Do you reply I am crazy busy when people ask, “How are you?”
Over the past few years, many articles have emerged about the function of our being so “busy” and how this “busy-ness” serves to distance us from our unique purpose, from connecting with others and from connecting to our authentic selves.
If we consider that being busy could be responsible for the majority of diseases that exist in the Western world, also contributing to a plethora of physical ailments and mental disorders, then we may begin to realize the magnitude of this epidemic. And once we recognize and allow ourselves to regard this “busy-disease” as an epic problem of our time…don’t we then need to take steps toward changing it…not only for ourselves, but for all the generations to come?
Below are three articles and a podcast that have profoundly changed my perspective about being “busy.” Each resource addresses the state of “busy” from a different, yet powerful, angle. Following the resources are some suggestions of how to start examining and moderating your busy life…so feel free to scroll past the links…in case you are too “crazy-busy” to check ’em out 😉
“How are we supposed to live, to examine, to be, to become, to be fully human when we are so busy?” this article asks and eventually answers “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
This article posits that being busy can often serve as a status symbol (disguised as a complaint), yet in reality “serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness…”
Could our busy-ness be a numbing strategy, to avoid feelings or avoid connection? See what this article says…do you agree?
According to Laura Vanderkam, “How we spend our time, it turns out, is not a matter of fate, it’s a matter of choice.” This podcast asks and answers some very poignant points about time, being busy, and how we choose to live our lives.
These resources are a great reminder that each of us is here for a greater purpose and that life is not only about errands, to-do lists and deadlines. However, this is easy to forget when we are always running. Which leads to the core of the matter…
How can we design our lives in a way that honors our deeper selves, while still remaining practical and productive?
Here are some questions and suggestions to get your juices flowing……
Are you scheduling breaks and pauses in your day? The reality is that we all have a lot going on and we can’t all just move to a desert island and do nothing but fish and swim all day (although…I guess we could if we really wanted to…). This means that we may need to block out small moments in our day to pause, take some conscious breaths, and connect to things beyond our trusty to-do list. Try setting little alarms in your computer or in your phone to alert you that it’s a mindful minute moment……….and then honor them (no snoozing when the bell goes off…no matter what “important” task you may be doing!).
When is the last time you had a Do-Nothing-Day? A Do-Nothing-Day is a day where you do nothing you “need” to do and only things you “want” to do. It’s a day of no time checks, no required tasks, and a lot of self-care. It’s a day where you get to be with your beautiful self…with no distractions, no numbing, and no avoidance of who you really are. Schedule a Do-Nothing-Day now and stick to it!
Are you creating days filled more with what you have to do versus what you love to do? Take a full week to list everything you do all day long, including as many tasks as you can. At the end of each day, review your list. Put hearts next to the things you chose to do because you enjoy them and put “X’s” next to the things you did because you “had to.” Count ‘em up. If the “Xs” outweigh the hearts……..make a plan and create a schedule that honors your heart(s) 🙂
Make a plan and create a schedule that honors your heart! Then, the next time someone asks: “How are you?” you’ll hear the question as “How is your heart?” and you can honestly answer that your heart and your life is filled up with wonderful things that you love.
