10 Ways to Reduce Busy-ness and Restore Health to Your Life

What’s all this busy-ness about?  Don’t we already know that doing too much with no downtime is hazardous to our health? And don’t we already know it leads to overwhelming amounts of stress and exhaustion?   Then what’s causing you to stay so busy that your actual life is in jeopardy? I’m sure that was not your plan and yet here we are – Too Busy for YOU!

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Specializes in Wellness and Coaching for Women in their Third Act.

Let’s focus on some personal results from being too busy and challenge how it affects your lifestyle:

YOU aren’t present.

When have you been so swept away in a busy situation that you waived off an overture from your spouse, child, friend because you didn’t have time for them?

YOU miss out on opportunities.

When has an opportunity arisen that you really wanted to pursue but were too busy to take the time to explore it?

YOU forget to love and care for yourself.

When is the last time you did something nice for yourself, like a massage, spa day, weekend getaway?

YOU don’t make time for doing nothing.

How often do you unplug, detach and just “be” without doing?

YOU don’t have time to think.

When do you take the time to ponder and process issues in your life and work?

YOU neglect to set boundaries.

What is the effect on your day when you don’t set boundaries?

YOU aren’t working to your potential.

What goal do you wish to achieve that you are too busy to pursue?

YOU become emotionally unavailable.

What relationships are in jeopardy because you are too busy to nurture them?

YOU forget to dream.

How would your life be different if you took the time to imagine a perfect life for you?

YOU forget your “why”.

How often do you take the time to contemplate the reason you are here on this planet?

Does this exercise give you some insights about the effect of busy-ness on the quality of your life? Or does it cause even more stress than you already have? Not to worry. I have solutions. But before I share, YOU need to make a decision about whether you are willing to make some changes in your life and take back the time and energy you lack right now.

Top 10 solutions for reducing busy-ness and improving your health:

1. Examine your lifestyle

  • Write down everything you do in a day
  • Label what is important and what is not
  • Stop doing what is not important

2. Follow your intuition

  • Sit quietly for 10 minutes with eyes closed
  • Imagine that your intuition is speaking to you about your busy-ness. What is it saying?
  • Check in with your intuition whenever you feel overwhelmed and ask for answers

3. Say no

Before you say yes - ask yourself:

  • Do I have time for this?
  • Do I want to do this?
  • Does it fit with my values?

4. Network for support

  • Talk with someone who seems to have their life in control
  • Ask them what techniques they use to prevent being too busy
  • Find an accountability partner while you begin making changes

5. Prioritize your health

  • Determine how important your health is to you
  • Schedule “health improvement time” on your calendar daily
  • Create a reward system for yourself as a motivator

6. Calm your mind

  • Focus on taking slow deep breaths whenever you feel tense
  • Count to 10 if you feel you might blow up at someone
  • Schedule time daily for meditation, calming music, relaxation strategies

7. Refresh your body

  • Get up and move around every hour; or sit down every hour if you are always on your feet
  • Do stretching exercises every hour
  • Take breaks by walking outside or up and down stairs

8. Use food for brain power

  • Create your lunch and snacks at home so you don’t waste time at work finding food
  • Eat whole real food, low glycemic, not processed
  • Drink a lot of water, half your weight in ounces

9. Create a workable schedule

  • Honor a start and end time to your day and stick with it
  • Avoid taking work home. If you must, determine if it’s necessary or can wait until the next day.
  • Create an annual calendar that locks in self-care days off and vacations

10. Get enough sleep

  • Pull the plug on technology after 8pm
  • Spend quiet time to unwind before going to bed
  • Set a sleep schedule of 7-8 hours

Hopefully, these tips will be useful for you in your quest to reduce the busy-ness in your life and restore well-being. Feel free to share how you manage your busy lifestyle so we can all learn from each other.

For a more in-depth look at this issue, I have a new book being released soon – Too Busy for YOU – How to Prioritize Yourself for a Balanced, Mindful and Happy Life. Let me know if you want to be notified when it is available.

Resource: 21 Reasons Why You Should Not be Proud of Being Busy

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I'm a great one to discuss "busyness" - lol. Thanks for the tips.

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