THE BUSINESS OF BUSYNESS!
We have all heard the phrase, “I am busier than a one-armed paper-hanger!” Well maybe not exactly those words but certainly the inference that life is busy.
Is busyness a symptom of our life style or a symptom of our society? Is busyness forced upon us by external forces or do we simply succumb to it by believing it is the only way to move forward? Yes, everyone has to earn a living to put bread on the table but where is the balance between working and not working too much?
Someone very close to us recently had a mental breakdown because her work-load was constantly increased, more and more expected of her and the responsibilities grew to breaking point. You know the scene, going in early, staying late or taking work home. For what? The end result! Unable to work at all and a year of recovery. Does that make sense? Even not working outside the home does not preclude a life of busyness.
There are, of course, those who purposely keep themselves busy. By doing so they legitimately avoid facing issues that need to be faced. It could be small insignificant nuisance jobs in the home or it could be repairing a seriously damaged relationship. The busyness is an act of procrastination. Eventually the issue at hand calls for attention. I read of one person who excelled at procrastination only to find he spent sleepless nights as he struggled with the issues he knew he ultimately had to face.
One of the subjects I deal with in my new book “Body Parts and the Invisible You” is the need to slow down. We need to occasionally get off the merry-go-round and take stock of our lives. This is why vacations are essential. It’s a time to stop and smell the roses. It’s a time to relax, renew and be refreshed. It gives time to take an overview of where you are going and what you are achieving for yourself and your family.
If you can’t get a vacation then try ten minutes a day in quiet solitude to subdue the busyness. Don’t allow yourself to be answerable to work but make work answerable to you. So today stop, think, reorganize, plan systematically and be in control. For the sake of your sanity and your health take back your life – it’s yours to take!
