There are two main reasons why being busy is so bad for your health.
Not sure about you but the last 5 weeks have been busier for me, than the first part of this year. These past weeks three close people have passed away, three wakes, two funerals (one pending), engagement, baby dedication, two wedding anniversaries, a 30th, three 60th, 70th and a 90th birthdays, organised 3 events and the list goes on.
What about you? Maybe not as crazy as my past weeks but do you feel like you’re on a roller coaster, a treadmill that doesn’t have a stop button?
So, what are we gonna do about it?
If you resonate with what I’m saying, here’s some information that I researched to share with you
Our constant busyness can lead to mental fatigue, overwhelm, depression and anxiety, and sometimes, not sure about you, but you feel like you can never escape from the merry-go-round of life.
We already know that our bodies cannot keep optimal health when it doesn’t have time to rest and repair and we then we start to get sick.
Added to this list I suffer with crazy sleep patterns due to menopause – that in itself causes a lot of stress in my body.
Here are five simple steps that can help you and I reclaim our time and start living life according to our own priorities, values and dreams.
How to beat the overwhelm and busyness and rediscovering yourself
1. Decide what’s important to you
In order to be truly happy and healthy, it’s vital that you understand what really matters to you and make these your priority. Make time for these things and enjoy every second as you do.
Yvette: we need to feel more in control, even when life is busy for us
Yvette: Remember- we all have limited time and energy so as much as we wish, we can’t do everything all the time.
2. Review your commitments
Do your commitments really light you up? Do they bring you joy? Are they priorities in your life?
Yvette: most things bring me joy – I’ve just got to find ways to make things easier for myself.
3. Lighten your load
Even if we can’t reduce our commitments and daily obligations, we can often find ways to make life easier and cut the amount of time and effort we need to invest in them.
Yvette: delegate, delegate, DELEGATE. If unable to, find easier ways to do things.
4. Fill your own tank first
You cannot offer support to others and be the ‘best’ wife, mother, friend or human being unless you first take care of yourself. It’s just like when they’re running through the safety information on the plane and they tell you to put your oxygen masks on before you help others. Self-care is vital.
Yvette: self-care is a decision – we got to start doing one thing for ourselves and then commit to doing it regularly, then over time, you’ll notice how much better you feel and this small act of self-care will become a habit.
5. Find quiet time and space in your day
When we’re so busy, we often forget to listen to what we really want from life, or we simply can’t because of the noise and chaos. That’s why it’s so important to find quiet time or ‘me time’ when you don’t have commitments and don’t have to do anything and simply be.
Yvette: if we don’t spend time in quietness and listening to what’s going on in our heads, then how are we going to feel what our hearts most needs to tell you.
This will help guide you through the good times and the bad and help you live an authentic and fulfilling life.
The aim for all of this is to feel much calmer, more grounded and much more relaxed. Will we keep it though?
Yvette McDonald