If you’ve been feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s time to slow down and consider how to avoid the busyness trap!
First, what exactly is the “Busyness Trap”?
You know that thing that happens when you find yourself standing in the kitchen, staring at piles of dishes and a messy countertop?
The feeling of mild panic that rises up when you wonder how in the world you’re going to get everything cleaned up AND figure out what to do for dinner BEFORE you round up your kiddos and rush out the door for a GAZILLION errands, appointments, and activities.
Busy, busy, busy.
How to Avoid the Busyness Trap
It seems to me that busyness has become an epidemic.
We begin with the best intentions.
Maybe it starts with adding a few extra hours of work here and there and then morphs into another activity for our kids, two extra volunteer commitments, and a calendar bursting with evening and weekend activities.
Our desire to “do it all” starts with the best intentions but often ends up in stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion.
But we’re so afraid of missing out and being overlooked that we don’t see how we’re adding unrealistic expectations and unnecessary stress to our lives.
I refer to this as The Busyness Trap
We all felt the fear and isolation that the covid-19 pandemic wreaked upon our lives. Once the seemingly endless months of sheltering at home and remote schooling came to an end, we were left to navigate a whole new post-pandemic world.
It hasn’t been easy, has it?
Regardless of where you are on the masking/vaccine/mandates issues, I think we can probably all agree that it’s been an incredibly challenging couple of years.
And of course, during those long months of sheltering at home, most of us were feeling antsy and desperate to get back to our full calendars and meaningful activities.
And what I’ve noticed is that for many of us, we were so excited to jump back into life that we may have unknowingly overdone it.
Many of us have fallen right back into the busyness trap.
Fear-of-Missing-Out and You-Only-Live-Once pressure us into thinking that if our schedules aren’t packed then there’s no way we can actually be living our best life.
And while we say we want to enjoy some leisure time this summer and prioritize rest and relaxation, I’m looking around and noticing just how very busy we all appear to be.
Many of us are stuck in a vicious cycle of busyness.
And I am certainly not immune!
In fact, I’m currently smack dab in another season of trying to juggle the real and necessary demands of life while also doing my best to discern just how packed I want my schedule to be.
It’s SO easy to fall into the busyness trap. To respond to the question, “How’ve you been?” with a sigh and an exasperated response of “Busy!”
Being productive and efficient allows us to feel important and worthy.
But at what cost?
Have you fallen into The Busyness Trap?
Be honest with yourself.
Ask yourself what would happen if you created a little more space in your life.
What if you dared to prioritize rest and relaxation?
What if you felt OK with your children getting bored?
If you didn’t feel the need to rush from task to task for the sake of feeling productive and efficient?
I’m currently looking over my calendar and assessing upcoming plans and obligations.
And I’m asking myself what is necessary and what I might be able to eliminate or outsource. All in the name of rest, relaxation, and spaciousness.
Care to join me?
I invite you to reflect on the current pace of your life and consider if there are areas where you can slow down. Are there ways you can be less busy?
Here are a few related blog posts you might find helpful:
Are You Stuck in the Comparison Trap?
How to Manage Your Exhaustion in Effective Ways
I know there are rarely any quick and painless solutions or easy fixes. But slowing down a bit and creating more space IS doable. Let’s support each other!
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