Probably feels that way. I get it. I’ve been there, I’ve been so busy I can’t think straight and I thought it was a good thing. You know how people say “it’s good to be busy”, “time is money”, “there’s no time to waste”, “stop wasting time” and on it goes. Our vernacular is peppered with such sub-conscious belief forming statements, and we all too often take them on without even really realising.
I used to wear it as a badge of honour actually, walking around waiting for someone to adorn me with a Superwoman Cape. Purely so everyone could know, and acknowledge, just how busy I was. Because I was self-crowned the Queen of Busy and the Queen of Multitasking (after all being just one Queen wouldn’t be busy enough now would it?) and was even pretty chuffed to be.
Until one day when I realised busy wasn’t actually all it was a cracked up to be. In honesty it wasn’t actually one day, I didn’t just wake up in an epiphanous moment and say “enough with the busy already,” no it was over a period of time. My body just started putting up a fight and if I was to be honest with myself my mind hadn’t been all that happy for a while either. When I refused to listen though it was my body that starting making a statement I couldn’t ignore.
I kept getting colds, sinus infections, bloating and feeling sick after I ate. I was just too tired to think straight, hello brain fog. Yet I kept pushing. Until I realised my push was futile. What was I actually trying to prove anyway? And to whom? Even if someone gave me my Superwoman Cape or I won some award for the busiest of them all, then what? What would it mean and how I could enjoy it if I was too busy to even notice? Or worse I was curled up in a corner in a burnt out mess!
I certainly didn’t want my kids to see this kind of role model, and there comes a point in motherhood when you really just get that you can’t make your kids be interested in the healthy lifestyle you would want to them to have, without showing them the way. How was it helping anyone to have me racing around like a chicken with its head cut off, unable to wind down or relax?
Now I had skimmed articles like this one, seen all the headings for how meditation helped and this and that, but I was too busy to really take it in. That is until I made a real effort to. That is until I got really clear on what mattered most to me and designed a lifestyle to accommodate that.
I started actually reading all the books and articles I had accumulated on mindfulness and the like. Sadly, I had to give up the notion that just having the books and seeing the article headings would magically mean that by osmosis I would benefit. More importantly though I actually started taking action, because let’s face it you can read all you want but if you don’t actually do anything with the new information it won’t change anything.
I set up a chill out zone in my house, got myself a comfortable chair, (I am a Queen after all so comfort is important) and started small. With just 5-10 minutes of chilling out. Just doing ‘nothing’ and bringing awareness to my thoughts a.k.a a form of meditation, or reading a book, writing a poem or doodling something arty. Just being. Reminding myself that I in fact a human being not just a human doing.
Then who knew, slowing down, taking time out from being busy actually made me calmer, more grounded, more focused and more productive. Oh and just a generally happier person to be around. So in case you’ve been waiting for permission to take some time out and just be, here it is. Just do it. Your mind, body, spirit, loved ones and family will thank you!