By Deborah Walsh Dobbs, M.A. / Contributor
The deadline for this article is tomorrow, and I’ve been too busy to write it. At least I’ve done plenty of research on being busy! I did that while pretending to pay attention at a mandatory (boring) grant workshop and then at the tumbling place while my daughter took her classes. I did research while riding my new bicycle (podcasts rock!). I researched under the glow of my itty bitty book light while my husband slept oh so peacefully beside me. I launched questions about feeling busy to my Facebook friends and then worked on a grant application. When I returned to see the comments and private messages, I was overwhelmed. And then I was sad because so many people are at the end of their ropes, feeling insignificant or carrying burdens no mere mortal can bear.
By the way, busyness has become such a reality for people that it’s actually a word now. To my fellow grammar enthusiasts, I kid you not. (And no, I did not add it to the dictionary!) That doesn’t mean it’s good. There are countless statistics floating around supporting the idea that being perpetually busy is harmful. It’s so detrimental that it has been dubbed the new smoking. You might recall a time when smoking was seen as cool, chic, even sexy. What a scam that was! One day, people will look back at our current state of busyness and feel the same.
Busyness promotes social isolation
This is significant because relationships matter above all else. When you’re busy, friends turn into mere acquaintances. Acquaintances don’t evolve into deep connections. Busyness disrupts your relationships with your children, your spouse, and your extended family. The key to living a fulfilling life is social connections. They matter more for our longevity than staying smoke-free or limiting alcohol consumption (refer to Susan Pinker’s TED Talk).
Busyness is morally wrong!
Speaking of relationships, how is your connection with the Alpha & Omega? How are you and the universe faring these days? Every religion cautions against being busy. Busyness isn’t part of the Eightfold Path. You won’t find it in the Ten Commandments. Our belief systems encourage us to remember the Sabbath, observe Shabbat, pray, and meditate. As my dear friend, who is also a preacher, said, “Even God rested.” If your life revolves around being busy, your spiritual well-being, regardless of its form, will suffer.
Busyness disrupts your mind and body
It leads to forgetfulness and anxiety. A constant state of busyness induces chronic stress, which releases cortisol, a substance that can be toxic to our bodies. Chronic stress depletes the beneficial chemicals in our brains, heightening our risk for various issues, from mood disorders to cancer.
Busyness sends the wrong message to our children
Let’s not conflate busyness with ambition. Being busy is chaotic, scattered, and superficial. By adopting a busy lifestyle, you risk becoming fragmented. If you or your children are involved in numerous activities, it’s unlikely that any will be done well. Continuous activity and jumping from one task to another convey the idea that our worth is based on what we do, that quantity is more important than quality, and that we lack inherent value.
These four points are just the tip of a hazardous iceberg. We don’t have to continue living like this.
You might ask, “How does one start a rebellion against busyness?” Let’s initiate this by aligning our mindset and critically examining our calendars.
