The other morning, I was rushing around, trying to hurry and wash my face quickly. There was no reason for me to be frantically lathering up my face, no important task I needed to get to. I was just rushing because, as it turns out, that’s been my default setting for a long time.
I walk quickly, eat quickly, and am usually hurrying from one thing to the other. Again, not because I’m late, but just because I’ve conditioned myself to move at the speed of light for decades.
The quick eating I can understand. When my kids were little, if I wanted to eat my food at its intended temperature, then I needed to get it into my body at near lightspeed before my kiddlets were finished and onto the next Lego project they needed help with.
But hurrying up to wash the dishes now in a kid-free zone? That’s next level intensity. And that comes with a price.
When we’re in the fight-or-flight mode, our bodies become burdened. Extra stress hormones, muscle tightness, and mental anxiety can show up in negative ways. And it’s not like I’m running from a Grizzly bear. I’m doing the damn laundry.
My breath becomes shallow, my neck muscles tighten, and my blood pressure is automatically elevated. All because I’ve rushed from task to task for decades. Do you do this, too?
The next time you’re in a hurry, take a sec and see if the hustle and bustle are actually necessary. Sure, sometimes we need to put it into high gear. But more often than not, we can slow it down a notch or two and have a more relaxed approach to doing whatever it is that’s occupying our precious time.