When someone asks, "How are you?", how do you respond? It's easy and almost instinctive to respond with the default "Busy, but good!". And I mean, life can be pretty demanding, but as a culture we've fallen into the trap of glorifying the craziness of modern day life - the rushing, the racing, the busy-ness. We've fallen into the trap of thinking that in order to be successful and productive we must be busy. It's almost worn like a badge of honour - but this is where we've gone wrong.'Busy' isn't always a sign of productivity or a life lived to the fullest. Unfortunately, the tendency to feel or constantly be 'busy' more often than not, leaves you overwhelmed and anxious. And while you're fluttering around in the overwhelm, you're missing the things that really matter in life; the small, in-between moments.
You end up forgetting to put yourself first. You end up feeling so tired and burnt out that your quality of life diminishes. And instead, you end up doing things for the sake of it rather than living in your purpose.
So, how do you stop feeling so busy, even though you've got a lot on your plate?
- Set boundaries; with work, with your friends, with yourself. Learn what's important to you and where you draw your line.
- Time block. Make space for the to-do lists and projects, but also make space for the things that are important to you and support your wellbeing.
- Meditate. Meditation will calm your nervous system and make you more present. The result? A calmer approach to life. Time will feel as though it expands.
- Take herbs and supplements that support a healthy nervous system. Calm and clarity = focus, and focus = accuracy and getting things done faster, but without feeling flustered.
- Change your language around what you do every day. If you are working hard towards something, tell people that! Say, "I've been so productive recently, I'm working toward X Y and Z." Change the narrative. Not only will you encourage other's to let go of the 'busy'ness, but you'll encourage a more open and connected conversation too.
And the result of that? A more fulfilling and peaceful life. And when we really think about it, that's the point of living, right?