Busyness as Usual

This piece appeared in the April 2014 issue of Moods Magazine, published quarterly for almost 20 years in Toronto to explore issues concerning mental health. Our recent experience with the pandemic seems to make it relevant still.

Busyness is an increasingly difficult state to define — everyone from corporate executives to kindergarten students use the term to complain of a constant state of activity, not always productive, usually exhausting. “I’m crazy busy” is often a boast disguised as a complaint. Being busy seems to be a badge of status and importance. Let’s be clear, I’m not talking about people who work 24 hour shifts in Emergency or commute by bus to three minimum wage jobs…they ARE busy, exhausted too.

It seems both curious and fitting to be looking at busyness in an issue devoted to workplace issues. Being busy and working are sometimes the same…or not even related.
For me, being busy sometimes gets in the way of my working, especially if the work is something I don’t particularly want to do. Or, there can be a sense of momentum that being busy provides that I can ride through, simply being active flowing into actually getting something done.

The technology around us creates a strange state of over-stimulation that’s compelling and gives an adrenalin rush that can be addictive. A constant barrage of texts and e-mails demand immediate attention…or do they really? Try asking yourself from time to time “Do I really need to do that right now?” Sometimes coming back to it later “that” doesn’t need to be done at all. We’ve become accustomed to racing through life, responding to every demand as if it were a crucial issue. I can’t imagine that all the people around me in the movies feverishly checking their phones and texting replies are actually neurosurgeons booking their next life saving procedure

On the positive side though, being busy sometimes contributes to more efficiency — better organization out of necessity. It can be stimulating and exciting and lead to a sense of being needed and vital. In some ways it’s the flip side of boredom which I explored in the Spring issue. But, like so much in life, it’s about balance.

Being busy is rooted in human evolution…used to be that staying alive demanded the energy to remain alert to threats — it still does, but the threats have changed and need a different kind of energy, or perhaps energy expended at a modified pace.

When we’re engaged in doing something, many of us often seem to be operating on autopilot, not tempering our reactions to the specifics of the situation, accelerating away from a stop street in order to screech to a stop at the next one a block away. There’s so much stimulation around us that it’s impossible to stay alert constantly and the autopilot mode allows us some respite. Not necessarily a bad thing to let your thoughts wander sometimes as long as you don’t miss a lovely walk in the woods or dinner with friends because your mind is elsewhere.

A few words about busyness and the lethargy that accompanies depression: being active, even in some small way, can be both soothing and invigorating. The feeling of accomplishment that comes from small things like a tidier kitchen or some clean clothes is important too. Your need and tolerance for activity probably varies at different times, best to capitalize on the energy when it’s there and be gentle with yourself when it’s not.

As in all situations, balance is important and our old friend mindfulness is one of the best ways to achieve it. It’s an ancient concept, as relevant today (maybe more so) as it was thousand of years ago. Here are a few very simple ways to begin to be mindful:
— focus on one thing at a time…resist the impulse to check your phone at the movies
— use the time waiting in line at the grocery store to focus on your surroundings
-when the phone rings (or pings or buzzes) take two deep breaths before answering it

If you must multi task, be conscious that you can stop when you want to, create some balance and control over your life’s pace and your life space. You may find you get more done and enjoy it more too.

Interesting reading:
Two books by Carl Honore
In Praise of Slow… 2004
The Slow Fix…2013

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes…2013 by Maria Konnikova

Of the many books on mindfulness, the best is still Jon Kabat Zinn’s first one
Full Catastrophe Living…1990

Wendy Campbell lives in Toronto and contributes regularly to Moods