If we can ever hope to find any semblance of lasting happiness and inner peace, we need to mindfully reject the idea that it's desirable or admirable to be busy all the time. It's our responsibility to say to society, no. I'm just not buying into that busy BS. I'd like to prioritize my health and well-being. I'd like to find a balance between effort and ease.
As technology advanced and we became better connected over the last few decades, paradigms about productivity shifted. This slowly re-defined what was expected of employees. Remember the days when only doctors wore beepers and were expected to be on-call? Now across almost every industry there's an expectation that workers, from entry level to the top of the organization, be available and checking email 24x7.
The paradox, is that this is creating a society of stressed out, depressed, and anxious people who are not as productive at work as they could be if they learned the technique of occasionally disconnecting completely.
Yes, we should all work hard and be dedicated to our jobs. I certainly am. But as a practice, you can also implement the technique of shutting down from time to time. Think of it as ctrl+alt+del for your brain.
This might sound radical, but you can choose to take 24 hours to respond to a text. Ask yourself, is this message an emergency? If it's not an emergency, let it wait.
You can also reclaim one weekend day and decide you aren't checking email. All day.
Another great practice is taking a three day vacation from the news cycle. We don't need to stay connected to every sensational thing that happens worldwide or every stupid thing your least favorite politician says. You can make a decision to give your mind a break. I guarantee it will all be there when you come back.
Last, but not least, please forget about the Kardashians. You do not need to keep up with them anymore. Their lives are really none of your business, anyway.
Now that you have freed up a little time and left the phone and the laptop turned off at home, get yourself into the woods.
Breathe. Put both hands on a tree. Maybe take your shoes off and have your toes sink into the soil for a moment. Spend some time watching a single leaf's journey to the ground.
Allow Mother Earth to heal you from this busy-sickness and toward inner peace.
Simple practices. Happier life.
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