How Being Busy Is Taking A Toll On Your Health & Sanity

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life” said Socrates and yet we bear our busy status as a badge of honor.

From entrepreneurs to home-makers, one popular belief exists ubiquitously – IF YOU AREN’T SWAMPED WITH HEAPS OF STICKY NOTES, YOU AREN’T IMPORTANT ENOUGH.

I bet Socrates is raising an eyebrow coz the truth is, being super busy with your constantly beeping phones and your infinite to-do lists is in fact, lethal to your productive.

But then, busy has become the definition of our lives. With our chocked up schedules and some added milestones unexpectedly thrown in by our managers, one can’t help but wonder how we are managing to survive. Most of us are often too busy to value and appreciate anything except for a bag of chips or takeaways.

This is how being busy is taking a toll on your health & sanity:

Being busy puts your health at risk:

Can’t seem to shake off that incessant headache? Let this be a long overdue wake-up call.

Constantly juggling with 10 different tasks or worrying about the ‘juggling act’ can cause chronic stress, which in turn puts your body at risk.

What your body, needs, craves and begs for is Self-Love and you need to make this non-negotiable. I am not talking about a 2-day vacation which relieves you of stress on paper; I am talking about a holistic approach to taking care of your mind, body, and soul.

Ask yourself, is working odd hours really worth it? is that email/conference call/social media post really that urgent? Whenever the answer is a no, indulge in some self-care. Set your priorities right, build a routine that prioritizes your health. Whether it’s a 7am walk, or a yoga session at lunch hours find some way to relax and rejuvenate. Be active, keep your body in tune, and then be busy (you have my blessing)!  

Being busy doesn’t give you time to do NOTHING.

You are busy, I get it! But unless you are calling the shots for the likes of LinkedIn you need to follow ⇓ advice.

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner advocates taking some time every day to actively do nothing – you heard me NOTHING! Weiner schedules free blocks of time to think, plan, and reflect.

Now last time I checked a CEO gets the same number of hours in a day as you or me, so if he can find time, we can too.

Chuck out some time for your wellbeing – exercise, read, meditate no matter what you choose just block some ME time. If your schedule is set in stone, wake up an hour early to accommodate YOURSELF.

Here are some lifestyle changes you can make today to restore your health & sanity:

• Skip that late night YouTube marathon and hit the pillow.
• Sleep more (less than 6 hours sleep increases our odds of diabetes and heart disease).
• Walk in fresh air it’s nature’s best energizer.
• Ditch your phone (at least once in a while).
• Drink water, not beer (alright, alright drink a little beer but don’t forget water!).
• Schedule a health check-up.

In the end:

While you may feel you are on fire with your busy schedules, you need to acknowledge the red flags because, without the required amount of care and kindling, that fire is right on the verge of fizzling out. And, don’t make me quote Buddha – “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” (You knew this was coming!)