Health Issues from Busyness

Health Issues from Busyness

Most of us are busy.   We have packed schedules, commitments and are often quite overextended especially during the holidays. Daily life comes along with endless activities, opportunities and commitments. Before we know it we are exhausted, fatigued, anxious and possibly even depressed. All these can lead to a degradation of our immune system which naturally opens the door for chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.

Let’s talk about the word “busy”.  We wear it like a badge of honor or maybe an Olympic gold medal.  We compare ourselves to others thinking no one can be busier than we are!

Webster defines busy as:

1. engaged in action

2. full of activity

3. foolishly or intrusively active

4. full of distracting detail

My definition of busy (when used as an excuse for not doing what is best regarding health, business, etc.) is  the person has not made ____(fill in the blank with health, self-care, business. etc.) a priority in their life. Interestingly enough, when a client comes to me for weight-loss they struggle with making their health a priority and/or lack discipline.  However, with a client comes to me with cancer, they have all the time and resources needed to fight it. They are no longer “too busy”.

This is why detoxing from busyness is a priority and why downtime is crucial as well.  Downtime is essential for our bodies as it allows us to relax, regenerate and heal. A body in a constant state of stress (busyness) is a body unable to heal itself. Lots of healing happens within the body while we lay idle under those sheets for hopefully at least seven to nine hours a night.
Instead of falling victim to excessive busyness this week, try to carve out some rest and relaxation time, for yourself. Resist the urge to go-go-go. Got to bed early one night, shut off the alarm clock and have a morning of sleeping in. Maybe even leave the day unstructured to continue the downtime and relaxation. Your body will thank you.
What do you do to stay out of the busyness trap?

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