure
By Elizabeth Oluwaponmile
I remember growing up in a time when success meant working yourself to the bone, when exhaustion was proof of effort and rest was seen as weakness. In those days, we were told that only the strong survive, that peace could wait until after achievement. For years, Nigerians wore “hustle” as a badge of honour. To rest was to fail; to complain was to be weak. Success was seen as an act of struggle and abundant stress. It was said that if one was less stressed, then one could not be seen as successful. But today’s generation is redefining the meaning of work. The goal is no longer to suffer endlessly, but to succeed wisely and smartly.
Something is gradually changing. They say Lagos traffic never sleeps. A young woman, pastel-coated kettle in hand, sits by her balcony overlooking the city’s bustle. She is not rushing off to a nine-to-five. Instead, she is editing video content, responding to messages from clients overseas, hoping that the power holds and the data is stable. She wants the peace of working on her own terms. Welcome to Nigeria’s quiet revolution—the Soft Life Generation—those choosing peace over pressure.
Technology has become the greatest tool of liberation. With just a smartphone, many Nigerians are now earning from global clients, managing online stores, or building audiences through TikTok and Instagram. The digital economy is slowly replacing the old idea that success can only be found in office spaces or physical labour. It has expanded the flexibility of how success can be defined.
Soft life is not about laziness or weakness; it is about prioritising comfort and avoiding unnecessary stress and excessive hustle. It means ensuring that one’s physical and mental health is well managed and preserved, rather than risking needless burnout. To many, it means choosing a side gig over a full-time job that drains them, opting for digital work so they can be where they want, instead of constantly battling bad roads and rigid schedules. It is choosing less noise, more calm, and comfort within constraints.
The backbone of this shift is economic reality. Unemployment, inflation, and the high cost of living are pushing many toward the digital and informal sectors. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in the third quarter of 2023, about 87.3 per cent of employed Nigerians were primarily self-employed, while only about 12.7 per cent held formal, salaried positions.
Making things more interesting, a World Bank study titled Working Without Borders finds that Nigeria, along with Kenya and South Africa, accounts for roughly 80.6 per cent of internet traffic to online gig platforms across Sub-Saharan Africa. There are an estimated 17.5 million online gig workers in these three countries alone.
In urban centres especially, young people are becoming freelancers, content creators, and remote tech workers. They sell skills online, deliver food, drive, write, and design. Some make more from freelance gigs than they ever did in their old “steady” jobs. Many young Nigerians in their twenties now make a steady income from TikTok videos, often earning as much as ₦300,000 monthly from brand deals and partnerships.
Growing up in many Nigerian homes meant hearing, “If you do not work hard, you do not deserve anything.” Hustle was honoured; rest was frowned upon. Yet today’s youth are pushing back. They talk openly about anxiety, burnout, and feeling like they are always performing. They share schedules with rest blocks. They take mental health seriously. They seek meaning over mere survival.
Social media amplifies this shift. Influencers post about “digital detox days,” “mental health check-ins,” or scenes of real life, generator noise, data struggles, yet also yoga mats, plants, and gratitude. This juxtaposition reminds us that peace is not perfection; it is about accepting what we can control and letting go of what we cannot.
However, soft life has its own pressures. Not everyone can access it. The privilege of rest, flexible work hours, steady salaries, or digital tools depends on the stable availability of the internet, devices, electricity, and a safe workspace. For some, the line between peace and pretence often blurs. Soft life ends up being a performance for daily living. Many feel pressured to prove that they are living well, posting restful moments, curated feeds, and enviable lifestyles, while under the surface, stress persists. The result is a quiet competition to appear “soft,” even when reality feels hard.
Mental health challenges are also on the rise. Across the country, many young people struggle with depression, anxiety, and emotional fatigue, fuelled by financial stress and social comparison. Studies show that a growing number of adolescents and young adults experience anxiety and low mood as they navigate unstable incomes, long hours, and the constant need to promote themselves online. For freelancers and digital workers especially, freedom sometimes comes at the cost of isolation, overwork, and burnout. For TikTok creators, there are sleepless nights of editing and the sting of online hate.
In a country that once worshipped hustle, the Soft Life Generation is building something different, not easier, not always comfortable, but more humane. Choosing peace over pressure is not an act of resignation; it is an act of wisdom and courage. It is saying: I will work, but I will not lose myself in the work. True soft life is not measured by luxury or lifestyle; it is measured by peace of mind. It is the freedom to say no, to rest without guilt, to pursue purpose instead of constant struggle. Perhaps the true revolution is silent, a generation learning that peace is not weakness, and rest is not laziness. If this mindset grows, Nigeria might not just have a softer generation, but a stronger, saner one.
If Nigeria’s next revolution is whispered, maybe it is not in protests or politics, but in daily choices, refusing burnout, insisting on rest, and valuing presence over prestige. Because perhaps the truest success is not what we endure, but how well we live.
Oluwaponmile is a student of the University of Lagos.
