“How are you?”
“Busy!”
Sound familiar? Western society puts a lot of emphasis on being busy and views busyness as a badge of honor and a marker of self worth. The belief being that, if you’re busy then you’re important and successful. It feels good to be productive, needed, sought after for your talents and skills and show up for others when necessary, but are you placing too much importance on keeping a full schedule? And why?
On one hand, being busy can be healthy for your wellbeing, giving you drive and motivation to enjoy each day with a sense of purpose. On the other hand, it’s important to have a clear understanding about why your schedule is so busy, especially if you’re living on autopilot and feeling overwhelmed, overworked and unhappy. Here are 10 reasons why you might feel like you need to be busy all the time.
“Don’t mistake movement for achievement. It’s easy to get faked out by being busy. The question is: Busy doing what?” – Jim Rohn
10 reasons why you might need to be busy all the time
Badge of honor/status symbol:
Is looking and being “important” extremely important to you?
Job security:
You have to be super busy to secure your job or climb the ladder.
Avoidance of challenging emotions:
You don’t want to cope with challenging emotions such as fear, anger, resentment and sadness.
Being busy equals success:
You believe that having a full calendar means you are a successful person.
Experience anxiety when you slow down:
You don’t know what to do with yourself if you have “nothing” to do.
Feeling guilty when you take breaks:
You feel lazy, worthless or wasting your time.
Hard time saying no:
You have difficulty setting boundaries with others.
Busyness is habit forming:
It’s become an addiction.
Lack of clarity with priorities:
Getting clear on your priorities reminds you of what is important to you and how you want to use your time.
You find it difficult to relax:
If you’re in super drive all the time, you may find it extremely difficult to transition into relaxation.
On that note, as a teacher of Restorative yoga, when you settle into a pose, it always takes time for your mind and body to transition from busyness and into resting and relaxing. Sometimes it might be easier or quicker than other times but that transition is relevant. It’s important for your wellbeing to be able to connect with yourself emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Creating an experience for yourself that disconnects you from doing and connects you to just simply being will help you feel more relaxed and peaceful.
10 signs you might be too busy
- You feel overwhelmed and exhausted
- Difficulty concentrating/focusing
- Your schedule doesn’t include self care
- Losing track of your priorities
- Bitter and resentful from taking on too much
- You barely or never take time off
- Multitasking
- Constant full schedule
- You’re not enjoying life’s pleasures
- Difficulty relaxing and sleeping
10 tips to shift out of chronic busyness
- Stop glorifying busyness
- Define your priorities
- Be discerning about your responsibilities
- Stop multitasking. Focus on one thing at a time
- Establish boundaries/learn how to say no (find my tips here)
- Take frequent breaks throughout the day (learn about microbreaks here)
- Learn to Delegate Tasks
- Uncover the root cause of what you might be avoiding
- Schedule in time for self care
- Know that being busy is a lifestyle choice
Are there areas in your life that you can shift to create a more relaxed experience for yourself?
