I dream of a life where I am less busy on a daily basis. There, I’ve said it. A life where I am able to put good homemade food on the table without having had to throw it together in a mad rush after a full day at work. A life where (low and behold) I might even have too much time. Enough time to even get bored and dream a little. Sounds unrealistic?
In today’s world, perhaps. Yet how is it that we have gotten to the point where something as fundamentally basic and necessary for living and thriving, like feeding ourselves quality food, has become a side activity? Or worse: something that we do ‘on the go’. Since when did it become normal to cram every minute of our days full of activities, mental and physical? (Check out my post 5 Tools to Reduce the Effects of Stress Now).
How we spend our days, is of course how we spend our lives
Annie Dillard
Adaptive Nervous System
We can not do everything, or be everywhere at the same time – so, a time comes when we must choose. And we should choose well, because, as Annie Dillard said so well: “How we spend our days, is of course how we spend our lives”. If we do not want to become what we are currently doing, there is no other solution than to change what we are currently doing. We cannot function in a certain mode for years and then expect a side of us that has not been in use for ages, to still be as vibrant and active as it used to be. Only action keeps something alive. The brain and body is inherently adaptive, and eventually you will become all that you are doing and thinking.
A lot of people want to get more creative today. People are complaining of being over-worked and over-busy. Unfortunately, pressure, rushing and being constantly busy are pretty much all antidotes to creativity, and can all be the beginning signs of stress of even burnout.
Relaxation, not busyness, gets your mind and soul productive
Remember how your brightest ideas always come in the shower? There’s a reason for that: you’re usually quite relaxed when you are in the shower. Relaxation, not busyness, gets your mind and soul productive. Today though, it seems almost a crime to not be busy all the time. Yet, constant busyness can impair creativity and accumulate a physical tension that more and more people accept as normal. As a physiotherapist, I see it often: people struggling with ongoing and unexplained tension in their bodies.
(Learn to breathe better to quickly lower blood pressure, and diminish anxiety and stress. Read how in my blog post The Power of Breathing)
Rushing, or being busy, directly activates the sympathetic nervous system, putting your whole system on high alert
The Dark Side of Busy
Rushing, or being busy, directly activates the sympathetic nervous system, putting your whole system on high alert. This is the place from which a lot of people try to operate for the majority of the time, and it is making us sick at breakneck speed, and in unprecedented numbers.
There is a dark side to being busy. We can hide things in busyness. Busyness can become an addiction because of the payoff that it gives us. The pat on the back, the look of admiration, the feeling of self importance and not least the adrenaline rushing through your bloodstream keeping you pumped – and addicted. The modern adrenaline junkie is no longer a sky diver in a fluorescent outfit – no, he wears a suit and goes off to work every day like everybody else.
The modern adrenaline junkie is no longer a sky diver a fluorescent outfit – no, he wears a suit and goes off to work every day like everybody else
It is time to stop the glorification of ‘busy’. Quality of life decreases when we are functioning at too high a pace all the time, in ways we are only just beginning to appreciate. Poor sleep, impaired sex drive, injuries, high blood pressure, weight gain, and a constant feeling of being beside yourself are common side effects. Unfortunately, a lot of people accept these factors as a necessary part of living a ‘normal’ living. At worst, people idolize and celebrate unhealthy busyness in others, ultimately glorifying poor health, and propelling on a sick trend.
The New (healthy) Normal
Thankfully, a counter-reaction has been brewing in various corners of the world over the past years as people are starting to become more conscious of what causes stress. People are beginning to actively take a stance against the glorification of busy.
It is possible to be productive and relaxed
Around the world people are beginning to share ideas of how to live a life outside of the fast lane. Tiny houses, ‘slow living’, wholefood cooking and more work-from-home set ups are all examples of a growing awareness and a desire to get off the hamster wheel and inject their lives with more quality rather than quantity. More people are demonstrating that it is possible to be productive while living a life that is more relaxed. When we push and force things, we only create resistance, blocking natural flow and at worst we become stressed and completely unproductive. (Check out my post 10 Brilliant Reasons To Do Yoga, or The Power of Peace).
Being busy may make you feel important and temporarily accomplished. But sooner or later, dissatisfaction and frustration will arise when either disease sets in, or you sit there feeling like something fundamental just isn’t right. Constant busyness is an illusion and a trap that hinders your natural ability to be conscious and present to what is really important in your life.
So, let’s all help create a new norm of healthy, one where we can be both relaxed and productive. Make it a priority to unwind.
Happy health everyone!
Kirsten Louise