Are you showing the symptoms of ‘Hurry Sickness’…?
I have been thinking all morning on how to add value to you in this month’s newsletter, when I stepped outside to peg cloths on the line. Yes I still do this, no clothes dryer for me), when I noticed our neighbours dog Ruby, she was laying on her back, belly in the air, in the sun. 🙂
It reminded me that we all need that moment of stopping, letting the sun on our face or bellies, catching our breath and not trying to work at the speed of technology every moment of every day.
This month’s topic is Slowing Down to avoid ‘Hurry Sickness’!
Have you heard of ‘hurry sickness’? Cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman coined the term ‘hurry sickness’ as a continuous struggle and unremitting attempt to accomplish or achieve more and more things”.
Those who have it zoom in and out of lanes in congested traffic; try to be the first off the plane, even though they must wait forever at baggage claim; honk at you if you don’t take off like a rocket when the traffic light turns green; tap their fingers against anything they can find when they have to wait; punch the lift button repeatedly in an attempt to move it faster. Does this sound like you. I can say sadly ‘yes’ to having done these things in the past!
The person with ‘hurry sickness’ reminds us of the little hummingbirds. These tiny birds can fly forward, then hover in mid-air going nowhere. Their tiny wings can move up to seventy-five times each second! The trouble is, their average life span is only three years compared to an eagle that lives thirty years. What’s the difference? The eagle has learned to conserve its energy by riding the God-given wind currents.
Deciding to move at a slower pace, will definitely improve the quality of your life and your relationships.
Every time you get in a hurry mode, you send a ‘state of emergency’ signal to your body. And it responds by releasing the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol that prepare you to deal with danger.
The body cannot distinguish between physical danger, or any other form of stress and pressure. It only knows that action has to be taken and that it must energise you to deal with it.
Now, this is a good thing if you’re indeed physically threatened. But to live with your body constantly on high alert is like fighting a fifteen-round nonstop boxing match, living in hyper-vigilant mode is not good.
Sooner or later, you can pay the price in the form sickness, heart disease, ulcers, forgetfulness, and a multitude of other conditions.
Well, what’s the cure?
A-C-T: Awareness, Change, Transition.
Become aware of your continual high-gear mode and what part you play each time you hurry. Ask yourself, ‘How could I have prevented this?’
Change – Begin to change your behaviour, step by step slowing your pace by asking yourself, is this an emergency situation or am I making it into one?
Transition – e.g. Do you allow the grace of transitions in your life, or do you simply blast from one thing to the next. Take the time to transition from one thing to the next.
Our souls need transition time, especially in the busyness of the world we live in. What if you take five or ten minutes between calls, appointments, activity, emails, etc.. to just clear your head and breath. I have been doing this and its incredible the difference you feel.
Or maybe you are like our neighbours dog Ruby, and need to stop and lay in the sun, let it warm your face – or even your belly if that’s what you need. Key here is to slow down, be kind to you because you truly matter!
Some exerts today from ‘Vision Media’ daily reading and ‘Get Your Life Back’ John Eldredge.
Journey well…
Love
Wendy xx
