Is our stress coming from being so busy? I read an interesting article the other day about stress and some of the info they gave really stopped and made me think.
1) The WHO ranks the US as the #1 most anxious country.
I notice how we seem to be going faster, working harder and in a hurry to get the next thing done. I was in Costco the other day and it was mid October and they already had all the Christmas decorations, toys etc. on the shelves – really? The season had just changed from summer to fall and we are already thinking about winter? We haven’t even gotten to Halloween yet. I feel like I’m going to get a whiplash at the rate things are coming and going and being pushed on us. What happened to being in the moment? No wonder mindfulness is now something we talk about all the time and have to be well – mindful.
I wonder if the pace or focus that our culture is currently in is always best or healthy. I think there is a quiet stress that we are not really aware of. The technology is endless, the activities are endless, and all the things that vie for our time or pull us in different directions are endless. We can get so busy “doing” that we are not “living”. Life is so precious and time is so valuable. One of the most valuable things that we can do is to slow down or be in the moment doing what we need or want to be doing. I think it’s so important to check in and make sure our values or intensions match our actions.
The other pattern I notice that most of us are doing is the need to be busy or occupied. We tend to think that busyness shows importance. We seem to running to the next thing to do or checking our email etc. Does having a packed schedule mean success or importance? Is it beneficial? I think we are confusing the idea that having a good work ethic means we have to be running with our heads chopped off. I worry about the example I am setting for my kids. Our life is full and that is great but I just don’t want the message to be life is all about the schedule. I want to teach them that being quiet or spending some time with yourself, a friend or with God is just as meaningful or important.
When I start to feel to stressed or to busy. I catch myself and try to make myself stop. I then take a deep breath and just sit for a minute and ask myself what is important right now? What is worthy of my time or thoughts right now? This centers me and I start to feel focused and calm. I have come to realize that I can choose to be on the crazy train or the calm train. I try to keep the perspective and remember that at the end of our life what is going to matter are the moments and memories not all the material things, distractions or noise.
