Solo Girl Chronicles is a series created by #Femmeboss, a mobile app and membership app for women only who are seeking like-minded and compassionate friends to connect with or meet locally. This blog post is part of the series. You can learn more on their website and find new friends.
I’m guilty. Yes I’m aware of it, forever busy.
How did I realize it?
Well not only do people always comment on it, but hearing myself respond to, “How are you?”
Yep, you can always expect one of the following responses from me:
- Good, but busy
- So busy
- I’m okay, tired as usual
This “busy” thing doesn’t sound like a good thing. Does it make me feel important? No, not at all, but it does make me feel super tired as noted above *sigh*.
What is it that makes us feel like we have to be doing something, striving for the next goal, making “productive” use of our time? It’s a battle in my mind (thankfully becoming less and less) if I spend “too” much time just relaxing and catching up on my favorite show or simply just being in silence. There’s that little annoying voice (I’ve realized it’s my own damn voice) saying that you should really take this time to clean OR what about the project you’ve wanted to finish, oooohhh how about taking that class you’ve been thinking about? Then, I snap out of it and protest back, “STOP! No, I just want to sit here and drink my tea in peace and do it for as long as I want – and you know what, it’s okay to do so. Hear me girl? I said it’s OKAY!”
It must be something that is ingrained in us from a young age. We must use every bit of time to work towards something, learn something, do something…the list goes on and on. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in moving from task to task as if on autopilot and we don’t realize it until someone asks you how you are doing. Have you ever thought about the common thread in your responses?
For me, it’s led to a number of health issues and that’s not the way I want to break the cycle of busy. I want it to be a conscious choice and a choice that I don’t feel guilty about. I’m getting better; I see progress each and every day. I’ve incorporated a few strategies to help me along the way and if you struggle with the cycle of busy, they may help you too:
1. Schedule time in my calendar to just do me
I use this at the beginning of my challenge to hold myself accountable to simply take time to breathe. I schedule 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes before bed to just…be. Whether it’s writing in my journal, listening to music or staring at my vision board in silence. I also turn my phone off during this time. Those handy little genius pieces of technology are the worst at distracting me.
2. Peace out and be unreachable
I make a full effort to travel at least every three months, leaving my usual surroundings, getting away from the hustle. These trips can be an hour away or 10 hours away. Leaving my everyday life gives me freedom to catch up on rest or simply just do what I want to do – when I want to do it. I may have my phone with me, but I keep it on airplane mode most of the time and only check it a few times each day. Depending on my location, the roaming costs are insane, so that’s a good enough deterrent to keep me unplugged.
3. Practice self pep talks
That’s right – I talk to myself. Mostly in my head, but I’m not gonna lie, aloud too (my dog always gives me this strange look HA). The talk generally sounds like this:
“Taking time to hit that OFF switch and rest is actually being productive. It’s productive because it gives my mind, spirit, and body a chance to be still, renew, and refresh. It allows me to keep going and make moves with the many other hours of my time. Right? RIGHT!”
It’s been some time now, so I have this talk with myself less and less. I am chipping away at the belief that relaxing is a waste of time and replacing it with the belief that it’s an AWESOME use of time.
Now it’s your turn. Have you realized you’re stuck on “busy”? Do you often get burned out? Yes and yes? Then, it’s time to make a change. Start taking steps, even if they are small steps in breaking free from busy. Carve out time to be still, reflect, or simply rest. You deserve it and your entire being will reward you for it. And guess what – it’s perfectly fine to do it. You are in charge of you and your valuable time. Make time for the top priority: YOU!
Have you used similar or different methods that have helped you break the cycle of busy? I’d love to hear from you!
Great read! It’s true…we all need to Slw down a little bit and leave sometime for ourselves.
Thank you so much Shauna! Completely. We are so busy moving from task to task, we forget what we are even doing somethings. Our minds and bodies are on overload and simply being still every day will definitely help.