We have been home for the past six months and still, life feels as busy as ever. How can our calendar be almost completely void of activity and yet our lives feel overwhelming busy at the same time?
In an article at Psychology Today by Lissa Rankin M.D. she talks about our cultures addiction to being busy. She quotes Brene Brown as having said “One of the most universal numbing strategies is what I call crazy-busy. I often say that when they start having 12-step meetings for busy-aholics, they’ll need to rent out football stadiums. We are a culture of people who’ve bought into the idea that if we stay busy enough, the truth of our lives won’t catch up with us.”
How many times when someone has asked how you are doing have you said “I’m fine, just crazy busy”?
I know if asked I’d raise my hand and say a lot. Crazy busy is an easy out in a conversation that otherwise may require us to face a reality we don’t want to share. Crazy busy has become our normal state of being. It makes sense that even when our calendars are cleared of activities we still manage to find ourselves crazy busy. Spending our days at home we can find ourselves crazy busy with house projects we finally have time to take on. House cleaning because let’s face it, everyone, at home 24/7 means a constant state of needing to clean. Working from home means that you never leave work and there is always work to be done, add the stress of economic uncertainty and being crazy busy with work can provide a blanket of comfort.
Crazy busy is an easy out in a conversation that otherwise may require us to face a reality we don’t want to share.
Even if we aren’t filling our days with tasks to be accomplished we can still be crazy busy in our mental state. Decisions that were once so easily made without much consideration now weigh heavy upon us. In a season of back to school and normal life transitions we are faced with an unbelievable busyness of decision making. According to Eugene Peterson “Busyness is an illness of the Spirit”.
As I take time to reflect on my current state of busyness, it becomes apparent that crazy busy is as much a state of being as it is activities on our calendar. We often think of a busy life in terms of doing things. We are busy going and doing and we think of rest as not doing things. For some of us, we are intentional about taking breaks from a busy calendar schedule, yet because we are home ALL THE TIME, we don’t easily recognize the need for rest even in this season.
Crazy busy is as much a state of being
as it is activities on our calendar.
Rest is so important not just for our mental health but for physical well being. During times of rest and sleep our bodies repair and reset themselves. An active mind gets tired just like an active body. That is why even though we may not be as physically busy we can still feel exhaustion. Our minds are not getting the time to reset or rest that they need. When our minds are clutter with busyness we lack opportunity for reflection. We do not have the mental space to consider our responses and our words. When we are in a state of crazy busy either physically or mentally we can’t see the forest as we race through the trees. We miss out on the beauty.
Resting is about more than vegging out on Netflix for a day. Rest especially in pandemic life where we aren’t as physically active may not even be a state of physical rest. It may look like taking breaks and walking around the block. It may look like carving out times to pause and create space for your mind. It may look like prayer and meditation. It is about creating space for our mind, our soul, and our bodies to breathe.
When our minds are clutter with busyness we lack opportunity for reflection.
If we are worried about stepping away from our task list and carving out time for rest in our days in our weeks, Newsflash. Taking time to rest does not make us accomplish less. The opposite is true. In reality, we are more productive after we rest. Benjamin Franklin said, “He that can take a rest is greater than he that can take cities.” The art of learning to create space and time for your mind, soul, and body to rest is an art worth learning.
Rest is not a natural state of being for me, it is something I am still in the process of learning. Because I am not a quick learner life has demanded that I learn how to rest. Multiple Sclerosis has added a dimension to my life where learning how to rest both physically and mentally is a key aspect in my remaining healthy long term. But even without a chronic illness learning the art of rest is a valuable tool.
The art of learning to create space and time for your mind, soul, and body to rest is an art worth learning.
Finding ways to add rest into your rhythm of life is a personal journey. People are unique and what they find restful will vary. This is not a one size fits all but here are some things that I have found help me.
Tending my garden……even if you do not plant vegetables or grow beautiful flowers in your garden. A potted plant on your front porch, a pot of mixed herbs on your back deck. The need to water and tend to the plants has created space as I begin my day. I have found that when I step outside in the early morning to water or weed I am drawn into nature. Often I will linger with coffee in hand and prayers on my lips in that quiet space. Space where our soul breathes.
Journaling……..You do not have to be a writer to write in a journal. Whether you keep a gratitude journal, a prayer journal. If you simply write a few words about what happened in your day. Releasing thoughts onto paper with a pen is a way to unload them from your mind. Even creating a to-do list allows us mentally not to carry the tasks weighing heavy. Journaling creates space for our minds to breathe.
Time alone……often these days time alone is found by getting out of the house taking long walks on my own. Because I am not as physically active being at home all the time, my body needs to move more not less. But also because I am home with people all the time my mind needs time to think, to process, to reflect without interruption. Taking long walks in the early morning throughout the week allows space for my body and mind to recharge and breathe.
Naps…… Just a few years ago I would have told you I was not a nap taker. There was too much to do and I generally moved from one task to another and then crashed hard at night. Yet since my MS diagnosis, I have discovered the power in nap-taking. If I can find time to nap in the afternoon my mental and physical ability to be present with my family is much higher. I still may fall asleep watching a movie but I’m less easily frustrated, calmer, and more able to engage in the moments. Naps provide a space for both my mental and physical self to recharge. Not everyone finds naps help them and not everyone has the luxury of time to nap. But even if it’s a Sunday afternoon once a week, do not like I once did, discount the value of a nap as an adult.
Are you addicted to being crazy busy? Are you struggling even in Pandemic Life feeling crazy busy? Let’s together seek ways to be intentional about creating space in the Rhythm of our days to rest, mentally and physically.
Articles referenced in this post.
Are you addicted to being busy?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/owning-pink/201404/are-you-addicted-being-busy
The lost practice of resting one day each week.
https://www.becomingminimalist.com/resting/
