The Dis-ease of Busyness
Some days I catch myself saying to myself and others, “I am so busy.” I’m not the only one who suffers from the dis-ease of being busy. It seems to be a badge of honor we wear proudly, yet I wonder at its cost and the perspective I’m bringing to my life with this admission.
What if being busy is taking the easy way out of life?
We find distractions to fill our days, perhaps becoming so busy that we don’t allow time and space for stillness and quiet. This can often be the hardest thing to do in our waking hours. Simply sitting with ourselves and allowing the grace of a quiet space and observation of our thoughts, stirrings of the heart, and sensations of the body can be life giving. What are we robbing ourselves of if we don’t give ourselves this space and time? It’s like saying everything and everyone else matters more than ourselves and our higher power. I wonder if the absence of this sacred time is at the root of our individual and collective dis-ease.
I find that when I begin my days with the nourishment of time and space with myself and the Divine that I am more compassionate, empathetic, connected, and open hearted with myself and others. On the rare days I don’t gift myself this time, it’s like going out into the world without skin on my body. I feel as though I am raw and unable to meet the world in the way it deserves to be met, with the best of me.
Busyness is also the absence of healthy boundaries. One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is to set boundaries around our sacred time with self and the Divine. If you don’t already have a morning spiritual practice of silence and stillness, I invite you to begin setting boundaries with your loved ones around your sacred time. Pay attention to what happens to those around you when you enforce this boundary. You may notice that others start to enact their own boundaries around the practices and times of day that are sacred to them. You may notice they are resistant to adhering to your boundaries. The important thing is that you are noticing, you are aware! Busyness stifles awareness. It drowns it out with actions and ruminations meant to distract us from our true selves. Give yourself and others the gift of stillness and silence and flip the cultural script that tells us it’s a token of our worth to be seen as busy. Nothing could be further from the truth. You are sacred. You are meant to be in silence, stillness, and solitude throughout your life.
Living an intentionally spiritual life is often difficult. It takes discipline. It requires your presence and your time. And it often means going against cultural norms. You are made for this work, for this way of being. Giving yourself the gift of time alone with yourself opens you to the magic of life that is always available to you. Lay down your busyness trophy and gift yourself the wonder of being present to your life. You’ll thank yourself for taking the harder path that actually makes life easier.