Slow Down And “Smell The Coffee”

07 Jan Slow Down And “Smell The Coffee”

“Busy is the new stupid.” – Bill Gates.

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me to slow down… 🤑

I equate the words, “I need to slow down,” to not being strong enough to get the job finished. Or, perhaps, I just need to push harder to get things done. Often times, I’m tempted to steal from my ‘sleep bucket’ and get up super early to cross things off my list.

Can being in a constant hurry make you sick? Did it make me sick?

Cardiologists, Dr. Friedman and Dr. Rosenman, coined the term “hurry sickness,” after noticing that many of their patients suffered from a “harrying sense of time urgency.” They defined hurry sickness as “a continuous struggle and unremitting attempt to accomplish or achieve more and more things or participate in more and more events in less and less time.”

Yep. Check, check and check. ✅

Stress [even self-imposed] will increase your cortisol levels. Cortisol drives your fight-or-flight response. This works well when you’re being chased by a lion. 🦁 But, what happens to your body when you are ALWAYS HURRYING to the next task, whether it be a meeting, or a doctor’s apt, etc.?

Long-term exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can wreak havoc throughout your body; increasing your risk of all types of diseases… from heart disease and obesity, to anxiety and digestive issues.

I knew that constant hurrying was bad for my health. Every time I was late for a meeting or stressed because I was stuck in traffic headed to the station, I would feel the spasms start in my chest/esophagus. I could feel the stomach acid moving up my throat. The problem was… I didn’t know how to turn off the process. I was just used to being in a hurry, that ‘hurry’ was my normal.

When I’m in a hurry, I stop being human. What do I mean by that? If I’m waiting in line, I look at my phone instead of people. I stop connecting and start scrolling.

I knew I had to be more strategic with my schedule. I had to say ‘no‘ and not feel guilty.

But first… “Before you figure out your ‘no,’ you need to figure out your ‘yes.’” – John Mark Comer.

💡I had to figure out my YES.💡

My ‘yes’ is to ‘me.’ My health. My family. My friends. My church. My God. My community.

• Do I have it all figured out? Nope. But I am clear about my ‘yes’ and my ‘no.’ 💯 I am scheduling some time each week to sit and think. I’m also creating stronger limits around my social media use and turning it off for a full day each week… usually Sunday.
• I’ve realized that saying ‘no’ to someone or some activity means I’m saying ‘yes’ to something else. Usually this means ‘yes’ to a yoga class, writing in my prayer journal or sleeping in on the weekend.
• I’ve come to terms with the fact that I can’t attend every event or support every good cause; I can’t take every appointment or work opportunity. Thus, I’ve learned to be at peace with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
• Doing something for someone when you don’t have the time to do it isn’t a blessing for either of you. When I do this, I just end up resenting the person for asking me to help. Resentment and peace can’t coincide.

I love this quote by Holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.”

Bonus Tips: Check out the book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. Or, his podcast, “Fight Hustle, End Hurry.”

Slow down and smell the coffee, my friends. ☕️