The “never-stopping” lifestyle

I’m 32, married, 1 kid, have a corporate white collar salaried job.

It feels like I’m being squeezed from all angles. My work squeezes every ounce of mental energy I have and then some to keep up with the workload, often having to put in hours at home after I get the kid to sleep. My wife stays busy with a full time job and is involved in the community, so she’s often leaning on me to help with this or that in addition to my regular at-home responsibilities. In-laws want to get together all the time. If I can manage to find a couple hours to play 9 holes of golf, I know that’s 2 more hours of work/chores that I’m putting off for later. I get vacations, but just because I go on vacation the work doesn’t take a pause, it just accumulates and waits for me to get back.

I love my family, I like my job as much as someone can like a job, and I’m not unhappy. I’m just wondering is this what adulthood is supposed to be? I’m basically just a cog in the machinery endlessly spinning to keep things working, my mental health, personal interests/goals, and relaxation be damned?

I think this type of lifestyle is what often leads to divorce. People want their personal time back and want to have the sense that they are in control of their daily lives and aren’t simply just a cog in the machinery.